Unmasking Dyslexia

In 2023, while traveling with her two sons, Carleen experienced a moment that would change her life. Their flight home was delayed, and she accidentally shared the wrong flight number with them. In the past, when she made mistakes like this, she would casually brush them off by saying, “I’m a little bit dyslexic, just undiagnosed.” But this time, her youngest son’s reaction stopped her in her tracks—he looked genuinely shocked.
That moment made her realize something profound: to truly understand herself, she needed to find out if she was, in fact, dyslexic.

Without hesitation, Carleen booked an appointment, completed the necessary testing, and received a diagnosis—mild dyslexia. For some, that might have been the end of the journey. But for Carleen, it was just the beginning.
With a strong academic background in the sciences, she immersed herself in research, only to discover that the common understanding of dyslexia barely scratched the surface. Society largely defines dyslexia as a learning difference related to literacy challenges. However, when looking beyond educational psychology, dyslexia emerges as a unique neurodivergent processing style that influences all aspects of life.

Determined to explore this further, Carleen shifted the focus of her MAPPCP degree toward understanding neurodiversity, with a particular emphasis on dyslexia. This led her to conduct scientific research on how adult female dyslexics perceive their social interactions and how these experiences shape their self-concept.
Her findings were eye-opening. Participants described their social interactions as either "safe" or "unsafe," depending on how others perceived their dyslexic traits. The significance of fostering safe interactions became even clearer when she uncovered troubling statistics: dyslexics are at a higher risk for suicidal ideation, with female dyslexics being six times more likely to attempt suicide than their male counterparts and twice as likely as neurotypical females. Additionally, dyslexic individuals report lower well-being, self-confidence, and self-identity than any other group.

Carleen’s research also identified a continuum of dyslexic identity, ranging from the Hidden Dyslexic to the Socially Described Dyslexic to the Empowered Dyslexic (see figure below). She firmly believes that society must support dyslexics in becoming Empowered Dyslexics, allowing them to fully embrace both the challenges and strengths of their unique cognitive processing style. By fostering self-awareness and acceptance, dyslexic individuals can improve their well-being, self-connection, and confidence—ultimately enriching the world with their distinctive ways of thinking.

Drawing from both her personal experience and academic research, she has dedicated a section of her business to reshaping the dialogue around dyslexia and making a meaningful impact.