{"id":14204,"date":"2022-06-24T14:38:46","date_gmt":"2022-06-24T12:38:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sciencefocus.com\/?p=122388"},"modified":"2022-06-24T14:55:08","modified_gmt":"2022-06-24T12:55:08","slug":"dyslexia-isnt-a-disorder-its-part-of-our-species-cultural-evolution-say-researchers","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/rss_feed\/dyslexia-isnt-a-disorder-its-part-of-our-species-cultural-evolution-say-researchers\/","title":{"rendered":"Dyslexia isn\u2019t a disorder, it\u2019s part of our species\u2019 cultural evolution, say researchers"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Amy Barrett\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 24 June 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Dyslexia should be considered a difference, not a disorder, researchers at the University of Cambridge say. This is evidenced by studies in cognition, behaviour and the brain that show that people with dyslexia are specialised to explore the unknown<\/a> and think in terms of the bigger picture.<\/p>\n

The strengths of the dyslexic brain could have evolved as humans adapted to a changing environment. To survive, we needed to learn skills and acquire habits, but we also needed to be creative and find novel solutions through exploration. In their new study, Dr Helen Taylor<\/a> and Dr Martin Vestergaard<\/a> say that because the brain has limited capacity, the only way to get better at adapting was by specialising in different strategies. Some people became more specialised in exploiting learned information, while others focused more on discovery and invention.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn many other fields of research it is understood that adaptive systems \u2013 be they organisations, the brain or a beehive \u2013 need to achieve a balance between the extent to which they explore and exploit in order to adapt and survive,\u201d said Taylor, who studies cognition and human evolution.<\/p>\n

Studies have shown that people with dyslexia are less efficient at procedural learning than non-dyslexic people, said Taylor, and this has positives and negatives for both groups.<\/p>\n

\u201cLearning to read, write or play the piano are all examples of skills that are dependent upon procedural memory; once learned, the skills can be processed automatically and rapidly\u2026 However, once a skill becomes automatic, you\u2019re essentially exploiting the same information again and again.<\/p>\n

\u201cConversely, if an individual has difficulty acquiring automaticity, they retain conscious awareness of the process. The upside is that a skill or process can still be improved and exploration can continue<\/span>.\u201d<\/p>\n

For over 100 years, dyslexia has been viewed through a negative lens. It has been called a developmental disorder, learning disability or learning difficulty. But instead of being a deficit, the distinction between dyslexic and non-dyslexic brains should be framed simply as a difference, said Taylor.<\/p>\n