Factoid Friday: Dyslexics Make Better Spies

Fact: Did you know that many of the top codebreakers at Britain’s intelligence agency GCHQ have dyslexia?

A recent article highlighted the fact that some of the most talented codebreakers in the business struggle with literacy and have a dyslexia diagnosis.

People displaying dyslexia in their reading and spelling often have superior pattern-recognition abilities. They also have an advanced ability to grasp the “big gist” of a set of data, also called big picture thinking. These abilities are key skills in codebreaking and intelligence operations, especially in protecting against cyber attacks and terrorist activities.

One former Scotland Yard detective said: “Dyslexia may in other circumstances by regarded as negative – but most people only get to see the full jigsaw picture when it’s nearly finished while dyslexic cryptographists can see what the jigsaw puzzle looks like with just two pieces.”

GCHQ runs an in-house support group for dyslexics and dyspraxics to help them cope with practical needs that are more challenging. Read more in the full article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2362793/Dyslexia-Britains-secret-weapon-spy-war-Top-codebreakers-crack-complex-problems-suffer-condition.html

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Sarah Forrest is a Reading Consultant for Morgan Learning Solutions, offering advice and courses for struggling readers aged 5 to 12. Easyread, the flagship product, helps highly visual learners, dyslexics and children with weak auditory function learn how to read through short daily lessons using innovative Guided Phonetic Reading techniques.