In his book, "The Gift of Dyslexia: Why Some Of The Brightest People Can't Read And How They Can Learn", Ronald Davis was one of the first experts to popularise the idea of dyslexia being rooted, not in a disability, but in a perceptual talent.

In the nearly thirty years since Davis' work was published, a growing number of academics, campaigners and charities have allied themselves to a "gift philosophy" of dyslexia. And it is no secret that many of the world's leading innovators, entrepreneurs, designers, artists and sportspeople are dyslexic.

Yet celebrating dyslexic talent only gets us so far. Citing famous dyslexics to comfort children who are struggling to read may have value; but if we stop there, we miss the key opportunity that the gift of dyslexia presents.

We need to ask ourselves: what is the nature of the perceptual talent at the heart of dyslexia? And then:…