A Personal Narrative of the Struggles of Dyslexia
‘The words they dance Miss’
“The words they dance Miss”
“Don’t be a silly sausage,” said the teacher.
Dyslexia. Many of us are familiar with this term.
I’ve always written and spoken fairly positively about the condition and its strengths, but how does it impact me?
It was the 1980s in England. If you struggled with reading and writing, the teachers treated you like you were dumb.
You got put into a special group called ‘Fuzz Buzz,’ seriously.
It was a real thing!
Where you were made to read — sometimes in groups and forced to sit at a PC and spell random words such as ‘astonishment’ over and over again.
It was hell.
The educational system sucked for dyslexia. So much focus on what I couldn’t do that they neglected my strengths.
If anything, it was the more creative classes, such as art, the more ‘doing/practical lessons and PE that I missed when attending the ‘Fuzz Buzz’ sessions.
These were the classes; I would have excelled in had I been allowed to attend them.
There were also the classes I would have properly needed. PE would have helped with my ADHD!
I am a doer, a go-getter I am not a sitter downer — it isn’t in my genetic makeup.
So, as well as sharing my insights into the condition I also want to tell you what can be done to support your fellow colleagues at work, or in an educational environment.
Understanding Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a lifelong condition that affects a person’s ability to process and decode letters, words, and even numbers.
Some dyslexics can be very good at mathematics due to their ability to see patterns and think visually.
Dyslexia isn’t something you grow out of; you simply find better ways to cope.
The truth is it can worsen with age, stress, and tiredness
Originally described as a learning disability it is now starting to be reclassified as a learning difference or a difference in thinking.
Think of it as an operating or computer system. We are the Macs in a world of PCs!
There is a tendency to link dyslexia just too bad spelling, but it runs deeper than that and is on a spectrum.
For me, my dyslexia means I have some trouble identifying speech sounds and how they relate to the written word, letters, and numbers.
Although not to be confused with Dyscalculia which impacts math ability.
It can also impact my working memory, simple things like memorising a times table are near impossible for me.
Although I can do more advanced mathematics and statistics, plus I am a coder — sometimes dyslexia can make no sense.
The Impacts of Dyslexia
The delayed speech wasn’t an issue for me — since about the age of two, I’ve been known to have the ability to ‘talk for England’.
However, for many dyslexics, including Albert Einstein, delayed speech was an issue.
I do have some difficulty in correctly pronouncing words. Or I can forget a word, letter, or even what a number looks like. Better still randomly making up new words has become a skill for me.
To get around this, I’ve built a pretty big vocabulary over the years.
Reversing letters and numbers, was always a nightmare in maths as I knew the answer but always mixed up my 6s, and 9s.
Don’t write instructions down just show me. I’m a visual learner. Plus, too many instructions are just going to overwhelm. A majority of dyslexics no matter where you are on the spectrum has trouble processing information.
It took me slightly longer to read, but now with the right products in place such as blue overlays, Kindle, and audiobooks I love it!
I can read 50 to 100+ books per year.
At school, I avoided reading where I could as frustration would make me irritable.
Spelling continues to be an issue for me and always will, but with technology, I can get what’s in my head out in a way that an educational system designed for neurotypical brains can understand.
Something not often spoken about is how dyslexia can affect coordination. This is rather high on the spectrum for me to the point where dyspraxia was also mentioned by an educational psychologist.
It’s not uncommon for someone with dyslexia to have other conditions, for me it’s Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Dyslexia and some of the other conditions I’ve mentioned have nothing to do with a person’s intelligence levels.
Yes, there may be challenges associated with these conditions, but I can read now and have been successful academically.
Many people including me believe that dyslexia is a gift, offering a range of unexpected benefits.
💭Do or someone you know have dyslexia how does it impact you?
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