It’s not uncommon for somebody who has dyslexia to have some other neurodiversities or learning and emotional challenges too. We call these co-occurring conditions, and they’re a diverse bunch- from disordered eating to dysgraphia, lots of things can co-occur with dyslexia.
It may feel a little isolating or intimidating to find out that as well as having dyslexia, you’ve got something else too – but it doesn’t have to be a scary process, and certainly doesn’t mean that you’re not going to achieve your dreams or find a career you love. It’s simply a case of getting correctly diagnosed, finding out what works for you when it comes to learning and working, and reaching out for the support you need when you need it. Although it might feel a little unnerving or even scary to entertain the idea that as well as dyslexia you’ve got something else going on too, it’s important to get to the bottom of symptoms and behaviours that could indicate a co-occuring condition- because then it’s much easier to find the resources and the tools that you need to make your daily life a little easier, if it’s having an impact on you day-to-day. It can be intimidating, but questioning and investigating are the first steps on the road to finding something that works for you – it’s just a case of stepping out with an open mind, and asking dedicated professionals for their help and advice.
Dyspraxia
Dyspraxia affects motor co-ordination – it particularly affects how we orchestrate, organise and time the movements we make every day. Sometimes people with dyspraxia will be able to complete simple movements without struggle but find it difficult to put things together in a sequence – i.e. a dance or a routine – or sometimes they’ll struggle with specific actions, or with things like their aim or their body placement. It’s also known as Development Co-Ordination Disorder (DCD), and usually its effects are quite mild – but they can make a difference when it comes to things like riding a bike, or drawing. Research suggests that as high a number as 52% of children with dyslexia may show behaviours indicative of dyspraxia too. You can find out more at Dyspraxia Foundation.
ADHD
One of the most common co-occuring conditions we see in people who have dyslexia is ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Indeed, children who have ADHD are more likely to have a learning disability than children who don’t – and dyslexia is one of the world’s most common ones, with an estimated 10% of people having some form of it. People with ADHD might have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviours or appear overly active – or they might be forgetful, prone to daydreaming and struggle with schedules and deadlines. It’s a wide-ranging condition that has a lot of symptoms, and can often be misidentified or missed in girls and women due to what people perceive as ADHD’s ‘stereotypical’ behavioural indicators. There’s more information available on ADHD at the NHS Website, as well as information, resources and support at ADHD Foundation.
Dyscalculia
People with dyslexia can sometimes have dyscalculia too – it’s a specific learning difficulty in processing number concepts and mastering numeracy skills. It can present in a whole number of ways, from trouble understanding process and money to telling the time, understanding quantity and measurements, or simply a weakness in number facts and procedures. You can find out more about dyscalculia, how it presents and what other executive functions it can have an impact on at Understood.org, and there’s an in-depth look at what dyscalculia might look like available at Dyscalculia.org.
Autism
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong developmental disability that can have an effect on how we communicate and relate to other people, and the way that we interact with the world we live in. It’s not properly understood at the moment whether a child with dyslexia is more likely than one of their neurotypical peers to be diagnosed with autism, but research suggests that there is a trend in that direction. Autism can also be misdiagnosed and confused with dyslexia (and vice versa) as language difficulties form part of communication system problems- something that’s considered a key indicative feature of autism. There’s a complex system of testing that leads up to diagnosis one way or the other, so it’s a good idea to involve your primary caregivers, healthcare professionals, SENCOs, educators or therapists in matters if you’re wondering about the possibility that you have ASD – there’s a good starting point at Autism Parenting Magazine if you’re exploring the possibility of ASD in a child or young person with dyslexia, too.
This isn’t an exhaustive list of co-occurring conditions – there are many others that can crop up when you’ve got dyslexia, some more common than others, some very obvious and some that you might not realise that you have symptoms of for years or even decades. What matters is remembering that if it turns out that you might have something else as well as dyslexia, it doesn’t mean that anything has changed – there’s just something else that needs supporting, or even just acknowledging going on in your life. People with co-occurrent conditions aren’t predisposed to be un-academic, or destined for an unfulfilling relationship with work, words, or the world around them – supporting neurodiversity is about celebrating our differences, as well as making sure that everybody is able to access the strategies and the assistance that they need to achieve their dreams, big or small.
We’ll also be covering the ways that dyslexia can co-occur with a number of mental health conditions next month – in the mean time, if you’re interested in exploring more about how anxiety and stress can present in somebody who has dyslexia, you can check out The Dyslexia-Stress-Anxiety Connection at The International Dyslexia Association, and there’s advice on how somebody with dyslexia can work towards taking good mental care of themselves available at Dear Dyslexic.