Parents of Dyslexic Children

[Kirby]

Especially those who have younger children that are dyslexic. I want to share a paper that my son wrote recently. He is a senior in high school and is taking a dual credit English class. I am so proud of him! He was told yesterday that he is currently holding a 97 in that class. Most of the colleges he is applying to do not require an essay but for the few who do, he is going to submit this.


The Problem

People have problems everyday, and they can be anything like work problems, or family problems basically anything. My is problem I have dyslexia ; it will follow me through the rest of my life. It will never go away and there is no cure for it. I never knew I had dyslexia, and no one could tell I had it before I started school. I was just like a regular kid with no problems.
When I started kindergarten was when my disability was shown. We started to learn the alphabet, and I had a really hard time with that. I could do everything else but for some reason I had a hard time comprehending the alphabet. The rest of the year went on, and everyday I was behind; I could never catch up. At the end of the year, the teacher pulled my parents aside to tell them I should be held back a grade, so I could catch up with the other kids. My parents refused and said I was going to be moved to first grade. I didn’t know what was going on; I just had a hard time in school.
My family moved to Rockwall here I started first grade. School started and I still had a hard time with English and spelling of words. My elementary school put me in a special class that would help me with my alphabet and spelling of words. As year went on, I got a little better with the extra help, but I was still behind. At the end of the year the teacher called my parents telling me that I should be held back a grade for the same reason as kindergarten, so I could catch back up with the other students. My parents once again said no to that, and I was moved up to second grade.
When I first started second grade, I was tested to see why I had a hard time with English. It took about a month of testing, but my problem was finally figured out. I was dyslexic; my problem was with memorizing and turning words around. When they finally figured my problem out, I was put in a special class called Language Science, it is where kids like me went for help. I was in this class for the rest of my elementary years. I had this teacher, Mrs. JoAnn Horton, that taught the class, she taught me everything I needed to know. She showed me ways of getting around my disability and how to overcome my dyslexia. She started out with the basics and how to conjugate words and break them down into sections. I had a hard time writing sentences, so we would set our cards for every word in the sentence that would show the importance of the words in the sentence. She inspired me to work even harder so my dyslexia wouldn’t effect me. All through my elementary years I was picked on and looked down on. I just had to ignore it and go to school to overcome my problem .When sixth grade was ending I was tested to see if I could get out of the language science program, but I wasn’t ready.
So when I started middle school, I still had to go to that class. Well, seventh and eighth grade went by, and I was still looked down on and treated as if I wasn’t smart enough. People used me as a easy way out because I had the books with all page numbers to answer the questions in the book. People thought I had it easy, but in reality it was twice as hard to understand.
At the end of the eighth grade, I was tested again to see if I could be taken out of the program. I was tested out of the program. That meant no more of language science class!
So here came high school, which was a clean slate for me, and harder work. Every year my grades would get better, just because that language science class has taught me to beat my dyslexia. Through that class not just my English grades got better but I am really good in Math ands Science class. People don’t poke fun at me anymore, people don’t even remember, but here I am now. People treat me as a smart kid, and they want my help on their homework. I am beating those kids in GPA. I am the kid that they called stupid and slow. Look at me now, look what I have came from: I am the top 20% of my class and taking a college class in English and English is the class that I had a problem with. I was born with this disability and I have learned from it. It has been a hurdle in my life that I had to overcome and it has prepared me for the rest of my life.

 

[Kirby]

Shamelessly bumping because I am a proud mama!

 

[alabamaalan]

I'm glad that your child has gained such confidence.

 

[janette]

Very nice letter, it's encouraging to see that he's overcome so much and his attitude towards his abilities. So many things we take for granted that a person with dyslexia has to work so hard to achieve.

My 11yo DD is dyslexic so we understand and live with those struggles everyday.

 

[winniedapooh]

Tears in my eyes that my son will do as well as yours...I too would not let them hold him back. Because our school can only give a diagnosis that says he has "traits" I am begininng private testing with him next week. You should be very proud of your son... That essay would win him my vote!

 

[Kirby]

Best of luck with the private testing. We are so fortunate to live within a school district and not only tests but provides classes for dyslexics. My daughter is dyslexic also and was exited out of the program at the end of the last school year. This is her first year of high school and she is doing very well so far.

 

[helenabear]

You should be very proud of your son! Dylsexia is not always an easy thing to deal with. Glad to hear that he has done so well

 

[winniedapooh]

I am just in awe of his essay. I read it to DH. I actually diagnosed him without testing, lol yes I work in the field. They tested him with basic tests at school but they do not test specifically for dyslexia. I have already told the school we are doing this and am hoping for them to be able to help pinpoint his needs a bit more. I don't believe his school system has any specifics on dyslexia. DH was relieved when I read your son's essay. He worries in true Dad fashion that they will hold him back and not help him. I keep telling him not to worry...Thanks for the support.

