Dsylexia

Dyslexia not only affects one in ten people, it's genetic in origin.  A child with an affected parent has a risk of 50-60% of developing dyslexia.  When people say they have dyslexia, it is usually followed with a list of family members that also have it. In my dad's family there are so many of us that struggle or have struggled with reading and writing. My Dad used to read the dictionary and then put the biggest word he found into his conversation. Of course, we had to ask what it meant, and he always knew.      

I recently had a conversation with a friend about retirement and starting this blog. I went on to share that it takes a long time for me to write, because I have a bit of dyslexia. She made me feel so good about being dyslexic and from that conversation this post was written. I have never been formally diagnosed with dyslexia, so I don't know if that means I have it or not. I am just going with the fact that I have many of the behaviors that define dyslexia. Going to school in the 60s and 70s meant that there was no formal testing for why some kids always got good marks and others never did. There certainly wasn't any way of helping the students that struggled in school. Everyone had the same curriculum and it depended on the teachers as to how the "less than average" student managed to learn or didn't. 

I realize now my biggest issues have always been mixing up the letter "c" with "s", or the reverse.  I frequently use a "g" instead of a "q" or the opposite, the same goes for the use of a "b", "p" or "d".  When people say to someone that has dyslexia "sound it out", that could possibly be the worst thing you can say to them.  We are sounding it out, it sounds different to us, and we are writing it the way it sounds.

In school, I had to work very hard for every mark I got. When I studied, I had to have it absolutely quiet. I repeated the information over and over in my head and wrote notes to review. If a teacher attached a story to the topic, I could remember the facts so much easier. I can't imagine trying to learn in today's classrooms. I would be so overstimulated with the way the classroom environment is set up with all the visual cues for learning. I think that could be why I don't like a lot of things in my personal space, I just get so distracted.  Oddly, during my career I could do hands on in a chaotic environment, I didn't hear noises then, my focus was always there.              

It is a well-known fact that people with dyslexia remember spoken information without writing it down. As I age, I am losing that ability, but it served me well when I worked. We are fixers, because we can see a much bigger picture for solutions. I struggle with people saying, "what can you do?" or "there is nothing you can do", my response is "you can fix it".  With age, I have learned that some things can't or won't be fixed.  There are book-smart people and street-smart people.  Some people are lucky to be both, dyslexic people fall into the street- smart. 

                             

As with anything, there are many different levels of dyslexia. I feel that I am high functioning but not sure because as I have said I have never been tested.  Medicine has its own language with some very long words.  How I adapted is by memorizing how to spell the words, which is not an easy task.  I find my struggles are real when it comes to the proper pronunciation of some words. I must see it written, then I can correctly pronounce it and I will then remember how it is spelt. I never thought that numbers were a problem for me, but once again the age excuse, they are becoming a problem.  I can't trust myself to write down the correct numbers. I have learned tools to help me with that, but there are times I simply forget to use those tools. 

I don't see words written like this. 
Although, I can read it with ease.

Something that you may have noticed when you read my posts is, I don't know the difference between choose and chose or loose or lose. I have no clue when I need to use "too" instead of "to", I realize "too" means the same as "also", sadly that still doesn't help me. So, if you read it wrong, just smile and think spell check didn't catch it. Whoever invented the spell check feature must have been dyslexic.  

I have always had struggles with reading and writing. I like to read books, but it takes me a long time to finish one.  I don't have trouble reading the words, the trouble is retaining the written word. I have a vivid imagination and my focus wonders often, so I have to reread the pages many times.  I find the best place to read is on a plane; I think it is because it a somewhat quiet environment.  

At all times my mind is active. I heard Ryan Reynolds say that his mind is always playing out a story of make believe. It is hard to describe as that is exactly how mine is, especially during the night.  I think my creativity and problem solving comes from that imagination. 

I am so happy that today, children are diagnosed quickly and given resources to help them. I never felt like I wasn't smart, I knew I just didn't learn like others and didn't get the marks that they did, but I felt that was the way it was. I have decided since I self-diagnosed myself with dyslexia I might as well see if I could help the non-dyslexics to understand us.                       

Ten Things you need to know about Dyslexia 

1. Dyslexia is a learning disorder that involves what is called decoding. This means there are problems identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words. In a dyslexic brain, the coordination and manipulation of words is affected and function differently. The presence of dyslexia in no way affects intelligence. For some reason a dyslexic mind thinks mainly in pictures instead of words. 

2. There is no cure for dyslexia, early assessment and intervention result in the best outcome. It may not be recognized until adulthood.

3. Some individuals with dyslexia recall facts as if reading a good storybook rather than just as a list of random data. This is probably because of their vivid imaginations, and they are making it into a relatable event.  

4. Dyslexics might struggle in the reading department, but they thrive in solving puzzles. Young dyslexics are excellent at remembering a virtual environment. Not known for sequential thinking, many dyslexics succeed in fields like engineering, industrial and graphic design, architecture, as well as construction.

5. Reading words might not be their strength, but reading people when interacting with them is. They will tell you exactly what the problem is and how you can go about solving it. They are considerate of others; they have a sincere personality with heightened intuition and insight. 

6. Dyslexics can really envision a fantastic view of the world. They make great use of their imaginations, hence all the artists, actors, and authors with dyslexia. They are more curious than average and are often highly aware of the environment. 

7. Dyslexic people can comprehend abstract ideas, which makes them good philosophers. They understand things such as bravery, love, and deception.

8. One of the more advantageous qualities in many dyslexic people is their excellent ability to think outside of the box. 

9. Another trait that some dyslexics possess is their ability to use logical reasoning. They know exactly what the difference in two topics really is and will use critical thinking to solve a problem. 

10. Instead of reading, dyslexics have excellent comprehension of the stories read or told to them. Because of their strong spoken language comprehension abilities, they understand the plot and the story and keep track of all the characters and plot twists.

The purpose of the post is awareness.  Having dyslexia is far more complicated than I have written, and it ranges from illiterate to being so mild, the person is unaware.  Thanks for embracing this information and I know you will carry it forward; it will serve you well.