0:00:02 > 0:00:03Hi, I'm Ben. I'm 12 years old
0:00:03 > 0:00:06and I have something you might have heard of - dyslexia.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09It's to do with my brain and it makes it really hard
0:00:09 > 0:00:11for me to read and write.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15Lots of kids have dyslexia, about one in every 10,
0:00:15 > 0:00:16so it's pretty common.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19It can make life very difficult, especially at school.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22It's hard because you don't like saying "I don't know how to spell it"
0:00:22 > 0:00:24in front of people, cos people will laugh.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28I didn't know what was happening and I blamed it basically on myself.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32As I'm going to find out, it doesn't have to be a barrier to success.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34If it wasn't for being dyslexic,
0:00:34 > 0:00:35I wouldn't be where I am today without it.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39In this programme, I'm going to explore what it feels like
0:00:39 > 0:00:42to have dyslexia and how it affects brains and minds.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51Not being able to read and write as well as your mates
0:00:51 > 0:00:53can be really hard, and living with dyslexia
0:00:53 > 0:00:56is like trying to find your way around this maze.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59You come across lots of barriers.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02Everybody's heard of dyslexia
0:01:02 > 0:01:04and there'll be people in your class with it,
0:01:04 > 0:01:07but not many people know what it really is.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11Can I ask you - what do you know about dyslexia?
0:01:11 > 0:01:12Not an awful lot.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15Isn't it when people have trouble reading or writing?
0:01:15 > 0:01:18It's, like, um...
0:01:18 > 0:01:22It's when someone can't read properly or write properly without help.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25It's hard to explain.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27People get their words muddled up.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30I don't know if you catch it, I think it's just something you're born with.
0:01:30 > 0:01:35I want to find out more, if only I could find my way out.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39When I was younger, I was really frustrated because I didn't know
0:01:39 > 0:01:42I had dyslexia and I thought I was just dumb.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46I couldn't do the work very well and I had to just keep on trying
0:01:46 > 0:01:48and Miss would be disappointed in me
0:01:48 > 0:01:52and Sir, they'd just say, "Come on, boy, wise up."
0:01:52 > 0:01:55When I'm reading, words get muddled up.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59Say I'm reading one line, I'll just skip a few, say three lines,
0:01:59 > 0:02:03and then have to go back, read that line and then read the other three.
0:02:03 > 0:02:09That can be really annoying because I've read the future of the story.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11In every school class,
0:02:11 > 0:02:15there are likely to be two or three dyslexics, so I'm not alone.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17My name's Khalaya and I'm 13 years old.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23I found out I had dyslexia when I was 10 years old.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25It's hard because if you're in lessons
0:02:25 > 0:02:28and you don't know how to spell summat, you don't like saying
0:02:28 > 0:02:30"I don't know how to spell it" in front of people,
0:02:30 > 0:02:32cos people will laugh.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34They don't have dyslexia so they don't know all the frustration
0:02:34 > 0:02:37we're going through where you can't read or write.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41When you're writing you always say to me, "How do you spell that one?"
0:02:41 > 0:02:44What are those two letters saying together?
0:02:44 > 0:02:48Ch. Ch...th.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50Th. Good, because it's a T, isn't it?
0:02:50 > 0:02:53This morning when we had to spell something,
0:02:53 > 0:02:56you'd think it was spelled the way it sounds.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00You think that "they" would be like that, wouldn't you?
0:03:00 > 0:03:03That seems sensible, but unfortunately, it's not.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05It's one of those that you have to know.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08The "A" sound is made by those two letters.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10Like many people with dyslexia,
0:03:10 > 0:03:13Khalaya's found that words seem to move around the page
0:03:13 > 0:03:16when she's trying to read.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19You know, d and b, they move the wrong way round
0:03:19 > 0:03:21so I get b as d, and d as b,
0:03:21 > 0:03:24but now, I've got further and higher
0:03:24 > 0:03:28and I've noticed they don't move around any more but they used to.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30We've got two letters that make one sound.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32When she first came in year seven,
0:03:32 > 0:03:37she said, "I want to be able to sit down and read a book properly."
