Dyslexia

RJM62

RJM62

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A friend of mine's kid who is thinking about taking flying lessons and possibly pursuing a career in aviation has been diagnosed with dyslexia. Will this be an issue when applying for a medical?

Thanks,

Rich

EDIT: The boy is 13, if that makes any difference.
 
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RJM62 said:
A friend of mine's kid who is thinking about taking flying lessons and possibly pursuing a career in aviation has been diagnosed with dyslexia. Will this be an issue when applying for a medical?

Thanks,

Rich

EDIT: The boy is 13, if that makes any difference.
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I don't know if there is actually anything that stops him (hopefully someone else does), but I wonder how difficult it would be for him to retain specific knowledge for the written exam. Dyslexia is not the transpositioning of numbers, as most people think, but rather a disease which makes understanding and reading written words difficult.
 
SkyHog said:
I don't know if there is actually anything that stops him (hopefully someone else does), but I wonder how difficult it would be for him to retain specific knowledge for the written exam. Dyslexia is not the transpositioning of numbers, as most people think, but rather a disease which makes understanding and reading written words difficult.
Click to expand...

I don't know the boy very well. The few times I've met him, he seemed to be a perfectly normal kid with a flair for drafting and mechanical drawing. He's a freshman at a very prestigious New York City high school (Brooklyn Tech, which is not an easy school to get in to). Judging by his age (13 and already in high school), he may even have skipped a grade somewhere along the way.

I also don't know what was the basis for the diagnosis. I've found from experience in my own family, however, that some diagnoses made by school shrinks seem to be made for pragmatic reasons: The kid needs a little extra help, and slapping a diagnosis on them gets them that help (or more to the point, it gets the school the money to provide it). I doubt that these well-intentioned people have any idea how the diagnoses they make can affect these kids' futures.

I'm not saying that this is necessarily what happened here; like I said, I don't know him all that well, nor do I have any idea what led up to his being evaluated. It could well be legit. But whatever the case, I was asked by his dad what effect, if any, the diagnosis itself will have on his getting a medical. He would like to know that before shelling out the money, and also to avoid getting Brian's hopes up if he won't be able to fly.

Also, assuming that the diagnosis is correct, what effect would it have on his actually being able to fly safely? A few things that come to mind would be memorizing required knowledge (as you mentioned), reading charts, keeping track of traffic, comprehending verbal ATC instructions, setting correct radio frequencies, and so forth.

Thanks again,

-Rich
 
I have pbdq dyslexia and since I learned to read/write properly, there are no flying problems that the learned compensations do not handle.

[Edit] Sometimes the biggest handicap is the people who decide that your "handicap" will prevent your ability to do something.

[Edit] I don't see any questions on the medical about dyslexia. But then, I have pbdq dyslexia.
 
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I think it extremely unlikely that dyslexia, in itself, would be disqualifying. Those with dyslexia can and do learn techniques for accommodating the condition.

Notably, it has no bearing whatsoever on the ability to absord and use information; it is strictly about processing visual information.
 
I have never been DIAGNOSED with dyslexia. but I struggle with the symtoms, and always have. yet I can fly. It helps to write down numbers. i may wonder , was that 13R or 31R, A glance at the knee board helps. I also keep taxi diagrams handy. Yes let the boy fly!!. DaveR
 
RJM62 said:
Also, assuming that the diagnosis is correct, what effect would it have on his actually being able to fly safely? A few things that come to mind would be memorizing required knowledge (as you mentioned), reading charts, keeping track of traffic, comprehending verbal ATC instructions, setting correct radio frequencies, and so forth.
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It could be that it would just make some things harder for him to learn - but he is probably used to that by now. It could be a real problem. But there is no way we would be able to tell from here but based on what you posted, I wouldn't be surprised if it's the former.

Take him for a ride and let him try it out. Let him set the radios, find things on the charts, spot traffic, listen to ATC and pass on what he heard, etc. It shouldn't take you long to be able to make an educated guess about what he may be able to do. Or find an instructor with experience with younger students for an introductory lesson.

One question - has he been given any medication for this or other "mental" reasons? Those are deal breakers as far as a FAA medical is concerned.
 
Aunt Peggy points out that there are different kinds of dyslexia. There is also a spectrum of severity.

I have never gotten the D diagnosis. However, I have a devil of a time approaching the right runway if the choices are 2 and 20. Is this a mild form of D? Dunno. The point is I know my weak spot and I compensate. Write it down, draw a pencil diagram of the runways, etc. etc. A mild dyslexic can compensate well. A severe one, maybe not. It depends....

-Skip
 
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Dyslexia is a problem which has such a broad spectrum that we use the operational guys (that mean RBL's bosses) to make the decisions.

Some individuals develop procedural work arounds that are sooo very good you've gotta strain to tell that there was anything going on.

So from the medical department, the answer Rich, is "no". But if he doesn't develop good workarounds, he'll have great trouble with any operational check(ride).
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
....

One question - has he been given any medication for this or other "mental" reasons? Those are deal breakers as far as a FAA medical is concerned.
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Not that I know of. His father is a business friend of mine more so than a personal friend, so I really don't know the family all that well. I'll ask, though.

Thanks,

Rich
 
bbchien said:
Dyslexia is a problem which has such a broad spectrum that we use the operational guys (that mean RBL's bosses) to make the decisions.

Some individuals develop procedural work arounds that are sooo very good you've gotta strain to tell that there was anything going on.

So from the medical department, the answer Rich, is "no". But if he doesn't develop good workarounds, he'll have great trouble with any operational check(ride).
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Thanks Doc, and thanks to everyone who replied, especially Peggy and others who actually have this condition and don't let it keep them down (pun intended). :)

I know a CFI who's great with kids. (He's hardly more than a kid himself, actually.) If the answer to the medication question turns out to be "no," I'll suggest that Brian take a few lessons. Tommy (his dad) just wanted to know whether dyslexia was an automatic disqualifier before making any promises.

Thanks again,

Rich
 
SkyHog said:
I don't know if there is actually anything that stops him (hopefully someone else does), but I wonder how difficult it would be for him to retain specific knowledge for the written exam. Dyslexia is not the transpositioning of numbers, as most people think, but rather a disease which makes understanding and reading written words difficult.
Click to expand...

My son has dyslexia, and as a flight instructor for over two decades, I have taught student pilots with dyslexia to fly. It is not a disease. It doesn't make "understanding" written words difficult. Reading and understanding are two different things. As far as the written test, the FAA has specific testing procedures for pilots who have dyslexia. Checklists can be modified.

DYSLEXIC TESTING PROCEDURES If you are a dyslexic applicant, you may request approval from the local FSDO or International Field Office (IFO) to take an airman knowledge test using one of the three options listed in preferential order. Option 1. Use current testing facilities and procedures whenever possible. Option 2. You may use a Franklin Speaking Wordmaster® to facilitate the testing process. The Wordmaster® is a self-contained electronic thesaurus that audibly pronounces typed in words and presents them on a display screen. It has a built-in headphone jack for private listening. The headphone feature must be used during testing to avoid disturbing others. Option 3. If you do not choose to use the first or second option, you may request a proctor to assist in reading specific words or terms from the test questions and supplement material. In the interest of preventing compromise of the testing process, the proctor must be someone who is non-aviation oriented. The proctor must provide reading assistance only, with no explanation of words or terms. When this option is requested, the FSDO or IFO inspector must contact the Airman Testing Standards Branch (AFS-630) for assistance in selecting the test site and proctor. Prior to approval of any option, the FSDO or IFO inspector must advise you of the regulatory certification requirement of being able to read, write, speak, and understand the English language.
 
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