For decades, children and young people with reading, writing or calculation difficulties have been labeled with humiliating words: “lazy”, “distracted”, “lazy”. Today we know that many of those kids simply had DSA — Specific Learning Disorderssuch as dyslexia, dysorthography, dysgraphia or dyscalculia.
It’s not about lack of intelligence, but about different ways of processing information. Yet, for a long time the school was unable to recognize them, risking stifling extraordinary talents. Yet, if we look at history with curious eyes, we discover that some of the greatest geniuses of the past would probably have received a diagnosis of DSA today.
Here are 5 famous people who the school underestimated, but who left an indelible mark on science, art and literature.
Leonardo da Vinci: the visual genius with mirror writing
Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most fascinating cases. In his notebooks we find recurring spelling errors, irregular handwriting and writing from right to left. Several scholars have hypothesized traits compatible with dyslexia and dysgraphia.
According to Marco Catani and Paolo Mazzarello (Brain2019), Leonardo showed characteristics also attributable to ADHD, such as difficulty completing projects and dispersed attention across many interests.
If he had been judged only by his linguistic abilities, he probably would never have become the universal symbol of creative genius.
Hans Christian Andersen: the narrator who invented words
The author of The little mermaid And The ugly duckling he left phonetic and spelling errors in his manuscripts. Sometimes he created new words, other times he repeatedly misspelled common terms.
These traits are compatible with dyslexia, but Andersen found his strength in storytelling and imagination. His difficulties were never an obstacle to the creation of immortal stories
Albert Einstein: the visual thinker
The legend that Albert Einstein was “a bad student“is partly exaggerated, but it is true that he showed linguistic difficulties and a certain slowness in verbal processing. Some biographers have hypothesized dyslexic traits, particularly related to reading aloud and writing.
Einstein thought in images and abstract concepts, not in words. This unconventional cognitive style made him a radical innovator of physics, capable of overturning the scientific paradigms of his time.
Pablo Picasso: words held him back, art freed him
Picasso struggled with reading and writing and did not adapt easily to school discipline. However, he found a free and immediate language in painting.
Many scholars believe that he presented traits typical of dyslexia, but this was never a limitation. On the contrary, his visual creativity and ability to break the mold forever transformed twentieth-century art.
Agatha Christie: the writer who preferred to dictate
Agatha Christie, the queen of detective stories, hated rereading her own texts. His manuscripts were full of spelling errors and he often dictated novels to secretaries.
Scholars speak of possible dysgraphic or dyslexic difficulties. Yet, this did not prevent her from becoming one of the most read and translated authors in the world. A clear example of how narrative talent can flourish beyond formal difficulties.
Misunderstood geniuses yesterday, students with DSA today
The stories of these characters teach us something simple but fundamental:
Many of these characters achieved extraordinary results despite the school system. Today, thanks to awareness of DSA, we can build schools that do not label, but enhance.