0:03:37 > 0:03:40She's made great progress towards that
0:03:40 > 0:03:44and there are some books she can sit and read now.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46Many girls Khalaya's age are hooked on books
0:03:46 > 0:03:50like The Hunger Games trilogy. That's too tricky for her
0:03:50 > 0:03:54but she can now read short extracts from books like Harry Potter.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56I really do love books.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59Every time I see one I go, "That looks good," by the front cover.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02That's why I really wish I could read and I didn't have dyslexia.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04I'd have lots of books and probably would hate books
0:04:04 > 0:04:07like all my friends, "I wouldn't want to read a book,"
0:04:07 > 0:04:10but they don't know how it feels because they don't have dyslexia.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13Dyslexia affects my memory as well so if I go to the shop,
0:04:13 > 0:04:16I might forget something so my nana writes me a list.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20Because I've got dyslexia, sometimes I can't read everything
0:04:20 > 0:04:21so I get mixed up with the words.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25I draw a picture or something next to it or I do a colour next to it
0:04:25 > 0:04:27so I know which one it is.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30If you're just going out or something,
0:04:30 > 0:04:32you have to read something, like on a top,
0:04:32 > 0:04:36when I come home, it can say something stupid or something.
0:04:36 > 0:04:37Khalaya's an intelligent girl
0:04:37 > 0:04:39and that is even more frustrating for her.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43She has lots of friends and lots of friendship support with her
0:04:43 > 0:04:45so I think that helps her.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48Some people think that people with dyslexia are stupid
0:04:48 > 0:04:50but you're not actually stupid.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54It's just that you've got a difficulty with reading and writing
0:04:54 > 0:04:55and it's not your fault.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58You're not stupid, because me, I'm not stupid.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02I know a lot of things but sometimes find it hard to put it on paper.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10Lots of dyslexic people have similar experiences to Khalaya.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12Finding it hard to read and write
0:05:12 > 0:05:15and having difficulties with their short-term memory.
0:05:15 > 0:05:20But what is it about dyslexic brains that makes them different to others?
0:05:21 > 0:05:26For this film, I've come to Oxford University to try and find out.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28I've agreed to go through a number of tests
0:05:28 > 0:05:32carried out by dyslexia specialist, Dr Anna Pitt.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37Hi, nice to meet you. You must be Ben. Come on in.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43These are electrodes and what they're going to be doing
0:05:43 > 0:05:47is taking readings of how much energy your brain is using.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Without going into your head in any way,
0:05:50 > 0:05:55we want to have a look and see if we can record those electrical signals
0:05:55 > 0:05:59and see how much activity is going on inside your head.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01These tests involve looking at a checkerboard
0:06:01 > 0:06:04which changes from black-white to white-black.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08- Aww, it hurts looking at it. - It hurts looking at it?- A bit.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12It's getting back to normal now, my eyes.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14'And following a spot on a screen
0:06:14 > 0:06:17'to see how my eyes move across the page.'
0:06:17 > 0:06:22The blue dot is where your eyes are actually following this line.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26Following the dot like that is like reading a line of text.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28If your eyes move around a lot,
0:06:28 > 0:06:30you can often find it hard to stay on that line
0:06:30 > 0:06:33and people jump around sometimes with dyslexia
0:06:33 > 0:06:36and they miss lines of text or end up on the wrong line.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39I found out that experts think parts of the brain
0:06:39 > 0:06:41function differently in dyslexics.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43These include the areas
0:06:43 > 0:06:46that deal with processing what we see and hear.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48To see what affects me most,
0:06:48 > 0:06:52Anne is testing my ability to read different words.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55We're going to be doing some reading tasks.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59I'm going to ask you to read some words as quickly as you can.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04'Anna views the fact I'm OK reading words that look like they sound
0:07:04 > 0:07:07'but not so good at oddly spelt words
0:07:07 > 0:07:09'is evidence of problems with my visual memory.'
