The Relationship between Dyslexia and Resilience

Studies of students with dyslexia have focused on reading and cognitive skills development and their relationship to academic outcomes. Yet, non-cognitive skills, such as resilience or grit, have been shown to positively contribute to life satisfaction, mental health, and academic success (e.g., Aro et al., 2023; Casali et al., 2023; Hossain et al., 2021; Kortteinen et al., 2020). However, this literature is small and inconclusive, with inconsistent definitions and measures of grit and resilience. Furthermore, prior studies have led to mixed results when investigating levels of resilience amongst people with and without dyslexia (Armfield et al., 2021; Kalka & Lockiewicz, 2017; Ghisi et al., 2016; Panicker & Chelliah, 2016; Stampoltzis et al., 2023; Walton-Peak, 2017). There is, hence, a need for more well-powered empirical research that utilizes validated measures. To address some of the gaps in the literature we utilized a publicly available dataset, the Healthy Brain Network (HBN) biobank, which includes deep phenotyping of more than 4,000 children ages 5-21. In our study, we assess differences in grit comparing a sample of children with a diagnosis of dyslexia and sample without dyslexia, matched for age, sex assigned at birth, SES, and other diagnoses. Additionally, we assess the relationship between grit (GRIT short scale) and two measures of life outcomes in individuals with dyslexia: self-reported letter-grade academic achievement, as well as parent-reported positive development (from the Child Flourishing Scale). Continuous analyses control for the effects of age, sex assigned at birth, and SES. The results reveal that there is no significant difference in grit between people with and without dyslexia, sex at birth nor socioeconomic status, but there is a negative significant relationship between grit and age. Results also indicate a positive association between grit and child flourishing but no relationship to self-reported grade average. This study is grounded in a strength-based (rather than deficit-based) model of dyslexia, aiming to better support individuals with dyslexia through understanding and capitalizing on their strengths.