The alleged link between creativity and dyslexia: Identifying the specific process in which dyslexic students excel

• Main Authors: Alice Cancer, Serena Manzoli, Alessandro Antonietti
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2016-12-01
• Series: Cogent Psychology
• Subjects: creativity; dyslexia; learning disabilities; originality; wcr model
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2016.1190309

It is often argued that individuals with developmental dyslexia (DD) are particularly creative. In order to test this claim, in Study 1 the WCR (widening, connecting and reorganizing) Creativity Test was administered to 52 junior high school students, 19 of whom diagnosed with DD. Results showed that students with DD performed significantly better in the connecting task, which consisted in carrying unusual combination of ideas out. This finding was supported by Study 2, involving a small sample of junior high school students with DD, where a negative correlation between connecting abilities and reading skills emerged. This investigation contributes to the understanding of the peculiar cognitive functioning of people with learning disabilities.