Are you Dyslexic? Do you know someone who is Dyslexic?
@pgiblett (6524)
Canada
January 4, 2016 8:08am CST
I am dyslexic, I discovered this after later in my life having achieved much success.
My son is dyslexic, he went to a specialist dyslexic school in the UK and we are grateful we could afford to pay for his education.
In another discussion I have been talking to a contributor whose son had a speech problem and may be dyslexic. According to the headmaster at my son's former school as many as 1 in 4 of the population may have some form of dyslexia, most are only mildly affected by the condition, yet others suffer severely. Dyslexia is thought to be related to other brain-stem disorders.
In truth though few teachers or school administrators have the training to deal with dyslexia and we largely rely upon them to detect and assist parents in both detecting and resolving such problems. One of the biggest challenges is the fact that no school authority has the money to deal with the problem. That seems to be a consistent problem across the English speaking world.
19 people like this
18 responses
@RichardMeister (5328)
• Otis Orchards, Washington
4 Jan 16
One of my coworkers several years ago told me he was dyslexic. He said he had problems with mixing up his words, letters and numbers when he was writing. He didn't know if being dyslexic was why he was able to do something that most people found strange. He said when he was a kid and the teacher called upon him to write something on the blackboard he would start writing with his left hand and once he got to the middle of where he was standing he would switch to his right hand and continue writing without moving. He said he never thought a thing about it until people started asking him how he did it.
4 people like this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
4 Jan 16
@RichardMeister I know it's amazing isn't it. I can't mirror write but know some dyslexics who do.
2 people like this
@RichardMeister (5328)
• Otis Orchards, Washington
4 Jan 16
@pgiblett That was the first time I had heard of that, too. When I was a kid there was a guy that owned a little store. He would write things like, "Toilet paper on sale," backwards on the inside of the window so when people were coming into the store they could read it from the outside. I watched him one time and he didn't even stop to think about it. He just wrote it like most people write normally–without hesitation.
3 people like this
@cintol (11261)
• United States
4 Jan 16
My son was dyslexic as well, they said it is a color that they see differently and wanted to fit him with glasses with special colored lenses that would allow him to see correctly. They were so expensive though and ins. wouldn't pay. He seems to be much better now but I believe it is because he has learned how to work with it.
4 people like this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
5 Jan 16
@hereandthere Again not to my understanding. At my son's school colour blindness affected the normal percentage of kids.
3 people like this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
5 Jan 16
is there a connection between color blindness and dyslexia?
2 people like this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
4 Jan 16
@boiboing I meant he is the exception to having a good education, because our experience is that dyslexic children are usually ignored.
As to autocorrect and spell checkers it is my belief they don't always assist with the problem, as the dyslexic person is as likely to select the incorrect word as the correct one.
2 people like this
@Darroch (245)
• United Kingdom
4 Jan 16
I am not dyslexic, but yes, I know of people with dyslexia.
One of my daughter's friends has been identified by the school as being severely dyslexic. She's a lovely girl and really quite bright, but according to my daughter she lacks confidence in herself because of her dyslexia, even though her dad, who is dyslexic, is very successful at his work and has a managerial position. Children can be cruel at times, so perhaps other children make fun of her. That obviously wouldn't help.
3 people like this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
4 Jan 16
The first thing to understand about dyslexics is that many are very bright indeed when diagnosed my son was measured as being 94 percentile, that means he was in the top 6% of intelligence for his age bracket.
Inability to read has little relationship to intelligence. Einstein was dyslexic.
2 people like this
@Darroch (245)
• United Kingdom
4 Jan 16
@pgiblett Certainly, any people who I have known that are dyslexic have also been very clever.
I may be wrong here, but in my opinion, they may have to work harder to get started because of their dyslexia (as often information is in written format), but that definitely does not mean they are not intelligent.
I remember a good few years ago one of the classes at the school were obviously doing a project on dyslexia as outside that class they had lots of information about successful, famous people who were dyslexic. No idea if there were dyslexic children in that class or if the teacher was just trying to raise awareness and make the children understand that people with dyslexia could also be very successful.
