Is dyslexia a superpower?
We have all seen the social media posts. People with dyslexia are said to be more creative, better at solving problems, exceptional visual thinkers, natural entrepreneurs and especially good at seeing the bigger picture. These traits are often described as ‘dyslexia strengths’ or even ‘superpowers’.
The intention is understandable. For a long time, dyslexia was talked about almost entirely in terms of difficulty, failure and low expectations. Promoting positive traits can feel like a way to push back against that.
But what happens when we replace negative stereotypes with positive ones? And what happens to the many people with dyslexia who don’t recognise themselves in that list?
As a specialist dyslexia assessor in Cornwall, I find this an increasingly pressing question. I assess children and adultswith very different cognitive profiles. Some show clear strengths in reasoning, visual processing or other areas. Others do not. That is entirely normal, and it is exactly why claims about what people with dyslexia are ‘like’ deserve a closer look.
In brief
Dyslexia is defined by persistent difficulties with word reading and spelling, not by a set of strengths.
Two meta-analyses found no overall creativity advantage, and the largest visual-spatial review found lower average scores, with more variation.
Claims about big-picture thinking, empathy and entrepreneurship rest on small, task-specific or self-reported studies.
Strengths are individual. A good diagnostic assessment describes the person’s actual profile.
What dyslexia is, and what it isn’t
Dyslexia is defined by persistent difficulties with word reading and/or spelling, not by any set of strengths.
The International Dyslexia Association adopted a revised definition in October 2025, its first major update since 2002 (IDA, 2025). It describes difficulties with the accuracy and/or speed of word reading and spelling. These fall along a continuum of severity and persist even with teaching that works for the person’s peers. It recognises that the causes are complex, combining genetic, neurobiological and environmental influences, and that underlying phonological and morphological difficulties are common but not universal.
In the UK, the Delphi consensus study (Carroll et al., 2025) reached a similar position. Its expert panel included academics, specialist teachers, educational psychologists and people with dyslexia. They agreed that dyslexia is a difficulty in reading and spelling, with reading fluency and spelling as its key markers across ages and languages. SASC now recommends that assessors use this definition.
Neither definition lists creativity, entrepreneurship, empathy or visual thinking as features of dyslexia. That is not an oversight. It reflects what the research shows.
A person with dyslexia can be highly creative or have excellent reasoning skills. Equally, they may find those same areas difficult. Dyslexia does not come with a guaranteed set of strengths. (If you want to know what dyslexia does typically look like, see my guides to the signs of dyslexia in children and the signs of dyslexia in adults.)
Claim 1: Are people with dyslexia more creative?
Two meta-analyses have tested this directly, and neither found an overall creativity advantage.
Erbeli, Peng and Rice (2022) combined 20 studies, comparing 770 people with dyslexia and 1,671 without. They found no overall difference between the groups in average creativity, and no difference in how widely scores varied. The group with dyslexia actually did less well on verbal creativity tasks than on figural (drawing-based) ones.
Majeed, Hartanto and Tan (2021) reviewed 14 studies involving 397 people with a clinical diagnosis of dyslexia and 453 controls. They also found no significant overall difference.
Both reviews found one exception worth noting. In adult samples, people with dyslexia scored higher on creativity tasks than their peers, but this was not true of children or adolescents. Majeed and colleagues concluded that the evidence offers only limited support for a creativity link, and that any advantage may be confined to adults. Why this happens is not yet understood.
A study of secondary school students in Malta found the same pattern in younger people. When students with and without dyslexia were matched for age, background and ability, there was no evidence of greater creativity or visual-spatial ability. The authors advised teachers not to assume compensatory skills (Martinelli, Camilleri & Fenech, 2018).
Creativity is an individual characteristic. It is not a predictable consequence of dyslexia, and certainly not something we can promise a child.
Claim 2: Do people with dyslexia have better visual-spatial skills?
The largest review of this question found the opposite on average: lower scores, but more variation.
Chamberlain, Brunswick, Siev and McManus (2018) pooled data from 956 people with dyslexia and 909 without, on high-level visual-spatial tasks such as mentally rotating shapes. On average, the group with dyslexia performed less well. Their scores were also more spread out than the comparison group’s.
That greater spread matters. It means some people with dyslexia have excellent visual-spatial skills, while others find these tasks genuinely difficult. The authors suggest this variability may explain why individual studies have produced such conflicting results.
None of this tells us about a person’s talent for art, design or practical work, which depend on much more than test performance. But it does mean superior visual thinking cannot be presented as a feature of dyslexia.
Claim 3: Are people with dyslexia natural problem-solvers and big-picture thinkers?
These claims are hard to test because ‘big-picture thinking’ is rarely defined. Where researchers have tried to pin it down, the results are task-specific and inconsistent.
The closest research concept is holistic (global) visual processing: taking in a whole image at once rather than part by part. In two small studies, von Károlyi and colleagues (2003) found that people with dyslexia were quicker to spot ‘impossible figures’, drawings of objects that could not exist in three dimensions. This finding is often quoted as evidence of big-picture thinking.
