Seeking Astrophysicists With Dyslexia

This caught my eye in my inbox today:

Researchers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics have been funded by the National Science Foundation to investigate the impact of dyslexia on scientists working in astronomy and astrophysics.

Dyslexia is a hereditary neurological disability that impairs reading ability. Despite these impairments, a recently proposed neurological theory predicts that dyslexia may be associated with enhanced capacity for certain types of visual processing. Our study investigates this hypothesis in the context of astronomy and astrophysics.

This NSF study marks the first time the effects of dyslexia on science professionals will be systematically investigated.

We expect this work will uncover and document challenges faced by scientists with dyslexia, but perhaps more importantly, lead to an understanding of the strengths these scientists bring to research.

I know many people with dyslexia. I wonder what sort of ‘certain types of visual processing’ is enhanced in dyslexics?

Anyone have any idea?

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