 

[tnhillbilly]

To you for getting him help while he was young.

 

[Kirby]

Thank you for your comments. I hope that his story will give encouragement to those with younger children who are dyslexic. There are struggles they go through, not only with school work but with self image and self esteem.

 

[paigevz]

May I please post this in our teachers' lounge? I think it would give everyone a boost to see how our work pays off. Especially with the dyslexic kids, it feels so much like one step forward two steps back most of the time. The improvement takes a long time to see, and sometimes we never get to see it at all. If your son had been one of our elementary students, we'd probably never know he'd done so well.

 

[Snoopymom]

That's fantastic!!!! If you haven't already, get him the book The Gift of Dyslexia.

http://www.dyslexia.com/bookstore/giftbook.htm

It' has changed the way I view my "problem" because it's actually a gift....

Most wonder how the heck I can be in accounting, but because I can see the info in a General Ledger as a whole picture, from different angles, from bottom to top, etc. I'm actually quite quick and proficient, plus dyslexics tend to train themselves to double check every number and letter as they go. I'm also good at photography, repairing things, jigsaw puzzles, landscaping, scrapbooking...

all because your minds eye can turn things, flip things and give you a view most don't see. With a little positive thinking like your son already naturally has, it can be a great advantage! His future is unlimited.

Hugs to you, a great mom!

 

[lewdyan1]

Thanks for sharing! I am going to share this with my children who both have processing disorders...I always love a happy ending!

 

[Rajah]

Shamelessly bumping because I am a proud mama!

You have a good reason to be a proud mama.

 

[Kirby]

May I please post this in our teachers' lounge?

Yes! James keeps up with his Language Science teacher. She retired at the end of his 6th grade year and moved a couple of hours away. She actually drove that distance to attend his Eagle Scout ceremony last month. He awarded her his mentor pin. She will always hold a special place in his heart. You are doing a good work even if you don't get to see the end result.

If you haven't already, get him the book The Gift of Dyslexia

I'll check into this. It will be good for both of my kids.

 

[mom2boys]

THanks for posting. It is inspiring. Both of my boys have dyslexia - and both hope to become Eagle Scouts.
My oldest just started Middle School. He works harder than most kids but he is doing great. My youngest is in 5th. His tolerance for frustration is very high - he is actually one of the brightest kids in his class. He is a hoot with the glasses he got today. He is convinced they make him look smarter.

 

[Kirby]

mom2boys, they do work harder to understand and complete their work. And in doing so, create great study habits. Your youngest sounds like he has such a great attitude. Having children with learning disabilities is a lot of hard work for both them and the parents. Some think that being dyslexic means that you are not very smart. On the contrary, dyslexics are actually very intelligent, their disability just gets in the way and they have to learn how to work around it. Lots of famous people are dyslexic. Just to name a few:

Walt Disney
Albert Eistein
Woodrow Wilson
Winston Churchill
General George Patton
Henry Winkler
Thomas Edison
Nelson Rockefeller
Magic Johnson
Leonardo Da Vinci
Agatha Christie
Quentin Tarantino
William Butler Yeats
Dr. Harvey Cushing, Surgeon (responsible for the first successful heart transplant)
Richard C. Strauss
Fred Astaire
George Burns
John Lennon
Paul J Orfalea, founder of Kinko's

Well, that's more than a few but from a very long list that James' Language Science teacher gave him a long time ago.

 

[janette]

Leonardo Da Vinci

He's been my DD's favorite artist for a long time and she's done some reports on him. A fascinating person, very intelligent and way before his time.

 

[iggbees]

my sister is dyslexic and has always had a problem with mixing up letters and poor grammar. unfortunately where we live the teachers don't care and never tried to help her. she has struggled with it for as long as i can remember and still has problems with writing papers. it's sad that so many school districts just don't care if your child has dyslexia, which is a really dehabilitating problem. i feel sad for my sister every day, because i see just how hard school is for her. she hates it mostly because she's afraid of doing poorly and being made fun of.

i do know a lot of people who did get over dyslexia and got into amazing colleges and are doing well with their lives, but i think it really has to do a lot with how and by whom they were taught in grade school and even high school. it's nice to know there are some places that really care about their students.

 

[Kirby]

It is sad! James' LS teacher used to tell me stories of parents calling for help after they had moved out of our school district into another one thinking that all school districts were like ours.