Later work has not generalised it. Wang and colleagues (2016) tested whether adults with reading difficulties benefited from a holistic strategy on a visual comparison task. They did not. The group with reading difficulties was consistently slower and no more accurate, and the authors concluded that any advantage is likely to depend on the task. The Chamberlain meta-analysis also found that average performance across high-level visual-spatial tasks was lower, not higher.
Problem-solving is not a single skill either. Different problems draw on different combinations of reasoning, language, working memory, attention and knowledge. A person with dyslexia may do well with one kind of problem and find another very hard. Presenting problem-solving as a universal dyslexia strength is not supported by the evidence.
Claim 4: Are people with dyslexia more empathetic, or natural entrepreneurs?
The evidence here is early, small-scale or self-reported, and it points in more than one direction.
Empathy
One study of 54 children aged 7 to 12 found that those with dyslexia showed stronger facial and physiological reactions to emotional film clips (Sturm et al., 2021). Among the children with dyslexia, greater expressiveness was linked to better social skills, but also to higher anxiety and depression. The researchers have not yet shown that this reactivity amounts to greater empathy. Another study found that participants with dyslexia and weaker reading skills scored lower on self-reported empathy than strong readers (Gabay, Shamay-Tsoory & Goldfarb, 2016). Neither finding justifies a general claim.
Entrepreneurship
The statistic usually quoted comes from Logan (2009), who reported that 35% of a sample of US entrepreneurs identified as having dyslexia. That figure is based on an online questionnaire and self-report, not diagnostic assessment, in a sample of 139 business owners. It tells us about the people who responded, not about what dyslexia causes. (Widely shared statistics deserve the same scrutiny, as I explore in Do 1 in 5 People Really Have Dyslexia?)
Examples of famous business leaders with dyslexia cannot settle the question either. Entrepreneurial success depends on opportunity, education, finance, personality, experience and individual ability. We only hear about the successes, not the many people with dyslexia whose businesses did not succeed or who never had the chance to start one.
These are interesting questions for research. They are not established facts.
Why positive stereotypes about dyslexia can do harm
A positive stereotype is still a stereotype, and research in social psychology shows it can carry real costs.
They go unchallenged. In four studies, Kay, Day, Zanna and Nussbaum (2013) found that people were much less sceptical of positive stereotypes than negative ones. Yet exposure to a positive stereotype made them more likely to believe group differences were ‘natural’ and biological, and, ironically, more likely to apply negative stereotypes too
They create pressure. Cheryan and Bodenhausen (2000) found that reminding people of high expectations attached to their group reduced their concentration and worsened their test performance. The authors described this as ‘choking’ under the weight of expectation.
They are pervasive and powerful. A major review by Czopp, Kay and Cheryan (2015) concluded that positive stereotypes shape how people see themselves and others in ways that are easy to miss.
This research did not involve dyslexia, and the direct effects of ‘superpower’ messages on people with dyslexia still need to be studied. But the parallels are worth taking seriously.
Imagine a child who has struggled with reading and spelling for years. Literacy tasks exhaust them, and their confidence has already taken a knock. Then they are told that dyslexia brings special gifts: they should be creative, an excellent problem-solver, able to picture things others cannot.
But what if they aren’t? What if visual-spatial tasks are hard for them, their reasoning is average, and creativity is not a particular strength? Rather than feeling reassured, they may be left wondering why they don’t have the abilities they were promised. The same applies to adults who are newly identified and read the same messages online.
What I see in dyslexia assessments
In my assessments, no two cognitive profiles are the same, and the research says this is exactly what we should expect.
Some of the people I assess show significant strengths in particular areas. Others have fairly even profiles, and some have difficulties across several areas. This variation is normal, and it does not make anyone’s dyslexia less valid.
The research reflects this. The IDA definition notes that underlying phonological and morphological difficulties are common but not universal. The Delphi panel agreed that dyslexia frequently co-occurs with other developmental difficulties. And the visual-spatial meta-analysis found more variation among people with dyslexia, not a shared strength.
That is why a good diagnostic assessment describes the individual’s actual strengths and difficulties, rather than fitting them to a predetermined profile. This is also one of the key differences between a dyslexia screening and a full diagnostic assessment. And a person does not need to show exceptional strengths to have dyslexia.
Celebrating dyslexia strengths without inventing them
None of this means we should stop recognising the strengths and achievements of people with dyslexia. Identifying and building on someone’s real strengths is an important part of supporting their learning, confidence and development.
But there is a fundamental difference between recognising a demonstrated strength and assigning an ability to someone because of a diagnostic label.
Celebrating individual strengths matters. Attributing them to dyslexia without convincing evidence can mislead the very people we want to support.
People with dyslexia succeed in a huge range of careers, and they do not need extraordinary abilities to do so. Their achievements don’t need explaining as a ‘superpower’. And their difficulties don’t need to be balanced by exceptional talents to deserve recognition and support.
The wish to promote a more positive understanding of dyslexia is important. But good intentions are not a substitute for good evidence. When organisations, educators and specialists make claims about dyslexia, those claims should reflect the research, including its limits. Where evidence is mixed, we should say so. Where an advantage has not been established, we should not present it as fact.
