Caleb Williams
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Caleb Williams.
Rookie quarterbacks in the NFL almost always go through struggles and growing pains as they attempt to adapt to what is perhaps the single most complex and difficult position to play in any sport. Hall of Famer Peyton Manning threw a league-leading 28 interceptions in his first season.
Reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills completed only 52.8 percent of his passes as a rookie with an extremely modest passer rating of 49.8 on the season. The examples are numerous.
But for the Chicago Bears’ Caleb Williams, according to a recent report, there was more than the usual first-year baptism of fire going on in his inconsistent 2024 season.
The report alleged that Bears coaches and staffers suspected that the 2024 No. 1 overall draft pick out of USC had something else happening — namely, a learning disorder that had never been properly diagnosed — or if it had, Williams somehow kept it a secret.
The condition Williams is alleged to be dealing with is known as dyslexia.
It should be noted that there has been no official confirmation that Williams is actually dyslexic. But circumstantial evidence in the report last Friday by independent investigative journalist Tyler Dunne suggests that Williams may indeed have the condition.
But dyslexia is widely misunderstood disorder. Here are some of most important facts about what dyslexia is, and what it is not.
Dyslexia is a Neurological Condition That Affects Language Processing
Dyslexia is not a “disease.” People who have the condition simply have brains and nervous systems that develop in a different way from the majority of the population. As the International Dyslexia Association puts it, the condition is the result of “a different wiring of the brain.”
While dyslexia can affect the ability to read, or to learn reading, it is actually a condition that “can cause problems with breaking spoken language down into its component parts, which in turn affects reading and spelling skills,” according to the language learning site Touch-Type, Read and Spell.
In fact, some experts refer to dyslexia not as a “learning disability,” but as a “learning difference.”
Dyslexia is Not Related to Intelligence
Because dyslexic people can have difficulty reading or communicating with language, many teachers and even parents can mistake the condition for being “stupid.” But nothing could be further from the truth. Multiple studies have shown that there is no correlation between intellectual ability and dyslexia, one way or the other. In fact, many dyslexic children are otherwise classified as intellectually “gifted.”
Another common misconception is that dyslexic people see written letters backwards, or reverse letters in the spelling of words. But according to the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity, “many young children reverse letters when learning to write, regardless of whether or not they have dyslexia. In fact, most children with dyslexia do not reverse letters.”
Dyslexia is a Common Condition
Studies by the National Institute of Health have found that approximately 20 percent of Americans, or one in every five people, is affected by dyslexia. But the condition does not present the same way in every person who has it.
While some may experience only mild effects, in others dyslexia can cause severe problems in language-related learning. In Williams’ case, according to Dunne’s reporting, coaches perceived that the rookie quarterback would “struggle with basic huddle calls and forget to motion players,” as well over-relying on his wristband for information about play-calls.
There is No ‘Cure’ For Dyslexia
While there is no reason that Williams cannot live up to his potential as top-level NFL quarterback even if he his found to have dyslexia, the condition stays with those who experience it for their entire lives. But screening, proper diagnosis and other interventions can help dyslexic individuals overcome obstacles it can cause. And as a person grows older, the symptoms of dyslexia may change and become easier to handle.
Many Highly Successful People Have Been Dyslexic
If, indeed, Williams is eventually diagnosed with dyslexia, he would be far from alone among high-achieving people. Other well-known and successful figures who have dyslexia include Thomas Edison, inventor of the electric light, movie camera and sound recording, who was diagnosed with the condition at age two.
Whoopi Goldberg, the actress and entertainer who currently co-hosts The View, was diagnosed at age nine. She went on become the rare performer who has won Oscar, Emmy, Tony and Grammy awards.
One the greatest American World War II generals, George S. Patton who played an indispensable role in winning that war and saving the world from Nazism, also had dyslexia. According to the Warfare History Network, the condition may have actually contributed to Patton’s “genius” for military strategy and command.