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Every August 12, International Youth Day is our chance to celebrate young people everywhere, their rights, their voices, and all the amazing things they can do.
It’s all about opportunity, ambition, and community. But let’s be honest: if we leave neurodivergent young people out of the picture, we’re missing the point.
Dyslexia is a language-based difference that changes how the brain handles words, both spoken and written. And it’s more common than you might think, affecting about 1 in 10 young people around the world.
Even though it’s so common, dyslexia often goes unnoticed or gets misunderstood. Too many bright, creative young people end up struggling quietly in classrooms that aren’t built for them, and that can really knock their confidence.
If we want to truly support young people, we need to get better at spotting dyslexia early and making sure our spaces help every kind of mind shine.
Identifying the signs: How to identify dyslexia
Dyslexia has nothing to do with how smart or hardworking someone is. It’s just a different way the brain processes information.
Young people are amazing at finding ways to cope, which sometimes means their struggles get hidden for years, and that may result in burnout that nobody saw coming.
Spotting dyslexia means looking past just reading struggles. There are lots of signs to watch for, in and out of the classroom:
- Reading and writing can be tough: things like getting stuck on new words, reading slowly, spelling all over the place, or mixing up little words when reading out loud.
- Processing and memory: following a bunch of instructions at once can be tricky, as can remembering names or keeping things in order.
- Direction and space: always mixing up left and right, struggling to read an old-school clock, or finding it hard to keep notes tidy on the page.
- Feelings and behaviour: avoiding school, getting anxious about reading out loud, feeling down on themselves, or getting really frustrated with homework, even when they can talk about big ideas just fine.
When parents, teachers, and mentors know what to look for, they can intervene early and swap out frustration for real support that makes a difference.
Practical strategies: Supporting dyslexic youth
Supporting a young person with dyslexia isn’t about fixing them; it’s about giving them the tools they need to show off their strengths. Here are some ways we can help everyone feel welcomed and empowered:
- Try out assistive tech: things like screen readers, scanning pens, and audiobooks can make a huge difference. These tools let young people share and explore big ideas without getting stuck on the words.
- Mix it up with multi-sensory learning: using pictures, sounds, and hands-on activities together helps things stick way better than just reading a wall of text.
- Offer practical help: give extra time for reading and tests, break big projects into smaller steps, and share notes ahead of time so students can focus on learning instead of scrambling to write everything down.
- Shine a light on strengths: lots of dyslexic people are amazing at big-picture thinking, creativity, and solving problems in new ways. Let’s celebrate and build on those talents.
- Make open conversations normal: let’s build environments where young people feel safe to ask for what they need, without worrying about being judged.
Growing the potential for the next generation
International Youth Day is a great reminder that the future is for every young person, not just the ones who fit into a standard classroom.
When we learn to spot dyslexia early and offer the right support, we make sure no young person’s dreams get blocked by words on a page.
Let’s keep building classrooms, workplaces, and communities where neurodiversity is seen as a real strength, a source of new ideas, fresh perspectives, and real progress.
