ABSTRACT
There is a long-standing myth that many more males than females are dyslexic. It may also be a myth that many more males than females are dyspraxic. For a number of years I believed the figures for dyslexia to be true but, about nine years ago, I changed my mind about there being about three to four times more dyslexic males than females. There were two simple but powerful reasons for this change of opinion: I began meeting many more dyslexic women than men who had not previously been diagnosed and I came across recent research which challenged this myth about dyslexia. I am not the only one to have changed my mind. For example, the website of what was, in 2005, the UK government’s Department for Education and Skills, drew attention to the idea that dyslexia may affect both sexes equally (www.dfes.gov.uk, 7 May 2005).
