Gifted Dyslexic Storytellers
One great benefit of the design of our practice is that we get a chance to spend plenty of time with kids and listen to their stories. Some of the most remarkable young storytellers we see are difficult at this age to capture with conventional tests because their stories are so spontaneous, impassioned, and whimsical, and they'd promptly disappear if we ever asked them to write out their ideas by hand.
It's nice to see that when some of these gifted dyslexic storytellers grow up, they capture world-wide recognition (like the fabulous "unteachable" dyslexic writer of I Coriander, Sally Gardner, or the prolific Emmy Award-winning screenplay writer and author Stephen Cannell). Until they're grown, most young dyslexic storytellers will only share their stories orally with their closest friends and families.
The other day, I tried to put my finger on what it was that seem so distinctive about these fantastic storytellers, and it occurred to me how poorly any sort of formal test would be to capture it. Often the most moving or riveting stories conjure up for me clear images of events and places and times, so that I was no longer a just a passive listener, but I felt there and in the story. For some students, gifts appeared in how they could exactly capture the "voice" of characters (the music of different people's conversation) or their empathy for the feelings, thoughts, and perspectives of other people.
We often hear the strengths of dyslexics referred to as visual thinking gifts, but in some cases, cinematic thinking may be a better term. When I'm listening to a cinematic storyteller, I feel like I'm moving with the camera's eye, watching scenes unfold, and experiencing multisensory detail as a participant in a story much more than passive observer.
Small wonder there are many gifted actors, actresses, and filmmakers found on lists of "Famous Dyslexics." With the average young gifted dyslexic storyteller, though, we really have a long way to go to really appreciate their talents and abilities or even make them feel welcome in the day-to-day world of K-12 school. We have to do better. Adulthood is just too long a time to wait to be discovered.
Stephen Cannell
"Unteachable" Successful Dyslexic Novelist Sally Gardner
Eide Neurolearning Blog: Gifted Dyslexics
Famous People with the Gift of Dyslexia
It's nice to see that when some of these gifted dyslexic storytellers grow up, they capture world-wide recognition (like the fabulous "unteachable" dyslexic writer of I Coriander, Sally Gardner, or the prolific Emmy Award-winning screenplay writer and author Stephen Cannell). Until they're grown, most young dyslexic storytellers will only share their stories orally with their closest friends and families.
The other day, I tried to put my finger on what it was that seem so distinctive about these fantastic storytellers, and it occurred to me how poorly any sort of formal test would be to capture it. Often the most moving or riveting stories conjure up for me clear images of events and places and times, so that I was no longer a just a passive listener, but I felt there and in the story. For some students, gifts appeared in how they could exactly capture the "voice" of characters (the music of different people's conversation) or their empathy for the feelings, thoughts, and perspectives of other people.
We often hear the strengths of dyslexics referred to as visual thinking gifts, but in some cases, cinematic thinking may be a better term. When I'm listening to a cinematic storyteller, I feel like I'm moving with the camera's eye, watching scenes unfold, and experiencing multisensory detail as a participant in a story much more than passive observer.
Small wonder there are many gifted actors, actresses, and filmmakers found on lists of "Famous Dyslexics." With the average young gifted dyslexic storyteller, though, we really have a long way to go to really appreciate their talents and abilities or even make them feel welcome in the day-to-day world of K-12 school. We have to do better. Adulthood is just too long a time to wait to be discovered.
Stephen Cannell
"Unteachable" Successful Dyslexic Novelist Sally Gardner
Eide Neurolearning Blog: Gifted Dyslexics
Famous People with the Gift of Dyslexia
