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gno gno
 
M$1 October 22, 2009 03:43 AM

Do people with Dyslexia commonly have problems with memorization?

If the memorizing doesn't necessarily involve reading (let's assume it doesn't), do Dyslexics have a tough time remembering a script or memorizing facts?
A model on America's Next Top Model asserted this was the case and I'm wondering if this is true.
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October 22, 2009 05:35 PM
I think, to an extent, most of your assertions are true. Most people with dyslexia, in fact, are very good at memorization. That is how they get around having to actually read things thoroughly. They tend to memorize what certain words, phrases, or numbers and formulas look like.

However, my best friend is dyslexic and does have problems with short term memory. This is a result, not of the dyslexia itself, but of a concomittant (co-existing) disorder that resulted from early childhood trauma. I believe it is common for certain people with dyslexia to have other disorders or disabilities that go along with that, which stem either from an incident of trauma as mentioned, or emotional issues surrounding difficulties faced with dyslexia itself. There are certain cognitive issues that can go along with that as well.

While the girl on America's next Top Model may have been outwardly diagnosed as having dyslexia, there may be another secondary cognitive issue that either has not been addressed by her physician and is still unknown, or has been addressed, and due to much stigma and negative reactions to certain psychiatric or neurological terms and disorders, she herself chooses not to disclose that particular information.

In my opinion, the second is more likely the case. While she may feel more comfortable just saying that she's dyslexic and letting people know that she faces certain challenges in that area, she probably would not be as comfortable coming out and saying, for example, that she has bipolar disorder or even brain damage as the result of an injury.

Many people tend to react negatively to these kinds of disabilities. It would also create much unwanted negative attention and publicity for her as an individual, which can also lead to more stress, which in turn can only make dealing with certain conditions more of a struggle.


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October 22, 2009 04:17 AM
Hmmmm...

Well, as someone who was diagnosed with dyslexia and another cognitive learning challenge in childhood, I can tell you that my auditory memory and ability to memorize based on auditory input increased to compensate. In fact, I apparently compensated well enough that my learning challenges were not diagnosed until I was in the 6th grade (and then it was at my parents' insistence).

I became an honors student, graduated in the top ten in a class of 650, and took a degree from an engineering school.

So, I'd have to say no, I do not believe that having dyslexia prevents memorization of information.

Darn good try for an explanation on her part, though.
Source(s):
personal experience


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gno gno
 
October 22, 2009 12:10 PM
That's what I thought (based on my very limited knowledge). This girl is a pretty dim bulb, and she keeps hiding behind Dyslexia as an excuse why she can't do challenges (she says she can't read, memorize lines, or come up with ideas on the fly, and that she becomes somewhat disoriented after looking at black & white type). I wondered how much of that was true and how much was covering for her not having a brain in her head.

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October 22, 2009 03:03 PM
Having a condition, knowing about it, and finding ways to compensate and overcome it is how most reasonable people deal with obstacles in their lives. Blaming all one's woes on a condition and using it as a crutch to support all the reasons one can't do things is indicative of a "victim mentality" and is not, in my opinion, healthy. We all make choices - I do not envy the young woman the consequences of hers.

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October 22, 2009 03:57 PM
becoming "disoriented after looking at black & white type"... that sounds like some of the symptoms of "shaken baby syndrome" that adults now claim to have.

I personally think she's trying to play poker with the big kids when she doesn't quite have a full deck.
*nudge, nudge...

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gno gno
 
October 22, 2009 05:22 PM
Yeah, this girl -- setting Dyslexia completely aside -- she's not playing with a full deck.

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October 22, 2009 01:14 PM
as a person I know that suffers from dyslexia i have come accross many times where they would not really lose memorization but zone out completely so you could say not remember but it was more like there mind being somewhere else.

mike !

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gno gno
 
October 22, 2009 05:22 PM
Aha, interesting. Of course, would this be above and beyond the "zone out factor" that most people experience?

I wonder if there are any medical sources out there that weigh in on this issue...

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October 23, 2009 04:07 AM
I have a couple friends with Dyslexia and all of them have the hardest time remembering things...I'm not sure if It's just a coincedence or not but I find it awfully strange all of them have the same issue.....

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November 21, 2009 01:40 AM
ALL of your couple friends? wow that is really convincing. Maybe they just happen to suck at memorization. I am dyslexic and I had to learn to become very good at memorization. I've never heard of dyslexia as an excuse for a bad memory. Try again.

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