Three people are pictured sitting down. They are visible from the waist down. The person on the right is wearing bright red shoes, in contrast to the business casual attire of the other two people.

In this article, psychoanalyst, columnist, and bestselling author Gail Saltz provides an extract from her new book The Power of Different: The Link Between Disorder and Genius. The book chronicles individuals with dyslexia and how they share many common traits and experiences, no matter their age or particular interests. These traits fall into four categories.

  1. Significant, and at times traumatizing, difficulty in school
  2. Conscious or unconscious development of ‘work-arounds’ that allow them to navigate academia and the larger world
  3. Gifts of creativity and insight that directly correspond with their brain differences
  4. Tremendous drive and determination to put these gifts to use

Her book will be published by Little, Brown Book Group (on the Robinson imprint) in March 2017.

Read the full extract of The Power of Different on the British Psychological Association website.

Last Updated: January 16, 2024By

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