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Recognising Dyslexic Thinking Isn't the Same as Supporting It

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Microsoft Learn has a free training path on dyslexia, aimed at educators. I went through it recently, and one section stood out: "Dyslexic Thinking Skills." It's a good, clear summary of something that's finally getting proper attention. But it also showed me the gap that still exists once you leave the classroom.

The good news: dyslexic thinking is a recognised skill now

This isn't just a nice idea any more. It's backed by research, and it's showing up in places that matter for hiring.

That matters, because the skills employers say they're short of right now — leadership, creativity, analytical thinking, initiative — line up closely with the skills dyslexic thinkers tend to have. EY's The Value of Dyslexia report makes the same case from a different angle: as automation takes over the tasks dyslexic people often find hardest (reading, memorising, coordination), the tasks left behind are the ones dyslexic thinkers tend to excel at.

LinkedIn now lists "Dyslexic Thinking" as a skill. Even GCHQ — the UK's intelligence, cyber, and security agency — recruits for it directly. Jo Cavan, GCHQ's Director of Strategy, Policy and Engagement, says the agency is three or four times more likely to have dyslexic apprentices than on other apprenticeship schemes: "It's mission critical for us."

The gap: recognition isn't the same as knowing what to do

Here's where it gets more complicated. Knowing dyslexic thinking is valuable doesn't automatically tell an employer, or a dyslexic employee, what to do about it.

I didn't know what to ask for. Not because nobody would have given it to me, but because nobody ever told me what "it" was. Reasonable adjustments aren't always obvious, and the responsibility to know and ask for them usually sits with the person least likely to have been taught how.

I'm not the only one who found that hard. Pearn Kandola's 2024 survey of 601 neurodivergent employees in the UK found 42% feel uncomfortable asking their employer for adjustments.

This is where a strengths-first message can quietly fall short. Telling someone "you think differently, and that's valuable" is true. But it isn't support. It's a compliment standing in for a plan.

What actually helps

The Made By Dyslexia report includes a short, practical list for recruiters, and it's more useful than most of the strengths talk:

  • Offer the basics: extra time, quiet rooms, clear questions.
  • Don't treat typos or spelling as a sign of poor ability or low commitment.
  • Actively encourage people to disclose, and mean it when you say you value dyslexic thinking.
  • Recognise that traditional tests and psychometrics may not reflect real ability.
  • Don't demand a formal diagnosis before adjustments happen. A self-declaration should be enough.

None of that is complicated. It's mostly about removing unnecessary barriers, not building something new. That's the part that gets skipped when the conversation stays at the level of "dyslexic thinkers are creative."

The wider pattern

This isn't only about dyslexia. A lot of workplaces that call themselves inclusive mean something narrower: inclusive, as long as you can still fit the existing way of working. Adjustments get treated as a favour rather than as basic infrastructure. The person is expected to adapt to the system, rather than the system flexing to make room for the person.

Recognition is a start. But recognition without a practical route to adjustment just changes the question — it stops asking "can this person do the job," and starts assuming they'll manage the parts they haven't been given help with.

If you manage dyslexic people, or you're building a course, a hiring process, or a workplace policy: the strengths message has landed. The next step is making sure people actually know what to ask for, and that asking doesn't require a diagnosis, a fight, or a leap of faith.

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