Dyslexia: Being different and a success!

Chances are that when you think of the most successful and wealthy entrepreneurs, you don’t think of a group of weird people. 

Instead, you probably think of well-respected and brilliant people who exhibit all the admirable qualities of well-rounded, well-adjusted leaders. 

Ironically, research shows just the opposite; entrepreneurs, especially those in technology, are indeed quite odd. In fact, the data show that being odd is the norm.

A recent survey of entrepreneurs conducted by Julie Login of Cass Business School found that 35 percent of those surveyed suffered from dyslexia, compared with 10 percent of the population as a whole. 

One reason for this trend posits that those with dyslexia, a learning disability affecting one’s reading and comprehension, tend to delegate tasks to manage their disability. 

Some of the most notable dyslexics of our time are founders Steve Jobs of Apple, John Chambers of Cisco, and Richard Branson of the Virgin Group.

In another study, attention-deficit disorder (ADD) is common among entrepreneurs. 

A recent article in The Economist mentioned that “people with ADD are six times more likely than average to end up running their own businesses.” 

Sufferers of ADD are known to be disorganized procrastinators who are unable to focus, all normally bad characteristics. 

But some entrepreneurs who have the disorder, like Paul Orfalea, founder of Kinko’s, interpret these characteristics as an advantage because people with ADD can be creative in ways that “normal” people would not.

Furthermore, many entrepreneurs display symptoms of Asperger’s syndrome, which, according to the Mayo Clinic, is a “developmental disorder that affects a person’s ability to socialize and communicate effectively with others.” 

Some refer to it as a mild form of autism. Asperger’s is perhaps the most prevalent among software developers like me who would prefer to send an e-mail or instant message to someone sitting next to them in the office rather than to talk to them face to face. 

We often appear robotic and detached. Mark Zuckerberg, the cofounder of Facebook, is a good example of an entrepreneur who exhibits these traits. 

In Silicon Valley, several entrepreneurs display the symptoms of Asperger’s syndrome. In fact, it’s cool to act this way. 

Most people would just call it being a geek. In the Valley, the social butterflies are considered offbeat.

In addition to these disabilities, disorders, and syndromes, entrepreneurs have habits that are just plain bizarre. 

Steve Jobs had perhaps the strangest habits, including use of acid and LSD. In fact, he attributed his creativity to his taking LSD. 

Other CEOs have been said to perform karaoke in drag, to have an obsession with guessing measurements, to ideate underwater, and to wear the same clothing every day.

In a strange turn of events, these so-called oddities that are common among prominent entrepreneurs are attracting investors. 

To use a term in computer science, pattern matching has become quite popular. 

For instance, if you are looking for the next Facebook and you have to choose between funding two CEOs of equally great tech companies, one who is jovial and the other who is introverted, you’ll probably go with the introvert. 

This may seem a bit ridiculous, but it happens more and more often.

So when it comes to being a successful entrepreneur, it pays to be odd, and besides, when you become wealthy and successful, people tend to forget how odd you might really be. 

Regardless, everyone wants to be your friend.

Drinking Problems have roots in early childhood

Danielle Dick

Most risk and protective factors for alcohol use have roots in early childhood.

In other words, an individual enters adolescence with personality characteristics and life experiences that have accumulated during the first decade of life.

An evaluation of measures of temperament from children six months through to five years of age has found that childhood temperament prior to age five predicts adolescent alcohol use and problems at age 15.5 years, even after controlling for socio-demographic factors and parental alcohol problems.

Results will be published in the December 2013 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View.

"Most scientists who study alcohol use start studying people in adolescence, since that is when alcohol use is usually first initiated/experimented with," explained Danielle Dick, associate professor of psychiatry, psychology and human and molecular genetics with the Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioural Genetics at Virginia Commonwealth University.

"But people don't enter adolescence as blank slates; they have a history of life experiences that they bring with them, dating back to early childhood. This is one of the most comprehensive attempts to understand very early childhood predictors of adolescent alcohol use in a large epidemiological cohort."

Matt McGue

"A question largely unanswered by the existing literature concerns the origins of personality differences in adolescents or adults who do and do not have drinking problems," added Matt McGue, Regents Professor in the department of psychology at the University of Minnesota.

"In my opinion, the major contribution of the current study is that it shows that these personality differences emerge very early in life."

"All things considered," said Dick, "it's not just 'problem kids' who get involved in alcohol use. It's also the highly sociable kids as well. Parents should be aware of this."