1 person likes this
@kevin1877uk (36987)
•
8 Jan 16
Sorry to hear your son is, yes it's common to what I know of that people are and it seems to be more so now. I guess it's also admitting to being dyslexic or knowing you are.
I am a little and it took me forever to be able to come online and write. I remember my first few posts back in late 2009 early 2010. I believe since that I've improved although I know sometime I make mistakes, my grammar not always right, I get mixed up a little with the odd words and so on.
Numbers i'm ok with, just my writing.
1 person likes this
@kevin1877uk (36987)
•
8 Jan 16
@pgiblett I dislike having to write things for other people to see, my handwriting isn't good.
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
9 Jan 16
@kevin1877uk One reason I NEVER give anyone hand written notes.
1 person likes this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
8 Jan 16
I did mental arithmetic before going to school so my mats was always good. I was simply slow with my handwriting, especially if others needed to understand it. Typing has never been a problem, I learned to type as a child and am not a one finger typist.
1 person likes this
@arthurchappell (44941)
• Preston, England
5 Jan 16
I have met some dyslexic people - it easier to get it taken seriously now - many adults suffer worse as they were just treated as slow and lazy as kids at schools by teachers who didn't understand or believe dyslexia was a cause for bad spelling, grammar etc.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21845)
• Canada
7 Jan 16
My daughter was dyslexic and when in high school here in Canada was given help to understand it and eventually get rid of it. She is better than she was but every once in a while....
2 people like this
@PainsOnSlate (21845)
• Canada
7 Jan 16
@pgiblett I think its under control she's in her 40's now and has a great job. She can do anything but still messes up right and left.
1 person likes this
@innertalks (23742)
• Australia
8 Jan 16
Very interesting Peter.
I guess there are a lot of people around who do not know one way or the other whether they are dyslexic or not.
I have always had trouble reading. I have to reread stuff to comprehend it, and also the writing looks like it overlaps at times, or is moving around to me. I have a lot of trouble learning stuff, remembering names, and faces too. I always get disorientated and sometimes feel lost, when out and about.
I do not seem to re-recognise places, or faces, remaining just a bit unsure and uncertain about it all.
I just did a test on line for Dyslexia, and apparently I have mild dyslexia myself, according to the test, if it is accurate, that is.
Here is a link to the test:
Skip to content Is it Dyslexia? Free online evaluation from Davis Dyslexia Association International Menu This free and confidential screening assessment will give a profile of learning strengths and weaknesses, including a measure of severity of symptoms.
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
8 Jan 16
My problem has always been about writing speed - in exams I simply cannot write fast enough to complete the exam and therefore I have always suffered degraded marks. At my son's school they had 20% added time for the kids, which was agreed by the exam board for dyslexic kids, but parents of dyslexic children outside the school are unlikely to have known about the rule and would not have been able to get the additional time.
1 person likes this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
8 Jan 16
@innertalks - Steve, let me ask you a question.
At what age did you start walking and did you walk without crawling?
1 person likes this
@innertalks (23742)
• Australia
8 Jan 16
@pgiblett My writing speed is also poor, but these days it's also made worse by my RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury), obtained from years and years of computer work at work, keying in time-sheets as fast as I could for the company, without thought of my own health at the time.
1 person likes this
@salonga (27775)
• Philippines
8 Jan 16
Could it be that your son inherited that medical condition from you?
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
8 Jan 16
Yes it is a hereditary condition and it is more likely that male children will be dyslexic.
@Sheilamarie78 (2586)
• Canada
8 Jan 16
I knew a university professor who discovered he was after his son was tested and the dad decided to be tested, too. I also have some family members who are.
1 person likes this
@whiteream (8567)
• United States
7 Jan 16
My nephew is dyslexic, it was discovered after he finished high school.
@whiteream (8567)
• United States
8 Jan 16
@pgiblett My nephew is 40 years old now.. He some how manage to get through school without them knowing until almost the end. How bad he has it, that I don't really know. I do know that he is a computer design artist.