People with dyslexia deserve to be recognised as individuals, with their own abilities, difficulties, interests and aspirations. Perhaps the most positive thing we can do is stop telling them what their strengths are supposed to be, and start recognising the strengths they actually have.
Frequently asked questions
Is dyslexia a superpower? The research does not support the idea that dyslexia brings a predictable set of strengths. Many people with dyslexia have real strengths, just as many people without dyslexia do, but these belong to the individual rather than to dyslexia itself.
Are people with dyslexia more creative? Two meta-analyses (Erbeli et al., 2022; Majeed et al., 2021) found no overall creativity advantage. Some adult samples showed higher creativity scores, but this was not found in children or adolescents, and the reason is not yet understood.
Do people with dyslexia have better visual-spatial skills? Not on average. The largest meta-analysis found lower average visual-spatial scores in people with dyslexia, but more variation, so some people with dyslexia have excellent visual-spatial skills and others find these tasks difficult.
Do you need to have strengths to be diagnosed with dyslexia? No. A diagnosis of dyslexia depends on persistent difficulties with word reading and/or spelling. You do not need to show strengths in other areas.
Will a dyslexia assessment show my strengths? A full diagnostic assessment looks at a range of underlying abilities, so it describes your individual strengths as well as your difficulties. You can read more in What happens in a dyslexia assessment?
Thinking about a dyslexia assessment in Cornwall?
I carry out full diagnostic dyslexia assessments for children (from age 8), university students and adults at my office in Threemilestone, Truro. Reports follow SASC guidelines and describe each person’s own strengths and difficulties, not a predetermined profile.
If you’re not sure whether an assessment is the right step, book a free advice call or read my dyslexia assessment FAQs. You can also find out more about dyslexia assessments in Cornwall and Truro.
About the author: Chrissy Hyatt is a specialist dyslexia assessor holding an Assessment Practising Certificate (APC) and a member of PATOSS. She runs Lexety Education in Truro, assessing children, students and adults across Cornwall. More about Chrissy.
References
Carroll, J. M., Holden, C., Kirby, P., Thompson, P. A., Snowling, M. J., & the Dyslexia Delphi Panel. (2025). Toward a consensus on dyslexia: Findings from a Delphi study. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 66(7), 1065–1076. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.14123
Chamberlain, R., Brunswick, N., Siev, J., & McManus, I. C. (2018). Meta-analytic findings reveal lower means but higher variances in visuospatial ability in dyslexia. British Journal of Psychology, 109(4), 897–916. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12321
Cheryan, S., & Bodenhausen, G. V. (2000). When positive stereotypes threaten intellectual performance: The psychological hazards of “model minority” status. Psychological Science, 11(5), 399–402.
Czopp, A. M., Kay, A. C., & Cheryan, S. (2015). Positive stereotypes are pervasive and powerful. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10(4), 451–463. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691615588091
Erbeli, F., Peng, P., & Rice, M. (2022). No evidence of creative benefit accompanying dyslexia: A meta-analysis. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 55(3), 242–253. https://doi.org/10.1177/00222194211010350
Gabay, Y., Shamay-Tsoory, S. G., & Goldfarb, L. (2016). Cognitive and emotional empathy in typical and impaired readers and its relationship to reading competence. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 38(10), 1131–1143. https://doi.org/10.1080/13803395.2016.1199663
International Dyslexia Association. (2025). Definition of dyslexia. https://dyslexiaida.org/definition-of-dyslexia/
Kay, A. C., Day, M. V., Zanna, M. P., & Nussbaum, A. D. (2013). The insidious (and ironic) effects of positive stereotypes. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 49(2), 287–291.
Logan, J. (2009). Dyslexic entrepreneurs: The incidence; their coping strategies and their business skills. Dyslexia, 15(4), 328–346. https://doi.org/10.1002/dys.388
Majeed, N. M., Hartanto, A., & Tan, J. J. X. (2021). Developmental dyslexia and creativity: A meta-analysis. Dyslexia, 27(2), 187–203.
Martinelli, V., Camilleri, D., & Fenech, D. (2018). Common beliefs and research evidence about dyslexic students’ specific skills: Is it time to reassess some of the evidence? Interdisciplinary Education and Psychology, 2(2), 1–16.
Sturm, V. E., Roy, A. R. K., Datta, S., et al. (2021). Enhanced visceromotor emotional reactivity in dyslexia and its relation to salience network connectivity. Cortex, 134, 278–295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2020.10.022
von Károlyi, C., Winner, E., Gray, W., & Sherman, G. F. (2003). Dyslexia linked to talent: Global visual-spatial ability. Brain and Language, 85(3), 427–431.
Wang, J., Schneps, M. H., Antonenko, P. D., Chen, C., & Pomplun, M. (2016). Is reading impairment associated with enhanced holistic processing in comparative visual search? Dyslexia, 22(4), 345–361. https://doi.org/10.1002/dys.1540
Comments