Read the full article here

International Experts Resign From flawed DSM-5 Working group

Roel Verheul

Roel Verheul (Amsterdam) and John Livesley (Canada) both felt compelled to resign from the DSM-5 Personality Disorders Work Group. Here is an email from them describing what went wrong in the preparation of this section:

"We resigned from the DSM-5 Personality and Personality Disorder Work Group in April 2012 with a mixture of sadness and regret.

We believed that the construction of DSM-5 afforded an important opportunity to advance the study of personality disorder by developing an evidence-based classification with greater clinical utility than DSM-IV.

John Livesley

The data and conceptual tools for such an undertaking have been available for some time and the field seemed to recognize the need for change.

Regrettably, the Work Group has been unable to capitalize on the opportunity and has advanced a proposal that is seriously flawed.

It has also demonstrated an inability to respond to constructive feedback both from within the Work Group and from the many experts in the field who have communicated their concerns directly and indirectly.

We also regret the need to resign because we were the only International members of the Work Group which is now without representation from outside the US."

Read the full article here: Two Who Resigned From DSM-5 Explain Why

Dyslexia: Learning Difficulties examined

Learning difficulty, although sometimes called a learning disorder or learning disability, is a classification that includes several disorders, in which a person has difficulty learning in an expected or typical manner.

Learning difficulties;

• are rarely simple, there is normally additional complexity associated with the condition,
• can be isolating and reduces confidence and self esteem,
• can make life problematic for a person to learn as quickly or, more relevantly, in the same way, as others.
• are not indicative of cognition or intelligence level, only indicative of the need for alternative ways in which to learn.
• cannot be 'fixed' or 'cured', only managed,
• make people face unique challenges that last their entire lifetime.

Interventions may be used to help the individual learn or develop strategies that will foster their future success.

The causes of learning difficulties are not always well understood and not always apparent but selectively, some are;

• Common Causes of Learning Difficulties
• How Psychotherapy Can Help with Learning Difficulties
• Learning Difficulties in the DSM

Common Causes of Learning Difficulties
Learning difficulties range from mild, through varying degrees of complexity, to severe but, given support and understanding, people with learning difficulties can and do, lead very normal lives.

Many people with learning difficulties go on to hold very intellectually demanding positions and function at a very high level in our progressive societies.

Some causes of neurological impairments include:

• Accident in baby or childhood - may be caused by malnutrition, head injury or toxic exposure

• Heredity or Genetics - Certain conditions may run in the family

• Poverty - may be a result of a lack of parental reinforcement or affordability of support from specific medical or academic sources

• Problems during pregnancy and/or birth - may result from fetal exposure to alcohol or drugs, oxygen deprivation, anomalies developed in the brain, low birth weight, injury or illness or premature or prolonged labour

One major factor for many people who face learning difficulties is that they are unable to express their feelings easily in words and their actions may have to speak for them.

Their behaviour and moods may change and their inability to express themselves may result in depression, sadness, anxiety and other mental health issues, which are generally treated separately from the underlying condition.

A more 'holistic' view is always more beneficial to the management of your health and welfare and is particularly important in managing learning difficulties.

Can Psychotherapy Help with Learning Difficulties
A diagnosis of any learning difficulty may be potentially devastating to a person and their family.

Both the person who faces learning difficulties and their family members will need to learn coping skills for the difficulty as well as emotionally.

Stress associated with learning difficulties can accumulate which may make the coping process even more difficult and the selection of coping strategies inappropriate.

Learning difficulties are most often present over an entire lifetime, so learning effective and appropriate methods of coping are essential to successful management.

Psychotherapy and the teaching of behavioural strategies or techniques, often work best for individuals who struggle with learning difficulties.

For children, play therapy may be helpful if the therapist uses it to teach interaction techniques. Children and adults may also do well in therapy and most will benefit from joining a mutual support group.

Dyslexia Study: CYP19A1 gene and the linkage region of speech and language disorders

Paper Abstract

Inspired by the localization, on 15q21.2 of the CYP19A1 gene in the linkage region of speech and language disorders, and a rare translocation in a dyslexic individual that was brought to our attention, we conducted a series of studies on the properties of CYP19A1 as a candidate gene for dyslexia and related conditions.

The aromatase enzyme is a member of the cytochrome P450 super family, and it serves several key functions:

• it catalyzes the conversion of androgens into estrogens; 
• during early mammalian development it controls the differentiation of specific brain areas (e.g. local estrogen synthesis in the hippocampus regulates synaptic plasticity and axonal growth); 
• it is involved in sexual differentiation of the brain; 
• and in songbirds and teleost fishes, it regulates vocalization. 

