This October, a short animated film is trying to change what a child finds when they first search for the word that describes them. Made By Dyslexia, the UK-based charity founded by Kate Griggs, announced on October 1 that its short film "What is dyslexia?" had its U.S. premiere at New York's SVA Theatre and is being screened across all 50 states and seven continents for Dyslexia Awareness Month, with a goal of 100 million screens. Screenings are planned in classrooms, libraries, cinemas, workplaces, and on Virgin Atlantic flights, and the charity is encouraging families and schools to host their own watch parties. U.S. partners named in the announcement include the International Dyslexia Association and Decoding Dyslexia. Here's what the film is, what it gets right, where to add context, and how to use it with your child.
What is the film about?
Directed by Kyra Bartley and animated by the London studio Art&Graft, the film premiered in London in April, according to the advertising trade outlet Shots. It follows Lola, a young girl who learns she has dyslexia and, searching online, finds descriptions that make her future look bleak. Then she meets a famous dyslexic inventor who takes her on a journey through the lives of accomplished dyslexic people, from Henry Ford to Muhammad Ali. The voice cast includes Jeremy Irons, Liv Tyler, Jaalen Best, and 13-year-old actress Hope Day. The visual style mixes hand-painted 2D textures with 3D animation, and it's genuinely beautiful. The emotional core is the moment many families will recognize: the first search, and what it does to a child's sense of themselves.
What message is it sending?
Made By Dyslexia's central idea is "dyslexic thinking," the view that dyslexia comes with cognitive strengths, such as big-picture reasoning, creativity, and problem-solving, alongside difficulties with reading and spelling. The charity reports in the announcement that in its research, 87% of respondents believe dyslexia includes strengths and 74% say their school has little understanding of those strengths (the release does not give the sample size or method, so treat those as indicative). "Every dyslexic child deserves to know there is nothing wrong with the way their brain works," said ambassador Erin Brockovich.
The film's opening scene, in which Lola reads discouraging descriptions of her diagnosis online, reflects the problem the campaign was built around: those descriptions are often the first thing a family finds. Changing that first impression is a reasonable goal. A child who meets the word "dyslexia" alongside examples of capable adults is more likely to hear it as an explanation than as a verdict. Many parents describe exactly that relief after identification: the struggle finally has a name, and a name comes with a plan. That's the part of the campaign we'd most encourage families to use.
What does the research say about dyslexic strengths?
Here we'd add a careful footnote. The first half of the message is solidly backed: dyslexia is not related to intelligence, and dyslexic people succeed in every field. The strengths half is an active research area, not settled science. A 2022 paper by Cambridge researchers Helen Taylor and Martin Vestergaard in Frontiers in Psychology proposed that dyslexia may reflect a specialization in exploratory thinking. It's an interesting hypothesis, drawn from reviews of existing studies rather than new experiments, and other researchers have questioned it. Individual dyslexic people vary as much as anyone. Some have striking strengths in visual or spatial reasoning; others don't, and that is fine too. Our stance, which you'll find across this site, is that identification is about unlocking support, not labeling limits, and that "superpower" language can erase the real struggle many children face daily.
How can families use the film with a child?
- Watch it yourself first. It's short. Notice the parts your child may relate to, especially the online search scene.
- Watch together and pause. Ask: "Have you ever felt like Lola?" Let your child lead. Don't rush to reassure; listen first.
- Name the hard part honestly. "Reading is harder for your brain, and that's real. It's not about being smart. With the right teaching, it gets easier." Our guide to talking about dyslexia has age-by-age scripts.
- Find your child's own strengths. Skip the famous names after the film. Ask what they're good at: building, drawing, explaining, noticing. Real strengths beat borrowed ones.
- Connect it to action. If your child isn't yet identified and you're seeing signs of dyslexia, the film is a good moment to start the evaluation conversation with the school.
What should families avoid?
- Promising a superpower. A child who struggles every day can feel like a failure if they're told they have a gift they don't feel.
- Using the film instead of help. Inspiration doesn't teach decoding. Evidence-based instruction does. Keep pushing for both.
- Making it a lecture. One viewing and one honest conversation beat repeated reminders about famous dyslexics.
- Showing it to a whole class without preparation. Teachers: talk with a dyslexic student and their family first. Not every child wants to be singled out.
Why is this a global moment?
October is Dyslexia Awareness Month in many countries, and the UK's British Dyslexia Association runs Dyslexia Awareness Week from October 5 to 11, this year focused on work, which we covered in our piece on the jump from school to the workplace. Campaigns like Made By Dyslexia's are part of a broader shift in how dyslexia is talked about publicly, from deficit to difference. That shift is welcome, as long as it stays honest about the support children need to thrive. For more ideas on making the month count, see our Dyslexia Awareness Month plan.
Frequently asked questions
What is the "What is dyslexia?" film? It is an animated short by the charity Made By Dyslexia, directed by Kyra Bartley and voiced by Jeremy Irons, Liv Tyler, and others. It follows a girl named Lola who learns she has dyslexia and discovers famous dyslexic thinkers. It is screening worldwide during Dyslexia Awareness Month in October 2026.
Is dyslexia really a strength? Dyslexia is a difference in how the brain processes written language, unrelated to intelligence. Some research suggests dyslexic people may have strengths in areas like exploratory or big-picture thinking, but the evidence is still developing and individuals vary. The safest message for a child: your brain works differently, and the right teaching helps.
Is the film appropriate for young children? It is made for children and families, and its message is hopeful. Parents should preview it, especially the opening scene where Lola finds discouraging information online, which may be emotional for a newly identified child. Watching together and talking afterward works better than watching alone.
Source: "Made By Dyslexia Takes 'What is dyslexia?' to 100 million Screens Worldwide" (Made By Dyslexia via PR Newswire, Oct 1, 2026) · "Made By Dyslexia reframes a diagnosis" (Shots, Apr 2026) · "Dyslexic Strengths Still Overlooked as Campaign Targets 100m Screens" (Fair Play Talks, Oct 6, 2026) · Taylor & Vestergaard, "Developmental Dyslexia: Disorder or Specialization in Exploration?" (Frontiers in Psychology, 2022)