It is estimated that up to 10% of children suffer from dyslexia – that’s at least three children in every classroom. But do we really know what dyslexia is and how it affects those that have it?

 

Jackie Stewart, the famous racing car driver who won 27 Grand Prix titles, and has dyslexia, is reported to have said

“You will never understand what it feels like to be dyslexic. No matter if you have worked in this area, no matter if your own children are dyslexic, you will never understand what it feels like to be humiliated your entire childhood and be taught every day to believe that you will never succeed at anything”.

 

We know that a dyslexic child’s environment is different these days, but internally they may still believe that they will never succeed.

 

So as a first article in this newsletter, we’ll attempt to go past definitions of dyslexia and try to understand, what might be happening for a child with dyslexia and for those that care for and work with them.

 

Oh no ... she’s going to ask me to read. I can see her looking at me to see if I’m paying attention. I try to avoid her gaze as I try to pay attention to this page. Focus! I’ll be in trouble for daydreaming again, and then I’ll be grounded. All I can think about is the drone of the air conditioner. Concentrate! My head hurts. I can’t make out what the black print says. Some of it’s clear but the rest ... it’s just too hard. My eyes feel tired. They really hurt. I want to cover them, close them but know I can’t, I’d really be in trouble then. Everyone else makes reading seem so easy. I know I’m as smart as them ... maybe I’m not? Wait, where are they up to now? Focus! I can’t follow the voice of the kid next to me. The teacher asks me to read. I have no idea where to start; I shake my head at her. She asks me again. I look blankly back at her. She stares at me and writes something in her notebook. She asks someone else to read. The girl behind me laughs. I survived this time, but what happens when I get asked to read next time? What will I do?

 

Where is Billy? I can’t see him with the other kids, spilling out of the classroom, laughing. He’s still not there. My heart beats faster, my hands start to sweat. I hope he hasn’t had another bad day. I just don’t know how we’ll handle it. He’s such a good kid. Athletics and music, it just clicks. Reading and writing, well, that’s a different story. I don’t know what to do anymore. He won’t do his homework unless I sit by him and even then it’s a struggle. It comes out as a mess. He’s had reading support for the last three years and it’s helped a bit, but not enough. The worst of it is that he’s starting to think he’s not smart. I know he’s smart. I feel so helpless. Maybe he does have ADD, or maybe he is just lazy. We’ve already tried so much, what else can we do? When I close my eyes I try to picture him as an adult. What will he do? Will he be ok? Will he succeed?

 

He’s just not keeping up. He can’t sit still; his head’s on a swivel. He never pays attention to what he’s meant to be doing – reading. If only he would pay attention in class he could finish his work. He’s a smart kid. He creates amazing artwork He can debate with the best of them – most adults would struggle to keep up the pace. He comes alive during class discussions but his test results and his homework don’t show his talent. How can I help him? His English teacher says the same about him; he’s always daydreaming and never interested in learning. He is so bright and has so much potential yet he keeps failing. He needs help. He will keep failing without it. But what else can I do? Where do I need to go? Who should I talk to? Surely someone can help me to help him.

 

Although each of these describe different aspects of a child with dyslexia, underneath these descriptions is a sense of helplessness. Yet from recent brain research there is increasing understanding that quite different symptoms, from reading hesitantly to being inattentive, can have common underlying causes and when these causes are identified and dealt with, dyslexia with be dealt with too.

 

As psychologists reporting, we want more than describing the extent of a problem, we want to help create positive changes, hence our motto, When you succeed, we succeed.

 

So please contact us if you would to book in an assessment or discuss how our treatments help children reach their potential.

 

Dyslexia & Reading Clinic/Solutions

SA and NT

08 71274938