Rethinking dyslexia

Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Phil.

And I'm Pippa. Are you a big reader, Phil?

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Sometimes I go a while without reading anything. What about you?

Well, I really love to read. I read on the train to work all the time.

Ah, well, that is a great way to get some reading in, I guess.

Yes and reading, of course, is a life skill – an essential skill which is useful or important in everyone's life. But reading can be a struggle for people with dyslexia – a learning difficulty making it hard for people to read, write or spell.

It's thought that around one in ten people in the UK are dyslexic, and many dyslexic children struggle at school, where the focus is on reading and writing. But in this episode, we'll be hearing how dyslexics have other skills which allow them to excel in the workplace. As usual, we'll be learning some useful new words and phrases, and remember, you'll find all the vocabulary for this episode on our

But first, I have a question for you, Phil. Studies have shown that people with dyslexia have enhanced abilities in certain areas and can excel in creative thinking, problem solving and inventiveness. So, which famous scientist was dyslexic? Was it: a) Stephen Hawking, b) Albert Einstein, or c) Marie Curie?

Oh, I think... I think it's b) – I think it's Albert Einstein.

Well, we'll find out the answer at the end of the programme. Now, the British charity Made By Dyslexia shares online learning tools and works with schools and teachers to raise awareness about the condition. The charity recently collaborated with British celebrities who have dyslexia for this promotional video:

If you're dyslexic, it's kind of your superpower. It's, like, the way that you think.

Our brains – they're wired to, I think, process information differently.

The way I see the world might be different from somebody else, but that's valid. In fact, it's vital.

You might recognise some of those voices, including actors Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley and businessman Richard Branson. The message is that, far from being a disability, dyslexia is their superpower – the ability to do something other people can't.

Made By Dyslexia was founded by social entrepreneur Kate Griggs, and Kate co- authored a report showing that empowering dyslexic workers could boost the global economy by billions. BBC World Service programme People Fixing the World met Kate at the report's London launch event, where she explained why being dyslexic can actually give advantages in life, including some exciting job prospects.

If you think about what you have to do as a spy, you have to be reading people really quickly, spotting complex patterns and solving problems really quickly, so you can see whether there's a terror threat. It's natural that dyslexics are brilliant spies.

Kate thinks dyslexics make good spies – people who secretly collect information about another country's government or organisations. Why? Because they're good at reading people. To read people means to be able to understand someone's true intentions through their body language and behaviour, rather than their words.

Also present at the London charity event was space scientist and dyslexic herself, Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock. Here, Maggie tells BBC World Service's People Fixing the World how being dyslexic contributes different skills and ideas to her project teams:

Well, I think it's recognising people's skills and differences. It's about teamwork and collaboration. We do it in science and that's when we reach for the stars, but to do that, we need to know our skills and value all the skills.

Maggie thinks that everyone's skills should be valued – or considered important. Dyslexics may struggle to read or spell, but their skills in problem-solving and communication, for example, can be essential for scientific success.

By valuing everyone's contribution, business and science teams can reach for the stars – an idiom meaning to be ambitious and try to achieve something difficult, even if it seems impossible.

And talking of reaching for the stars, Pippa, I think it's time you revealed the answer to your question about successful scientists.

Yes, I asked you which famous scientist was dyslexic. Was it a) Stephen Hawking, b) Albert Einstein, or c) Marie Curie? And you were right, Phil. It was Albert Einstein. OK. Let's recap the vocabulary we've learned, starting with life skill – an essential skill, such as reading or problem-solving, which is useful in everyone's life.

A superpower is the ability to do something that other people can't.

A spy is someone who secretly collects information about other countries' governments or organisations.

If you're good at reading people, you can understand people's real intentions through how they act and behave, instead of what they say.

If you value something or someone, you consider them to be important.

And finally, the idiom to reach for the stars means to have high or ambitious aims and try to achieve something difficult, even if it seems impossible.

Once again, our six minutes are up, but remember, you can find many more trending topics, plus a quiz and worksheet for this episode, on our website,

Goodbye!