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00:00Thomas Edison, inventor of the light bulb, Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group,
00:12Whoopi Goldberg, famous actress, Nelson Rockefeller, 41st president of the United States, Miles
00:21Monroe, famous preacher.
00:26What do all of these persons have in common?
00:30They are famous and they all suffer from dyslexia.
00:45Dyslexia is a condition where the brain understands information differently.
00:51The word dyslexia is often associated with young children finding it difficult to read
00:58and write.
00:59However, it doesn't only affect children as many adults are not even aware that they have
01:06dyslexia.
01:07I had a patient once who is a professional and because of this learning disability, each
01:16time she is given a responsibility which involves something written, she would tend to shy away
01:25from it.
01:27Like if she's been asked to prepare a presentation, at the end of the day she's unable to do
01:34it.
01:35And it's interesting to know that she had never been diagnosed until when we met she
01:39was already an adult working professionally until we met and could make the diagnosis.
01:44So generally, in terms of professional output, whatever is written information may be difficult
01:53for the patient, but whatever is verbal, whatever is any other form of communication, the patient
01:59will do well in those aspects.
02:03Recognizing dyslexia in an adult is the first step in coping with it.
02:08In children, it manifests as difficulties in processing written information.
02:14In adults, this learning challenge often translates into a problem with working memory.
02:22You have problems with executive functions, certain tasks like cleaning up one's room
02:27or completing one's assignment could be daunting to a child.
02:32To an adult, you could take an instance of cooking.
02:36Maybe you have a woman, a housewife who is dyslexic, or a mother who is dyslexic and
02:41she has to cater for her children, she has to cook for her family.
02:46Cooking could be a very challenging task to her.
02:49Instead of the regular maybe one hour or 45 minutes or one hour, 30 minutes at most, you
02:54have mothers, women who take up to four hours, five hours cooking a simple meal.
02:59Dyslexia in adults basically is an adult that has grown up with difficulty learning information
03:06that is written.
03:08So this would be an individual who maybe going through school had difficulties, and so is
03:14now an adult that may have difficulties with reading.
03:18So you see, for example, that you would tend to avoid information that is written, would
03:23prefer information verbally, or other forms of transmitting information.
03:32Juggling multiple tasks for adults with dyslexia can be challenging.
03:39These primary characteristics of dyslexia could lead to other secondary psychological
03:45concerns.
03:47Because of the learning disability, you may find that this individual may have low self-esteem,
03:53you know, may have difficulties with his personality, may have other frustrations which could tend
03:59to lead to even more severe symptoms like anxiety, like depression.
04:06People having dyslexia, they find it difficult juggling multiple tasks, they end up developing
04:11mental health hazards, they end up being depressed, they end up being, they have a lot of anxiety,
04:18they end up being irritated at almost everything.
04:23They develop low self-esteem.
04:27However, as evidenced by the world's most well-known dyslexics, the condition is not
04:34insurmountable.
04:37It's interesting to know that the 41st president of the US, Nelson Rockefeller, suffered from
04:42dyslexia and he was able to overcome until he became the president of the US.
04:48And there's famous businessman in the UK, Richard Branson, who said that he has dyslexia.
04:56And Thomas Edison, who discovered electricity, you know, suffered from dyslexia.
05:01And I think I always like quoting these examples, you know, because it helps you to understand
05:05that even though you have a child who has dyslexia, or you may be suffering from dyslexia,
05:10it doesn't stop you from, you know, achieving your dreams, it doesn't stop you from living
05:14your life fully.
05:15For children, we are a bit more rigorous because it's a learning process, it's the period of
05:21their life where they have to learn.
05:23Now for adults, it's a bit more tricky because the individual has already grown up, you know,
05:27with that difficulty.
05:28And at this stage, it may be difficult to, you know, start schooling again.
05:32So what, at the adult stage, basically what we would advise is to, you know, seek professional
05:39domains where writing is not necessary on a day-to-day basis, you know, where it involves
05:46much more other skills, you know, and in that way, the patient can easily adapt to that
05:52and do well in that area.
05:56Dyslexia starts in childhood, but can have lifelong effects on a person's education,
06:02career, and mental health as they grow older.
06:06Certified professionals can help dyslexics to develop coping mechanisms and even excel
06:13in any given field.