Dyslexia and Mental Health

Dyslexia is a complex condition that affects not only learning but every part of an individual's life. Experience or fear of social stigma can lead adults with dyslexia to camouflage the difficulties they face, to withdraw and to adopt negative coping strategies, particularly if they failed to receive adequate support, identification and intervention in childhood. This can have lasting impact on their emotional health. Neil Alexander-Passe is an experienced researcher and a special needs teacher in secondary mainstream education. He also has dyslexia. Neil uses his personal and professional experience to shed light on the complexities surrounding dyslexia and examines psychological theories such as ego-defence mechanisms and learned helplessness that reveal how people deal with its emotional impact. He offers guidelines and advice, illustrated with real life examples, about how to help people with dyslexia avoid adverse coping strategies (including self-harming behaviour and suicide) and learn to deal with stress, anxiety and low self-esteem in more effective and psychologically positive ways. This book will help educational and clinical psychologists, teachers, mental health specialists, counsellors and therapists understand the emotional complexities of dyslexia and equips them with practical tools to help improve individuals' emotional health.