Our results suggest that variations in CYP19A1 are associated with dyslexia as a categorical trait and with quantitative measures of language and speech, such as reading, vocabulary, phonological processing and oral motor skills.

Variations near the vicinity of its brain promoter region altered transcription factor binding, suggesting a regulatory role in CYP19A1 expression. CYP19A1 expression in human brain correlated with the expression of dyslexia susceptibility genes such as DYX1C1 and ROBO1.

Aromatase-deficient mice displayed increased cortical neuronal density and occasional cortical heterotopias, also observed in Robo1−/− mice and human dyslexic brains, respectively.

An aromatase inhibitor reduced dendritic growth in cultured rat neurons. From this broad set of evidence, we propose CYP19A1 as a candidate gene for human cognitive functions implicated in reading, speech and language.

Download the Paper PDF here: CYP19A1 Gene

Read the Full Text Preview at SpringerLink

The Human body's Circadian biological clock: Scientists redraw the blueprint

The discovery of a major gear in the biological clock that tells the body when to sleep and metabolize food may lead to new drugs to treat sleep problems and metabolic disorders, including diabetes.

Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, led by Ronald M. Evans, a professor in Salk's Gene Expression Laboratory, showed that two cellular switches found on the nucleus of mouse cells, known as REV-ERBα and REV-ERBβ, are essential for maintaining normal sleeping and eating cycles and for metabolism of nutrients from food.

The findings, reported March 29 in Nature, describe a powerful link between circadian rhythms and metabolism and suggest a new avenue for treating disorders of both systems, including jet lag, sleep disorders, obesity and diabetes.

"This fundamentally changes our knowledge about the workings of the circadian clock and how it orchestrates our sleep-wake cycles, when we eat and even the times our bodies metabolize nutrients," says Evans.

"Nuclear receptors can be targeted with drugs, which suggests we might be able to target REV-ERBα and β to treat disorders of sleep and metabolism."

Nurses, emergency personnel and others who work shifts that alter the normal 24-hour cycle of waking and sleeping are at much higher risk for a number of diseases, including metabolic disorders such as diabetes.

To address this, scientists are trying to understand precisely how the biological clock works and uncover possible targets for drugs that could adjust the circadian rhythm in people with sleep disorders and circadian-associated metabolic disorders.

In mammals, the circadian timing system is orchestrated by a central clock in the brain and subsidiary clocks in most other organs.

The master clock in the brain is set by light and determines the overall diurnal or nocturnal preference of an animal, including sleep-wake cycles and feeding behaviour.

Scientists knew that two genes, BMAL1 and CLOCK, worked together at the core of the clock's molecular machinery to activate the network of circadian genes.

In this way, BMAL1 acts like the accelerator on a car, activating genes to rev up our physiology each morning so that we are alert, hungry and physically active.

Prior to this work REV-ERBα and β were thought to play only a minor role in these cycles, possibly working together to slow CLOCK-BMAL1 activity to make minor adjustments to keep the clock running on time.

However, genetic studies of two genes with similar functions can be very difficult and thus the real importance of REV-ERBα and β remained mysterious.

The Salk scientists got around this hurdle by developing mice in which both genes could be turned off in the liver at any point by giving them an estrogen derivative called tamoxifen.

Now mice could develop normally to adulthood, at which point the scientists could turn off REV-ERBα and REV-ERBβ in their livers, an organ crucial to maintaining the correct balance of sugar and fat in blood, to see what effects it had on circadian rhythms and metabolism.

"When we turned off both receptors, the animal's biological clocks went haywire," says Han Cho, first author on the paper and a postdoctoral researcher in Evan's Salk laboratory.

"The mice started running on their exercise wheels when they should have been resting. This suggested REV-ERBα and REV-ERBβ aren't an auxiliary system that makes minor adjustments, but an integral part of the clock's core mechanism. Without them, the clock can't function properly."

Digging more deeply into the clockworks, the Salk scientists mapped out the genes that the REV-ERBs control to keep the body operating on the right schedule, finding that they overlap with hundreds of the same genes controlled by CLOCK and BMAL1.

This and other findings suggested that the REV-ERBs, act as a break on the genes BMAL1 activates.

"We thought that the core of the clock was an accelerator, and that all REV-ERBα and REV-ERBβ did was to pull the foot off that pedal," says Evans.

