Why are half of the self made millionaires dyslexic? If we really thought about this — if we really questioned why this was, it would lead to some massive shifts in how we view and approach dyslexia and learning in itself!
Research from Cass Business School in London found that 35% of entrepreneurs in the US and 20% of entrepreneurs in Britain showed signs of dyslexia, compared with just 5–10% of the overall population. In a survey of 69,000 self-made millionaires, 40% of entrepreneurs were found to show signs of dyslexia.
Dyslexia is a learning difference that affects approximately 10% of the population. Did you know that 60% of self-made millionaires are dyslexia? That has got to account for something.
They were put through a series of tests. 40% of the 300 millionaires who participated in the more comprehensive study had been diagnosed with dyslexia. It may also be referred to as reading disability, reading difference, or reading disorder.
60% of self-made millionaires have dyslexia. The dyslexic's abilities have been recognized by NASA (North American Space Administration) and over 50% of NASA employees are reported as dyslexic.
In fact, despite reading ability, people who have dyslexia can have a range of intellectual ability. Most have average to above average IQs, and just like the general population, some have superior to very superior scores.
Some teachers and parents can mistake a dyslexic child for someone who is lacking intelligence. But the truth is dyslexia has nothing to do with a child's level of intelligence.
Dyslexic brains process information differently. We are naturally creative, good at problem solving and talented communicators. Our heightened abilities in areas like visualisation and logical reasoning skills and natural entrepreneurial traits bring a fresh and intuitive perspective.
But they're not particularly special cases. “Twenty-five percent of CEOs are dyslexic, but many don't want to talk about it,” Chambers, who was Cisco's CEO between 1995 and 2005, told students at MIT last Thursday.
Famous dyslexic entrepreneurs
Her research into the US market showed that 35% of company founders identified themselves as dyslexic, compared with 15% in the general population.
How common is dyslexia in Australia? According to the Australian Dyslexia Association, around 10% of the Australian population are dyslexic – but the figure may be higher, as many dyslexic persons have not been diagnosed.
1 in 10 Australians has Dyslexia [Source: Dyslexia Australia]. People with disability are twice as likely to be in the bottom 20% of gross household incomes.
Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking, Leonardo da Vinci, and Pablo Picasso possessed some of the greatest minds and talents in history and they were dyslexic.
One of the more advantageous qualities in many dyslexic people is their ability to think outside of the box. They come up with excellent, unorthodox ideas that are not only fresh, but lucrative as well. Critical thinkers: Another trait that some dyslexics possess is their ability to use logical reasoning.
There are many examples of people who have dyslexia and are incredibly creative. While there's currently no evidence that proves people with dyslexia are naturally more creative than others, researchers are still studying this.
Imaging research has demonstrated that the brains of people with dyslexia show different, less efficient, patterns of processing (including under and over activation) during tasks involving sounds in speech and letter sounds in words.
"The dyslexics were using 4.6 times as much area of the brain to do the same language task as the controls," said Richards, a professor of radiology. "This means their brains were working a lot harder and using more energy than the normal children."
It is possible for a dyslexic person to be able to read very well, yet find it extremely difficult or impossible to write or spell. Sometimes the writing problem is called 'dysgraphia' instead of 'dyslexia' – but we find that often these symptoms stem from the same underlying causes as dyslexia.
Perhaps one of the most famous figures known to have dyslexia is Albert Einstein, a theoretical physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 and has become synonymous with intelligence and wit.
Dyslexia doesn't go away. But intervention and good instruction go a long way in helping kids with reading issues. So do accommodations and assistive technology, such as text-to-speech.
According to a study by Professor Julie Logan of Cass Business School in London, between 20-40% of entrepreneurs have dyslexia. This is significantly higher than the estimated 10% of the general population that has dyslexia.
We often define dyslexia as an “unexpected difficulty in reading”; however, a dyslexic student may also have difficulty with math facts although they are often able to understand and do higher level math quite well.
They think in a different way. The majority of people think mainly with their brain's left hemisphere, whereas dyslexics think predominantly with their right hemisphere. This leads to a different kind of thinking and learning style that we call conceptual thinking.
The mental function that causes dyslexia is a gift in the truest sense of the word: a natural ability, a talent. It is something special that enhances the individual. Dyslexics don't all develop the same gifts, but they do have certain mental functions in common.