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Therapist challenges people to read text showing what it’s like for someone with dyslexia

13 October 2020, 16:00

An expert on TikTok has revealed what it is like for people who have dyslexia. Picture: TikTok

By Naomi Bartram

Lindsay Fleming has asked her TikTok followers to see if they can read a piece of text which demonstrates what it's like for some people with dyslexia.

An expert has shared a video on TikTok which reveals what reading is like for people who are dyslexic.

Lindsay Fleming, a licensed therapist for children and teenagers, often shares clips on her social media page about her work on anxiety and mental health.

But one of her recent videos shows a passage of text made up of letters and words in the wrong order.

Alongside the clip, Lindsay asks viewers: "Have you ever wondered what it's like for someone to read who is dyslexic in a classroom?

"Well, I'm a licensed therapist and I have a challenge for you to find out what it's like. So, what I want you to do is try to read this that's above me. That's what it's like."

In the caption, she goes on to say that those who suffer from dyslexia are ‘on a spectrum’, and the severity varies from person to person.

But the text aims to help people understand what someone with dyslexia could be experiencing.

The video now has over 13k likes and 488 comments, with many people left shocked by how difficult it is to read.

One person wrote: “Mostly I had to use context clues to figure out what was being written...it was tough for sure.”

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Another said: “Thank you for sharing this and giving me a better understanding! It’s important for people to see things from others perspectives.”

While a third added: "As a dyslexic I love that this is being spread to help with awareness. I could never explain it correctly to people."

Lyndsey used a web code, created by Swedish web developer Victor Widell, which keeps the first and last letter in each word the same, but jumbles up the letters in the middle.

According to Dyslexia International, Dyslexia affects at least one in 10 people worldwide.

The British Dyslexia Association defines it as 'a learning difference which primarily affects reading and writing skills.'

Their website states: “Dyslexia is actually about information processing. Those with Dyslexia may have difficulty processing and remembering information they see and hear, which can affect learning and the acquisition of literacy skills. Dyslexia can also impact on other areas such as organisational skills.”

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