"What we've shown is that these receptors act directly as a break to slow clock activity. Now we've got a accelerator and a break, each equally important in creating the daily rhythm of the clock."

The scientists also found that the REV-ERBs control the activity of hundreds of genes involved metabolism, including those responsible for controlling levels of fats and bile.

The mice in which REV-ERBα and REV-ERBβ were turned off had high levels of fat and sugar in their blood, common problems in people with metabolic disorders.

"This explains how our cellular metabolism is tied to daylight cycles determined by the movements of the sun and the earth," says Satchidananda Panda, an associate professor in Salk's Regulatory Biology Laboratory and co-author on the paper.

"Now we want to find ways of leveraging this mechanism to fix a person's metabolic rhythms when they are disrupted by travel, shift work or sleep disorders."

Provided by Salk Institute

50 Facts about Dyslexia

What is Dyslexia?

• Dyslexia is a learning disability that includes difficulty in the use and processing of linguistic and symbolic codes, alphabetic letters representing speech sounds or numeric representing numbers or quantities.
• The first description of dyslexia appeared in 1896 by Dr. W. Pringle Morgan in Sussex, England, this is what he wrote: “Percy F.,... aged 14,... has always been a bright and intelligent boy, quick at games, and in no way inferior to others of his age. His great difficulty has been—and is now—his inability to learn to read.”
• The word dyslexia is derived from the Greek word ‘dys’ (meaning poor or inadequate) plus ‘lexis’ (words or language). Implying only an inadequacy in language tasks.
• Dyslexia is not the result of neurological damage, but the product of neurological development.
• Dyslexia varies from mild to severe.
• Dyslexia does not reflect an overall defect in language, but, rather, a localized weakness within the phonologic module of the brain. This module is the functional part of the brain where the sounds of language are put together to form words and where words are broken down into sounds.
• Dyslexia is a unique mindset that is often gifted and productive but learns differently than other minds.

Prevalence of Dyslexia

• Dyslexia affects nearly 10% of the population.
• Dyslexia is by far the most common learning disability.
• According to NIH research, of those who are placed in special education for a learning disability, around 80% of those have dyslexia.
• A study at Yale found that the numbers of girls and boys who have dyslexia are about the same.
• Dyslexia commonly runs in families.
• Children don't outgrow dyslexia.
• Some of the most brilliant minds of our time have been known to have dyslexia: Albert Einstein, Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, Winston Churchill, Benjamin Franklin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and John Lennon, to mention only a few.
• There are people with dyslexia in many types of highly respected careers such as: Tom Cruise, Danny Glover, Cher, Magic Johnson, Carl Lewis, Bruce Jenner, and General George Patton.
• “Given the high prevalence of reading difficulties, it is more likely for your child to have a reading problem than almost any other physical problem for which he is being checked.” - Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz, M.D.

Dyslexic Gifts

• Dyslexics often enjoy and excel at solving puzzles.
• Dyslexics have excellent comprehension of the stories read or told them.
• Most dyslexics often have a better sense of spatial relationships and better use of their right brain.
• Dyslexics have excellent thinking skills in the areas of conceptualization, reason, imagination, and abstraction.
• Dyslexics have a strong ability to see concepts with a "big picture" perspective.
• Dyslexics are adept to excellence in areas not dependent on reading.
• Dyslexics typically have a large spoken vocabulary for their age.
• Dyslexics tend to be more curious, creative, and intuitive than average.
• Dyslexics’ special mode of thought easily produces the gift of mastery.
• Dyslexia is not related to low intelligence.

Symptoms of Dyslexia

• Dyslexia can affect spoken language, written language and language comprehension.
• Dyslexics have trouble breaking down unfamiliar words into letter-sound segments. As a result, reading is slow and filled with errors.
• Dyslexics require extra time and effort to process language information.
• Dyslexics often need to be taught to look at words linearly, left-to-right.
• Dyslexics have difficulty in learning (and remembering) the names of letters.
• Dyslexics often fail to understand that words come apart; for example, that "batboy" can be pulled apart into "bat" and "boy" and, later on, that the word "bat" can be broken down still further and sounded out as 'b' 'aaa' 't'
• Dyslexics often have a difficult time learning to associate letters with sounds, such as being unable to connect the letter b with the /b/ sound.
• Dyslexics will sometimes make reading errors that show no connection to the sounds of the letters; for example, the word "big" is read as "goat."
• Dyslexics often struggle to read small "sight" words such as "that," "an," "in."
• Dyslexics often substitute words with the same meaning for words in the text they can't pronounce, such as "car" for "automobile."
• Dyslexics often omit parts of words when reading.
• Dyslexics often have difficulty remembering dates, names, telephone numbers, and random lists.
• Dyslexics often have an extreme difficulty learning a foreign language.

