Dyslexia, a deficit or a difference: Comparing the creativity and memory skills of dyslexic and nondyslexic students in Iran

Positive and negative aspects of dyslexia were explored within the Iranian context. Dyslexia can be considered either as a deficit or merely as a difference. In this study 26 dyslexic primary-school students in Tehran were matched with 26 nondyslexics. The Shirazi and Nilipur (2004) Diagnostic Reading Test was administered to identify any significant difference in reading ability between the two groups. Then the Torrance (1974; as cited in Alizadeh, 1994) Creativity Test (Form B, picture subtest) and the Cornoldi (1995; as cited in Kakavand, 2003) Test of Visual-Spatial and Verbal Memory were used. Nondyslexics outperformed dyslexics significantly in visual-verbal memory of words for concrete objects and abstract concepts and in audio-verbal memory of words for abstract concepts. Dyslexic students performed significantly better in visual and audio memory of concrete words compared to abstract concepts; their visual-spatial memory was better than their visual-semantic memory, and their pictorial memory was also better than their verbal memory. Dyslexic students scored higher than nondyslexics for original thinking and equally as high in overall creativity. These findings indicate that a change of attitude is needed toward dyslexics.