Dyslexia

[Fayiza]

I am dyslexia I wann be normally what do I do

[kerbside]

What is normal ? Do keep at it ever little helps

[zoephelps]

Bless you hunnie! Exactly what is normal?? Everyone is different, my daughter struggles with dyslexia, she is only 8 and iim sure the struggles will get harder before they get better. She is a very happy little girl and very clever, she just struggles with the writing side of things, but we are getting there with lots of hard work. Just remember dyslexia is only a part of your life and doesnt have to control it, kepp doing what you are doing but have fun too. Do you currently do any programs to help you or have any extra help??

[mathewlisett]

i personally dont know if this is a mickey take, and somebody is basically saying people that have a learning issue or different way of looking at life arent normal. Or if somebody has told this person or made them feel being dyslexic makes you not normal.

if this person is being bullied because of their difficulties, then no comment will make this any better simply because any correct answer will make the bully seem un knowledgeable and therefore want to create even more hurt.

It would be useful to understand if this person has been diagnosed with it and if so, what has been pointed out.

[angelsandponies]

i agree with other comments. I HATE the term 'normal'.

my little girl is 9 and has struggled for years and finally now after i sat her down and had a long chat, she now tells people " i'm not stupid or slow , i have dyslexia and find it hard to read and spell things. When i heard her say it to someone for the first time i was SO PROUD of her.

keep your chin up.

[friendlylion]

Hello.

You might want to show this to someone else if you think you might need help reading / understanding it .......

If you have a diagnosis of 'dyslexia' or if you just think you might be 'dyslexic', you are probably 'normal' already.

As some others have suggested 'normal' is a problematic word because of how it carries within it the possibility that there are those that can be described as 'not normal'.

I will illustrate this with reference to a film I watched last night.

It was set in Germany in WW2 where a man told his son that the people in 'the farm' i.e. labour camp / death camp "weren't really people at all".

The dialogue may have been invented for the film, but the fact remains that that 'argument' was used by many people at that time - resulting in the imprisonment, slavery and deaths of many, many ordinary and wonderful people for 'crimes' no more significant than that their personal individual beliefs, genetic background or their neurological patterning - something quite relevant to these forums - was out of favour with those who held political power at the time.

In fact, such propaganda is also very common today. In this country we do not currently have death camps but we do have economic policies that result in marginalization, scapegoating etc. which can make life very difficult for many people who have impairments and which society disables.

I hope you are still with me!

I think one can only really gauge 'normal' therefore by what 'normal' is for you.

It has taken me quite a long time to write this so far - and some might say that I've gone off on a tangent and haven't really even come to the point I wanted to make.

But that is 'normal' for me.

I'm 47 years old.

About 5 years ago an educational psychologist assessed me on certain word-based tests which, together with a general discussion of the way I felt I operated in the world, resulted in what people might call a 'late diagnosis' of 'dyslexia'.

But even if I hadn't had the test, my challenges - and the creative possibilities for being me - would be similar i.e. 'normal'.

Having the test led me to see which things I was not good at from a different perspective. And, as with any such test, it is only so good as the recommendations.

(If someone has their leg amputated, they are not going to grow another. but they could learn to walk in a new way).

For some , the fact that I write all this at all (even though I do make a lot of spelling / sequencing mistakes etc. that it takes a long time to correct) might mean they wouldn't consider me dyslexic.

That might have been how it was for me at school -where I won English prizes for 'creative writing'. But no one ever suggested to me i might be dyslexic. I did very badly in exams and was told my writing was illegible. (I never dreamed I'd have a computer like this - and even though I am typing now it is possible to use speech-recognition software to turn your spoken words into type. Of course you have to know how... but there are people out there who can and do help...)

Maybe I am digressing.

But one thing I want to be very clear of is that 'dyslexia' is not just about reading and writing.

It is about how one 'sees the world'. Yes, how one sees and decodes written text, but also about how one thinks, how one relates to everything, everyone.

And whilst there may be some broad themes that the diagnostic test looks into, it can never explain who you are.

As one of my trainers once told me. 'There is no such things as dyslexia; only many individuals with different forms of dyslexia.'

or as one of my current favourite sayings goes, 'Once you've met one dyslexic person.... you've met, er, one dyslexic person.'

So, when you say you want to be 'normal', it suggests you are gauging [I'm finding that word very hard to spell today!] yourself against other people.

I think you will only ever be you.

You may be very successful being you or you may not.

If you don't examine or live in denial of your thoughts, feelings, beliefs, strengths and struggles, it might be said it would be hard for you to know what 'normal' for you is.

If, for example, you have an interest / activity / pass-time you like doing, and then you don't seem to want to do it, it could be said that you aren't your 'normal' self.

