code-breakers-1Chalk up another strength for people who have been diagnosed with dyslexia.  A spokesperson for the U.K.’s top-secret electronic eavesdropping program reported that some of their most talented code-breakers are dyslexic.

I was just alerted to this fascinating news item from Drs. Fernette and Brock Eide at their terrific web site Dyslexic Advantage. The piece in the British Mail Online, quotes Adrian Culle, a cyber expert and former Scotland Yard computer crime detective, who said:  ”Dyslexic people have the ability of seeing codes with patterns, repetitions, and omissions….dyslexic cryptographists can see what the jigsaw puzzle looks like with just two pieces.”

This gift goes along with the many other strengths of dyslexics, including entrepreneurial ability, three-dimensional spatial ability, and the capacity to break ”out of the box” and see the big picture.  So, parents and teachers, let’s stop looking at dyslexic kids in terms of what they can’t do, and start appreciating them for what they CAN do.  Remember, it was code-breakers who helped win WWII for the Allies.  Neurodiversity Forever!


For more information about neurodiversity, see my books

The Power of Neurodiversity:  Unleashing the Advantages of Your Neurodivergent Brain (Completely Revised and Updated Second Edition)

and Neurodiversity in the Classroom:  Strength-Based Strategies to Help Students with Special Needs Succeed in School and Life

Color cover of book Neurodiversity in the ClassroomThis article was brought to you by Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D. and www.institute4learning.com.

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I’m the author of 20 books including my latest, a novel called Childless, which you can order from Amazon.

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