what is the connection between thinking in pictures and dyslexia?

Question

or
what is the connection between ADD and dyslexia?
thanks!

Answer 1

ADD and dyslexia often go hand-in-hand, though they do not have to occur together. They are both examples of what the Department of Public Instruction calls "information-processing deficits;" though through my teaching experiences I have come to think of them as differences rather than "deficits." The brain processes written or spoken language (or both-or other types of information) differently than in people who are not said to have ADD or dyslexia.

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by 'thinking in pictures,' but when a person has trouble taking in (or expressing themselves with) language, sometimes they can compensate with visuals. I often see a relative strength in visual processing with students who have trouble processing written or spoken language. One of my colleagues has had some success using American Sign Language with a student who has severe information processing difficulties, I think in part because it helps the student express herself without having to retrieve spoken words. It's visual and kinesthetic.

I know I got a little off-subject, but this is a deep and complicated question. I wrestle with it each day as I try to teach my first graders (who have been diagnosed with many various special needs) basic academic and life skills, including how to read.

Answer 2

having dyslexia is like a computer modem to filter all your brain input. so much stuff bottlenecks before it gets to your brain that part of it gets dumped. a picture is a single item where paragraphs are made of multiple sentences, words, and meanings. the picture passes through and is processed easy. but the words have to be put in order and understood before you brain gets bored and wonders off into la la land. its a pain to read books its easier to listen to them on tape/CD.

ADD effects are similar. the brain gets bored and wonders off.

Answer 3

Pictures are non-directional, which makes them easier for dyslexics to work with. Regular words are directional (that is, you read from left to right for English, from right to left for Arabic, from top to bottom for Japanese (or is that Chinese?) so you have to know which direction you are going in when you read. That's why dyslexics have problems with words like dog and god, tram and mart, etc, because they make real words whichever way you read them. Dyslexics have serious problems with left and right as well, so any type of non-directional communication, such as a picture, is much more readily accessible.