Dyslexia Research Findings

• Despite popular belief, dyslexics do not see letters backwards. They often have difficulty naming and writing letters, and in fact, writing letters backwards is something that many kids do when they’re first learning to write, whether they have dyslexia or not.
• Many individuals with dyslexia have proven to see things three dimensionally, which can effect how they look at words.
• Often dyslexics are thought to be reading backwards because of what is called the "Recency Effect." In which they pronounce the word using the most recent sound first, like "tap" for "pat."
• Research has shown strong correlations between dyslexia symptoms and deficits in short-term memory and executive functioning.
• Dr. Glenda Thorne stated, "Dyslexia is not a deficit in the visual processing system; however, it is a language processing problem. The hallmark characteristic of dyslexia is a breakdown in what is called phoneme awareness."
• Yale researchers have shown when people with dyslexia try to read the front part of the brain is over-stimulated while crucial portions in the center and back are under-stimulated.

Solutions for Dyslexia

• Research has proven that explicit, systematic phonics can actually help 'rewire' the brain and help dyslexic students learn to read.
• The use of the Orton-Gillingham approach can significantly compensate for the language learning and processing problems that arise from dyslexia.
• Dyslexics score significantly higher on test when they are given additional time and given the test orally.
• Dyslexics do best when directions are two steps or fewer. They often get confused and frustrated with a long list of “to dos” or directions.
• The more important, consistent, frequent, multi-sensory, and emotionally reinforcing information is presented, the easier and more enduring language learning becomes for dyslexics.

Read more at Reading Horizons

Lactose intolerance, MSG and Hyper-Activity Disorders

To answer a question you did not ask, I would like to confess to you that I am lactose intolerant. Something that I am convinced was triggered late in life by living in Holland for a number of years and overdosing on excessive hidden milk additives in food.

Holland's economy is partly agricultural based and they are dedicated to over-producing milk products. They are a smart and inventive people, which means they are very inventive in coming up with ways to dispose of the glut of milk produced.

Leaving aside their apparent addiction to cheese products, they largely dispose of excessive milk products by introducing them into as many food products as is possible, normally in the form of milk powder.

This is also a very good way of preserving a deteriorating organic product. By simply re-processing into a powder form it can be stored for longer and provide a better profit margin.

Product dilution
Another great benefit from adding a cheap milk powder into convenience foods, is the dilution of the more expensive 'core' products e.g. the meat, and again the producer can increase their profit margins on that product.

Avoiding additives
The simple answer has been to avoid convenience and pre-prepared fast food and to cook with fresh products and fresh herbal ingredients. It is the only way to control what goes into your food and to avoid potential irritants.

MSG
The lactose content in fast pre-prepared foods is extensive, as is the flavour enhancing salt, Mono-sodium Glutamate (MSG). This salt creates a 'craving' and addictive desire for certain fast convenience foods. It is used extensively in Chinese, Thai and Malaysian foods to give it more 'flavour.'

Unfortunately, I have also been served Italian food in the form of garlic bread and pizza that was covered in MSG and therefore rendered inedible.

Hyper-activity disorders
The inclusion of Mono-Sodium Glutamate (MSG) in everyday foods creates an addiction for fast convenience food, creating a craving and a tendency to over-eat. So, the onset of obesity is an inevitable direct result.

MSG also causes an increase in heart rate, which can be either uncomfortable and disconcerting or down right dangerous if you suffer from a heart condition or a hyper-activity condition.

Sugar and Caffeine
Sugar and Caffeine are a stimulant for everyone and should only be given to children in small doses. This is the case for all children not just for children with a hyper-activity disorders.

Summary
I will stop now before I give you an anxiety attack but don't be over concerned about additives in foods, just be aware that they are there and they are there for the products benefit, not yours. Be aware and be selective.

Preparing your family's food from fresh products is always the best way forward and it's what our parents did. Perhaps that is why they did not suffer from the conditions that we are now experiencing, and perhaps not. All I know is that I am happier, healthier and fitter if I avoid and refuse convenience foods.

If you feel that you do not have the time or the opportunity to prepare fresh products then that is a 'time management ' problem that I am happy to help you with.

I would love to hear your comments and opinions on additives and the use of food in modern society.