0:07:14 > 0:07:17Visual memory, looking through your eyes
0:07:17 > 0:07:20and remembering the shapes of things,
0:07:20 > 0:07:22is what helps with these irregular words,
0:07:22 > 0:07:26because you can't build it by using the sounds of the words.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29You have to remember it visually.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33Visually, exactly! Using your eyes.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35Anna thinks my dyslexia is mainly to do
0:07:35 > 0:07:38with how my brain remembers what I see when they read.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41For others, dyslexia can be more about remembering
0:07:41 > 0:07:43and recognising sounds.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49One thing experts are sure of is that dyslexia has nothing to do
0:07:49 > 0:07:51with your intelligence.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53Check out Zach's story.
0:07:53 > 0:07:59A lot of people will say dyslexia is a disadvantage or a disability.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02They're not telling the whole story.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05I'm really good at science and maths.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07I love making things.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11I like to think of dyslexia just as a different way your brain's wired.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13It's nothing to hold you back.
0:08:13 > 0:08:18I'm Zach, I'm 13 years old and I've got dyslexia.
0:08:20 > 0:08:25When I was younger, I found it really, really hard to come to grips
0:08:25 > 0:08:30with the fact that I couldn't spell or read pretty much at all.
0:08:30 > 0:08:35I didn't know what was happening and I blamed it mostly on myself.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38I approach things quite differently to a lot of other people.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42I like to use fridge magnets that are physical things,
0:08:42 > 0:08:443D things, that can move around.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46They're big and they're bright,
0:08:46 > 0:08:50and I can distinctively see when a word is right with these.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55Fantastic. Nice little mind map!
0:08:55 > 0:08:59Somebody else who is not dyslexic might just write a list,
0:08:59 > 0:09:01which I find really hard to read.
0:09:01 > 0:09:06I like doing this cos it's like mind mapping and it's big,
0:09:06 > 0:09:10so it's a lot clearer than writing in your book.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13The only thing we are looking at is really your spelling, isn't it?
0:09:13 > 0:09:15That's the thing that's holding you back a little bit.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18Dyslexic students tend to be big thinkers.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22It's the big picture, so we kind of go outwards with our thinking.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25Some people think that I'm really not that clever
0:09:25 > 0:09:28because I'm not good at English,
0:09:28 > 0:09:32but I excel at science and DT and textiles.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35There's a lot of dyslexic people out there and I'm one of them.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37I see it as just different skills that we have,
0:09:37 > 0:09:40so we may not be the greatest spellers in the world
0:09:40 > 0:09:43but perhaps we're the greatest inventors or the greatest artists.
0:09:47 > 0:09:53This is the first body armour that I made. I really like this one.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56I blended the colours quite well.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00I want to make it radio controlled with a hydro-electric motor
0:10:00 > 0:10:04which fires high-speed water out the rear of the boat
0:10:04 > 0:10:06and draws it in through the bottom.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13This is my other body armour.
0:10:13 > 0:10:18It's stab-proof. This is a work in progress.
0:10:18 > 0:10:24Partly assembled firing gun that fires water balloons.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27It goes like that... and that's not meant to happen!
0:10:27 > 0:10:29Then it fires like that.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33There are some great people out there which have dyslexia
0:10:33 > 0:10:36and it's helped them achieve what they achieved.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39People like Einstein were thought to have dyslexia
0:10:39 > 0:10:43and he's one of the greatest minds ever known to man.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45If you are struggling, just keep at it
0:10:45 > 0:10:48and you just need to learn those skills
0:10:48 > 0:10:50and don't let it hold you back.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58CBBC star Dom Wood, one half of Dick and Dom,
0:10:58 > 0:11:01is another talented person with dyslexia
0:11:01 > 0:11:04and it hasn't stopped him from succeeding.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08I've come to meet him on the filming set of his new CBBC series.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14- Hi, Dom.- How are you, all right? Good to meet you.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17Welcome to the weird world of Dick and Dom.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19This is just one of our locations we're shooting at
0:11:19 > 0:11:21for our new series called Absolute Genius.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23We're trying to learn our lines.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26Look, we've got all this to learn in a day.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30- Words, words, words, words. How does that look to you?- Daunting.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33Listen, I've got to go and do some stuff now.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37- Stick around, I'll tell you how I try and get it in my head.- OK.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39- Horsepower!- Come on, everybody!
