Learning disabilities are very common and can be treated effectively if given early attention. Many celebrities with learning disabilities have made it big and successful, with their determination and perseverance. Learning disabilities are neurological based processing problems. These interfere with learning basic sills such as reading, writing or math. Theses also interfere with high level skills such as time planning, abstract reasoning, memory and attention. Children with learning disabilities are smarter than their peers.
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The below celebrities with learning disabilities have made it big despite the ridicule they suffered at school and in their social circles. These celebrities are an inspiration for all of us to not just scrap away the prospects that a child with learning disability has. These celebs with learning disabilities found their passions and groomed it to overcome their challenges in life. Kids with learning disabilities may not read, write and learn the conventional way but if given ample time and therapeutic benefits; they can become celebrities too.
Top 10 Celebrities with learning disabilities include:
1- Whoopi Goldberg:
Whoopi Goldberg suffered dyslexia all through her childhood. Mocking, ridicule and being called dumb were some of the harsh treatments she faced at school. It was her mother who believed in Whoopi and inspired her to follow her dreams. She could become anything she wished, was her mothers saying and Whoopi trusted her mother to grow up to world famous comedian and talk show host. She is one of the only few who have been blessed with an Emmy, an Academy award, a Grammy and a Tony.
2- Justin Timberlake:
Justin Timberlake has OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) mixed with ADD (attention deficit disorder) His OCD forces him to arrange and organize things in addition only allowing certain foods in his refrigerator. He is a renowned singer, song-writer, actor and producer. Despite batting his challenges he has had an extremely successful career. His 9 Grammy awards and 4 Emmy awards prove it, that everything is possible even with a few challenges, just believe in yourself.
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3- Keira Knightley:
Keira Knightley suffered dyslexia from age 6. Her struggles made her tougher. She was told to keep her grades high and read regularly for being able to act. She worked hard and kept grades high only to follow her passion of acting. Her mother told her that she could only act if she followed reading during holidays. Her determination and courage made her pass school with high grades. And only to follow her dream of acting
4- Orlando Bloom:
The Pirates of Caribbean star was diagnosed with dyslexia at age 7. His mother inspired him to read more to overcome the disability. He turned to stage for a creative outlet. Her eventually mastered reading out loud at drama school and turned dyslexia to his advantage. His gift from dyslexia was he could learn everything forward and backward, inside and out. He had to put in more effort but he made sure to learn all his lines to not mess them up at stage.
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5- Danielle Radcliffe:
Danielle Radcliffe may be saving the day in Harry Potter movies but in real life he cannot tie shoe laces because of dyspraxia. He had challenges with his handwriting and it was his mother who found his passion. She encouraged him to audition for a play and to overcome the hardships at school she inspired him to act. This turned out to his advantage and he is now one of the top rated actors. He has lived with his dyspraxia all through his life, but this didn’t stop him from starring in one of the largest franchises in movie history.
6- Keanu Reeves:
Keanu Reeves is a superstar and has been prominent actor for last 30 years. But he has struggled with dyslexia at school, and his struggles at school made him quit high school unfinished. He would pretend at school to hide his unfitness as a child. His gift of pretending has made him the most beloved actor of his times.
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7- Anderson Cooper:
Well known journalist and CNN TV personality, with recent presidential debate moderator experiences; Anderson cooper has suffered with mild dyslexia from early ages. Cooper’s family emphasized reading and even hired a special reading instructor to help Anderson cope up. He was incredibly passionate about books. He has had good fortune of attention at school and at home to help him overcome his challenges and rise above them so brilliantly.
8- Cher:
Cher has suffered from dyslexia all her life. Her well known career as a singer and actor is a proof how one can overcome challenges by hard-work and determination. Her dyslexia went unidentified at school and she struggled all through then. She was always believed to be not trying hard enough and she didn’t get proper orientation. She even struggled with reading film scripts and it slowed her down. But despite all this she has had a successful career
9- Richard Branson:
Richard Branson is an entrepreneur and billionaire. He is the only person in the world to build eight billion dollar companies from scratch in eight different countries. He is a model for success despite being dyslexic. Branson called dyslexia his greatest strength. He was labeled as lazy and not very clever due to unawareness of the teachers. He started a successful alternative newspaper in high school, and he was cheered by his headmaster at school.
The above compilation on Top 10 Celebrities with learning disabilities, is to help children and parents with learning disabilities in family, to motivate and inspire them as they are gifted. The above examples are a proof enough that these learnings disabilities can be groomed for their advantage. These children need a little guidance and a lot of perseverance to overcome their challenges so brilliantly.
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By Minu Manisha
