“Everyone Is a Little Dyslexic” - Why This Myth Is Harmful

Have you ever heard someone say “everyone is a little dyslexic”?

For many dyslexic individuals, this phrase minimizes the real challenges that come with a dyslexic brain — challenges like spelling, word retrieval, working memory, rapid naming, and executive functioning.

But here's the deeper issue: society often only uses this phrase when referring to dyslexia’s difficulties, not the abilities that can come with dyslexic thinking.

In this episode of Unmasking Dyslexia, we explore:

• Why the phrase “everyone is a little dyslexic” can be misleading
• The difference between dyslexic challenges and dyslexic abilities
• How dyslexic brains excel at big-picture thinking, pattern recognition, and rapid problem-solving
• Research describing languishing vs. thriving dyslexic identities
• How mindset influences whether dyslexic individuals struggle or thrive

Dyslexia is not simply a list of deficits. It is a different way the brain processes information, one that can come with both real challenges and powerful abilities.

The question becomes:
 Will you focus only on the challenges, or learn how to access what your brain does best?

This episode invites dyslexic individuals, educators, parents, and anyone interested in neurodiversity to rethink what dyslexia really means.

If this conversation resonates with you, subscribe and share to help change the story around dyslexia. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Welcome to Unmasking Dyslexia, a podcast that reframes what it means to be dyslexic today. I'm Carlene, your host, bringing lived experience, real conversations, and evidence-based insights from psychology and neuroscience. Here we explore hidden stories, everyday strengths, and tools for well-being and connection. Whether you're dyslexic, love someone who is, teach, or simply curious, you belong here. Together, let's change the story. Are you tired of hearing, well, everyone's a little dyslexic? I know I am. I have finally come up with a way to re-look at this. And it's based on society's misperceptions of what dyslexia is and where their focus actually even aligns with. People use that phrase, well, I'm a little dyslexic, or everyone's dyslexic to some extent, only when they are referencing the challenges that dyslexics have. So as we start working and developing and educating people on the abilities that come with our brains, and I don't want to say strengths, even though some people really out there in the industry want us to look at these as strengths, but those of us who are very aware of our challenges, they really get knocked down with what we struggle with. What you have to realize is that our dyslexic brains do come with abilities. It's just up to us whether or not we want to unhinge them. And I have to say, we take these abilities for granted because they're easy for us. These are the aspects of life that are easy. Now, the next time somebody says, well, everybody's a little dyslexic in response to something that is a challenge for dyslexics, like spelling, word recall, working memory, executive functioning, um, rapid naming, uh, pronunciations, uh, visual uh perception, any of these aspects that are actually challenges for someone who has a dyslexic brain. I want you to stop and go. So if you're a little bit dyslexic or everyone's a little dyslexic, then everybody has big picture thinking. Everybody has the ability to problem solve within seconds. You're able to make patterns, you can connect dots that no one else can. And you actually have extensive and proficient communication skills, orally, that is, and that you can see and understand and be charismatic when you talk, that you have rapid and very expressive facial expressions, that you have the ability to draw connections to things that no one else can. Because the thing is, is we don't use that phrase as a society with the strengths or, like I said, I wasn't going to use strengths and I just did, but the abilities that come with dyslexia. We only use it for the deficit, which tells us that society's view on dyslexia is one of negativity, it is one of disability, it is one of challenges, it is one of non-success. And the reality is there are some things that we as dyslexic individuals can access and can succeed at that other people who do not have our brains can't. And it is up to us as individuals to figure that out of what and how our brain actually benefits from this wiring so that we can be successful. There were two different types of uh personalities or identities of dyslexia in one study. There's multiple dyslexic identities that are out there, but in this one study, it actually looked at languishing and thriving dyslexics. And this is a prime example of this. Languishing dyslexics were the ones that basically said, This is my brain, I'm dyslexic, there's nothing I can do. I'm not gonna try, I'm gonna sit here and I'm gonna basically do nothing and only see my challenges. They were less successful, they had what's more aligned with a closed mindset, meaning that you are born with your abilities, and no matter what you do, you can't change your state or your ability to grow. The other dyslexic identity in this study was a thriving dyslexic. And those individuals had closer to a growth mindset. But these thriving dyslexics, what they saw was, yeah, I've got this brain, but you know what? I can succeed, I can do better. And these thriving dyslexics were more likely, like I said, to have a growth mindset in that I have these challenges, I have this brain, but I can learn, I can grow, and I can achieve anything I put my mind to. These thriving dyslexics have the ability to move beyond what is into what can be. They aligned with their strengths, they worked with their abilities. So in these moments when somebody says, Well, everybody's a little dyslexic, do you agree with them? Because all you see is your challenges. And I want to challenge you, like I said at the beginning. Or can you then challenge them and list off all of the abilities that you have that are innately yours because of this dyslexic wire? Food for thought. Curious, which one are you? Or which one would you rather be? Because guess what? You can teach an old dog tricks, and dyslexics can grow beyond their challenges. Thanks for listening to Unmasking Dyslexia. If today's episode resonated with you, please take a moment to subscribe, rate, and review the show. It helps more people find conversations like these. If you'd like to go deeper, visit my website at CarleneRoss.com to join the community, explore resources, or book a session. A link to my website and email are provided in the show notes. If you have a story to share or a topic you'd love to hear about, reach out. I'd love to connect. Because when we come together and unmask, we're not only changing the story, we're helping to rewrite a new one.