0:11:39 > 0:11:41When did you get diagnosed
0:11:41 > 0:11:45and when did you figure out you had dyslexia?
0:11:45 > 0:11:50It wasn't until I was 15 years old, which was very late.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52Until I was 15, I just thought I was thick
0:11:52 > 0:11:56and I couldn't understand why because I was trying so hard.
0:11:56 > 0:12:01Around then, it wasn't recognised as much as a form of disability.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05You were just considered as not learning as quickly as everyone else
0:12:05 > 0:12:08and not being as intelligent as everyone else.
0:12:08 > 0:12:14I can remember really vividly when I would have been six years old,
0:12:14 > 0:12:16I remember the day the teacher,
0:12:16 > 0:12:20and I remember her name but I won't say it, she said,
0:12:20 > 0:12:22"Wood, you're not very good at reading
0:12:22 > 0:12:25"so the whole class is going to move on to the next book
0:12:25 > 0:12:29"and we're going to put you back to the baby books from last year."
0:12:29 > 0:12:31I thought, "That's not good!"
0:12:31 > 0:12:33There I was struggling away and no one knew why.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36The thing that made it really difficult
0:12:36 > 0:12:38was that I had three older brothers
0:12:38 > 0:12:43and all of them were A-level students, grade-A students.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47I was in the D set and people at school used to call me thick
0:12:47 > 0:12:51and used to say, "Your brothers are clever but you're really thick."
0:12:51 > 0:12:53That used to really hurt.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56His engines were better at doing some of the stuff than horses
0:12:56 > 0:12:59and he needed to measure a way of...
0:12:59 > 0:13:02Are you good at being constructive and good with your art
0:13:02 > 0:13:04and other sides of your brain?
0:13:04 > 0:13:06I enjoy creating things.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10When I was younger, Lego especially and K'Nex and stuff like that.
0:13:10 > 0:13:11That's really fun.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13It's interesting, I was exactly the same as you.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16I was really creative as a kid, and Lego as well,
0:13:16 > 0:13:19it's something I was really good at is making and creating things.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21I think generally dyslexics find that.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24They know the academic side is a little bit more difficult
0:13:24 > 0:13:27so they use their creative side a lot more.
0:13:27 > 0:13:28Would you give any advice to people,
0:13:28 > 0:13:31say, in how to learn a script if you're dyslexic?
0:13:31 > 0:13:33It looks daunting when you get a big script
0:13:33 > 0:13:34but it's not that bad actually.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38It's always done over and over and over again from different angles.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41It takes a long time so it's not very scary.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44When you're at school, a lot of schools are all about
0:13:44 > 0:13:47if you're academic, that's the only way forward.
0:13:47 > 0:13:48Do you know what?
0:13:48 > 0:13:51There are thousands of jobs out there
0:13:51 > 0:13:54that do not require academia at all.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57It's actually not really a disadvantage being dyslexic.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59In some ways, it's a really positive thing.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01If it wasn't for being dyslexic,
0:14:01 > 0:14:04I wouldn't be where I am today without it.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06Back in Watts' time,
0:14:06 > 0:14:09horses did a lot of the jobs that machines do for us today.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13- Yeah, so...- Lollipop!
0:14:13 > 0:14:14It was amazing to meet Dom
0:14:14 > 0:14:18and hear what a hard time he had as a dyslexic child.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20Luckily, we know much more now
0:14:20 > 0:14:23and there's a lot of help for people like me, Zach and Khalaya.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27What I found out by making this programme
0:14:27 > 0:14:29is it doesn't have to hold you back.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32We all see the world in our own way
0:14:32 > 0:14:35and my dyslexia's just one part of what makes me unique.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd