Many in the entertainment world are dropping the platform
The 'Harry Potter' actor has a mild case of dyspraxia, affecting his ability to plan motor functions, which is to say that the star of one of the biggest film franchises still struggles tying his shoelaces. He joked in an interview, "I sometimes think, Why, oh why, has Velcro not taken off?"
The actor was diagnosed with dyslexia at age seven, and though he struggled reading, he said his dyslexia was the reason he turned to the stage, even crediting it with making him learn "everything forward and backward, inside out, so I was fully prepared."
The actress was one of the lucky ones who was diagnosed with dyslexia early on, at age six, but her mother told her she could only act if she read every day and kept her grades up. "I drove myself into the ground trying to get over dyslexia," Knightley said. "When I finished school I had the top grades."
The legendary Olympic swimmer was once criticized by teachers for his inability to sit still. After being diagnosed with ADHD in grade five and medicating with Ritalin for two years, he decided to stop the drug and replace it with swimming. It definitely paid off!
Best known as "The Fonz" from 'Happy Days,' Henry Winkler didn't read a book until he was 31 years old, when he was diagnosed with dyslexia. He said he was most impacted by people calling him "lazy" and "stupid," though he was trying his hardest. He's also said to have the lesser-known dyscalculia, which gave him difficulty with math. Winkler has since become a champion for those suffering from learning disorders.
In 2008, the singer revealed that he has both ADHD and OCD, "You try living with that," he said. He seems to have done pretty well!
The actress and TV host knew something was up when people were calling her "dumb" when she was growing up. "I knew I wasn't stupid, and I knew I wasn't dumb. My mother told me that," she said in a 2004 interview.
The 'Hulk' actor struggled for years with undiagnosed ADHD and dyslexia as a child.
The 'Let Me Entertain You' hitmaker is dyscalculic, or what he called "numerically dyslexic." He said on the 'Three Little Words' podcast, "I always get in trouble because I don't know my kids' birth dates and I don't know our anniversary and I don't know my wife's birthday ... I can't even remember our house in Los Angeles. It has four digits for the start of the address and I can't ever remember what those digits are."
Known best for playing Peter on the original 'Brady Bunch' series, Christopher Knight struggled with focus and speaking slowly for years, until he was formally diagnosed with ADHD in his late thirties and could seek treatment.
The legendary director was once a young boy who was bullied for learning to read two years after all his classmates. And it was only at age 60 that Spielberg was formally diagnosed with dyslexia! He shared his words of wisdom for young students: "While you will have dyslexia for the rest of your life, you can dart between the raindrops to get where you want to go. It will not hold you back."
Keanu Reeves' dyslexia may have caused him to drop out of high school, but it may have also been the reason for his acting career. "I did a lot of pretending as a child," he told Handbag magazine. "It was my way of coping with the fact that I didn't really feel like I fit in."
The TV host is, in his own words, "about as ADHD as you can get." He said he spent the majority of his time in the hallway or in detention, until he was formally diagnosed as an undergrad. Once he started taking prescribed medication, he saw an immediate improvement in his grades.
Sources: (Special Education Degree) (Great Schools) (Understood)
The talk show host's dyslexia shaped his life's philosophy of success: "If you don't think you're the smartest person in the room and you think you're going to have to work a little harder, and put a little more time into it to get what everybody else does, you can actually do quite well," he said. "And that's been my approach."
As a child, Vince Vaughn developed a rebellious approach to schoolwork because he was embarrassed about his struggle to complete it. He was soon formally diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia, but his father didn't want him to take the prescribed medications. Because of that, Vaughn says he developed "a really good work ethic, because you have to try harder."
The late actress struggled with bullying in her school years because she couldn't do math, she wrote in her autobiography. Instead, she sought refuge in dancing, which ultimately led to her impressive TV career. But it wasn't until she was in her fifties that Moore discovered why she'd had such a hard time: dyscalculia.
The well-known TV anchor struggled with a mild case of dyslexia from a very early age, and he credits his school for catching the problem early on so that he was able to receive the help he needed.
As a child, the famed designer was constantly perceived as unintelligent due to his dyslexia, so much so that he decided to skip college. Hilfiger now credits his lack of formal education with the huge success he's achieved because he has been able to see things in a way other designers wouldn't.
The TV host only consciously recognized that he had ADHD and OCD in his forties, despite coping with it his whole life. He struggled both at home and in school, forgoing a high-school diploma, but luckily he found a good fit at 'Deal or No Deal,' as he explained the format of his hosting job complemented his symptoms.
The famed actor, with a career spanning from 'Cheers' and 'White Men Can't Jump' to 'The Hunger Games' and 'Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri' was diagnosed with both ADHD and dyslexia as a child.
The famed actor struggled immensely in school and was put "in classes with kids with autism and Down syndrome." Later on, he found out he did poorly in school because of a combination of ADHD and dyslexia.
The famed 'Grey's Anatomy' actor was placed in a special education class for intellectually-disabled children until he was 12 years old, only to discover he had dyslexia. Dempsey credits his time in special ed, when he was bored and would entertain his classmates, with finding his passion for performance.
The famed actor was diagnosed with dyslexia at age seven and put in remedial classes, though he could still barely read in high school. He described himself as a "functional illiterate," but he's done well with all those film scripts.
The Maroon 5 front man has spoken about his experience with learning disorders, explaining, "I struggled with ADHD… It was hard for me to sit down, focus, and get the schoolwork done … Remember that you are not alone."
The Mexican-born actress was told she wouldn't make it in Hollywood because of her age and nationality, but after having been diagnosed with dyslexia in her teens, she knew what it was to push past people's expectations of you.
The actor has been open about his struggles with both ADHD and dyslexia, explaining that they were also what led to various behavioral issues while he was growing up. He also said that treatment, including medication, has helped him focus his energy into comedy.
The actress is now a household name, but up until her early twenties she was made to feel as if she were stupid, all because she wasn't yet diagnosed as dyslexic.
The talented actress used to be "paralyzed with fear" when it came to reading aloud in class due to her dyslexia. She's now a firm believer that having a learning disability "doesn't really mean that you're not intelligent—it just means that your brain functions differently."
Cher had a very difficult school experience because her dyslexia and reported dyscalculia went undiagnosed, and teachers thought she wasn't living up to her potential. "Almost everything I learned, I had to learn by listening," she said. And look at her now!
'Barbie' director Greta Gerwig has opened up about being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult. In an interview with the Guardian, the 'Lady Bird' and 'Little Women' director revealed she always had a lot of energy as a child and her parents didn't quite know what to do about it. "(At school I) had a ton of energy. But as a kid, my mum was like: ‘Let’s sign her up for every activity. Let’s tire her out.’ I’ve always had a tremendous amount of enthusiasm," Gerwig said. "I was just interested in, like, everything. I had a really active imagination. I had a lot of really deep feelings. I was emotional.” It all seems to have worked in her favor, moving from a successful acting career to an even more successful directing career.
Rob McElhenney, creator of 'It's Always Sunny in Phildelphia," revealed that he received multiple diagnoses. The 46-year-old Wrexham A.F.C. owner decided to speak out and share the news to remind others that they're not alone in their struggles. His Twitter post read, “I was recently diagnosed with a host of neurodevelopmental disorders and learning disabilities! At 46!” He didn't share the full details but said he'll go through it all in an upcoming episode of 'The Always Sunny Podcast.' “It’s not something I would normally talk about publicly but I figured there are others who struggle with similar things and I wanted to remind you that you’re not alone. You’re not stupid. You’re not “bad”. It might feel that way sometimes. But it’s not true :).”
When most people think of learning disorders, they think of dyslexia, which affects the areas of the brain that process language, making it difficult to read and relate speech sounds to letters and words. It's the most common of learning disorders, but there are many others like dyscalculia, which involves difficulty comprehending arithmetic. There is also dyspraxia, which is a neurological disorder that impacts your ability to plan and process motor tasks, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which can cause abnormal levels of hyperactive and impulsive behaviors and lead to trouble focusing or sitting still.
It’s important to raise awareness of these learning disorders so that people can get the help they need earlier on, and so that the people around them can stop labeling them as "lazy" or “stupid," which is unfortunately too often the case.
Even celebrities were doubted by their teachers or family members when they struggled with things others kids had whizzed through, and just like Rob McElhenney, many only learned decades later that they were simply wired differently from other people.
Click through to see which stars have achieved greatness despite, or oftentimes because of, their learning disorders.
Celebrities who have learning disorders
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CELEBRITY Celebrity facts
When most people think of learning disorders, they think of dyslexia, which affects the areas of the brain that process language, making it difficult to read and relate speech sounds to letters and words. It's the most common of learning disorders, but there are many others like dyscalculia, which involves difficulty comprehending arithmetic. There is also dyspraxia, which is a neurological disorder that impacts your ability to plan and process motor tasks, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which can cause abnormal levels of hyperactive and impulsive behaviors and lead to trouble focusing or sitting still.
It’s important to raise awareness of these learning disorders so that people can get the help they need earlier on, and so that the people around them can stop labeling them as "lazy" or “stupid," which is unfortunately too often the case.
Even celebrities were doubted by their teachers or family members when they struggled with things others kids had whizzed through, and just like Rob McElhenney, many only learned decades later that they were simply wired differently from other people.
Click through to see which stars have achieved greatness despite, or oftentimes because of, their learning disorders.