October is Dyslexia Awareness Month, which attempts to raise public awareness about this group of disorders characterized by difficulty reading. People with dyslexia have difficulty learning or interpreting words, letters, and symbols, and the vast majority of them have average or above-average intelligence.

Although dyslexia isn’t fully understood by the scientific community, improvements in imaging research are changing this on an almost daily basis. That’s why it’s important for people to take the time to learn about dyslexia, especially if they or a family member has been struggling with it. This is also a good month to raise money for organizations that are doing important dyslexia research.

The History of Dyslexia Awareness Month

This month was originally created by the International Dyslexia Association in 2002 to raise public awareness about dyslexia. It was also created to help people living with dyslexia find the resources they need to live with this condition.

Important Facts About Dyslexia

We wanted to provide a section for everyone who wanted to at least learn a little bit about dyslexia while this month is beginning. So we did a bunch of research and came up with the following facts. We think the below facts are a good introduction to a discussion of this topic.

• Approximately 20% of people suffer from dyslexia.
• This makes dyslexia the most common learning disability.
• Approximately 75 to 80% of children who are placed into special education programs are dyslexic.
• Studies have shown that people with dyslexia use only the right side of their brain to process language.
• People who don’t have dyslexia use three areas on the left side of their brain to process language.
• If a parent has dyslexia, their child has a 50/50 chance of having it as well.
• Dyslexia can affect different people in different ways, with symptoms ranging from mild to severe.
• Approximately 40% of people with dyslexia also have ADHD.
• Studies show that people with dyslexia use five times more energy to complete mental tasks.
• About 50% of people with dyslexia are girls and 50% are boys, so it’s a condition that affects both genders equally.

Observing Dyslexia Awareness Month

This month can be observed by taking the time to visit the International Dyslexia Association to find out more information about dyslexia. It’s also a month during which teachers and other educators can help students struggling with dyslexia find the resources they need. And people can spread the news about this month using the hashtag #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth on their social media posts for the month.