And there may be very different reasons for this.

Maybe your team lost and you don't feel inspired to support them any more. Maybe the girl you like isn't going to that group any more. Maybe it's the anniversary of your grandmother's death and your sad or not feeling like company. etc. etc. etc.

But if you are always changing your favourite team and just generally enjoy following that particular sport, or if your actions are always swayed by the actions of others, or if you generally prefer your own company etc. etc. etc. then it could be said then you were behaving 'normally' (for you, of course).

Some people are like butterflies, flitting from flower to flower.

But even though our work-based society is persuading us that we will have 'portfolio careers' rather than 'a job for life', I believe many things require a certain amount of effort and dedication before one can see results.

I think if I try hard and keep getting knocked down, that is pretty 'normal'.

But it is also pretty 'normal' for me to want to get back up again.

I have read that it is pretty 'normal' for dyslexic people to work between 4 and 8 times as hard as the non-dyslexic person.

For many of the things I do, that's true for me.

I also know that I am getting better at certain things.

And I also know that there are people who I could ask / pay to do things for me that they find easier than me which leaves me time to do the things I enjoy more / are 'better' at because I am 'naturally' more interested or talented in some things than others.

There are people who are considered successful who are dyslexic.

In fact, they may actually be successful in their chosen sphere BECAUSE they are dyslexic.

Perhaps most famously, Albert Einstein used his creative imagination to watch himself travelling on a light beam - and came up with theories of relativity that have led to new understandings in science.

Picasso turned the art world on it's head by showing new ways of looking.

Poet Benjamin Zephanier (sp?) and entertainer Eddie Izzard are perhaps successful because they think/relate/communicate in ways that perceptively articulate what many of us understand/feel in ways that we enjoy hearing because it makes us think / laugh.

'An artist will paint in a cave' (i.e. a true artist doesn't need the greatest studio with the best light and most up-to-date expensive materials - and if you have ever seen 'prehistoric' cave painting maybe you will recognise that).

I am 'naturally' more interested or talented in some things than others.

I have never heard anyone begin to describe their situation/issue/problem as 'I AM dyslexia'. (my emphasis)

It may have been a typo - i.e. mistype.

It may be you don't know how to say/write 'I am dyslexic' or 'I have dyslexia'.

But it sure got me thinking....

And it has somehow persuaded me to write this reply (about 3 hours) before having breakfast

I think your 11 words were very successful in communicating a lot very quickly.

As you may be able to tell if you are still with me, that's not something I feel very confident about in myself.

You might be great on 'Twitter'; I hardly ever use it.

Although most of the world is not very good at seeing the advantages of dyslexia, they do exist and I certainly believe they are very necessary.

I believe it is possible to overcome some of the difficulties that being dyslexic in a world governed by non-dyslexics creates.

It may require effort.

It may require communication with others.

And it may not be that everyone wants to accept your uniqueness or accommodate your needs (as in the film last night).

But I think it is inevitable.

If you get clear on exactly what you want to do and what steps it will take including what support is available and works best for you, I think you'll achieve.

(If you have written this as a mickey-take etc. I.e. if you ARE (my emphasis again) a troll / wind-up etc. you have some of my compassion and maybe you'll learn something).

One of my teachers has a saying, 'Your mission, should you chose to accept it, is to be happy.'

Keep in touch if you want.

Have a good day.

I need my 'breakfast' now!

[UaLiathain]

I've met normal people and they are boring.

There is no cure for dyslexia but there are ways to work around it. Since every dyslexic is different no one solution fits all. I don't know how old you are or where you live. If you are still in school, some school districts can help you. Others are too busy covering their ears and going "la-la-la" to help. Another excellent resource in Dyslexia Advantage. Go to YouTube and look them up. They have their own channel with videos on the latest research, teaching techniques and inspirational stories.

I know it's frustrating. Sometimes I wish I was normal...then I realize what I would lose in the trade off and thank God I'm NOT normal. Hang in there.

[lwall33781]

I am also Dyslexic, The only advice I can give is, work hard, never give up and ignore the negative Feedback that you might get from People.Set a Goal, Work toward that goal, never lose Heart, never give up. Normal is Boring.

[DyslexiaAction1]

Contact Dyslexia Action for help. See the following link for your nearest centre: dyslexiaaction.org.uk/find-us

[CarolineLondon]

Thing is if you are dyslexic you are, so what you're 'not' technically is neither here nor there. Try and get it to work for you. On the days it doesn't be your own best friend and say oh well I'll try again tomorrow. Fact is no one is perfect and the grass is always greener. Besides you might hate being 'normal'. Some normal people aren't so smart, funny or interesting as you. It is what it is.