Dyslexia: Not a Mental Illness

Introduction: Dyslexia is one of the most commonlearning disability specially among children thatdisrupts how brain processes written language.1 Personwith dyslexia experiences trouble with reading andrelated skills. 2 It’s a treatable condition, and it doesn’tstand in the way of success. Dyslexia and autism areseparate conditions. Similarly, dyslexia and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are also separateconditions. Dyslexia is considered a reading or learningdisability. It happens because of differences in partsof your brain that process words and language.3 Someexperts estimate that it affects about 7% of peopleworldwide, equally regardless of sex and race.1Somedemographical data also said it affects roughly around10% of the population globally. Including people withsymptoms but without a diagnosis, dyslexia may affectup to 20% of people worldwide.1Among Americansabout 5%-15% have some symptoms of dyslexia, likeslow reading, trouble spelling, or mixing up words.Adults can have this learning disorder, but most peopleare diagnosed early in life. Others don’t realize they havedyslexia until they get older. 3 In Bangladesh, dyslexia isa new concept to most educators and parents, and manydyslexic people themselves. A study in 2015 revealed a9.02% prevalence rate of dyslexia in the primary schoolsof Dhaka. Apart from this study, there is only a handfulof research that has been carried out in Bangladeshwhich explains the oblivious attitude of common peopleto the condition.