Thoughts about Dyslexia

I write this with the sincere hope that it proves inspirational to those who need it. I have succeeded in coping with my disability, and you can too! I say coping with because it is not something that can be cured, fixed or overcome. I must still deal with it every day, but I am aware of it and that's the first step. It took me decades to truly understand my affliction, so if any of what follows seems familiar to you or someone you know, perhaps it will provide answers sooner than later.

 

What is dyslexia?

Dyslexia is characterized by trouble with reading and writing despite normal intelligence. People are affected to varying degrees. Problems may include difficulties in spelling words, reading quickly, writing words, "sounding out" words in one's head, pronouncing words when reading aloud and understanding what one reads. It cannot be cured and opinions about diagnosis and treatment differ widely. This discription comes from Wikipedia. For the rest of the article, click here.

What is it like to be dyslexic?

I consistently confuse right from left, write lowercase B's and D's backward and even type letters with the opposite hand. Sometimes I even catch myself reaching for the windshield wipers instead of the turn signals while driving, (don't worry, I never turn the wrong way.) However, these troubles are trivial compared to the monumental task of reading—or even worse writing. Imagine having to sound out almost every word longer than three or four letters. The constant interruptions mean that I have to read sentences two or three times. This in turn means that I have to concentrate on the physical act of reading and retaining the information simultaneously. It is a tedious process that requires complete concentration in a distraction-free environment. And I can only do it for a limited period of time before mental fatigue forces me to take a break. For those of you trying to visualize what this is like I have prepared a few words written in "dyslexese" as illustration.

"When I waS youNg dyXSleia saw tHough be tO a bRoplem learning what be cOld cared tHough edutacion. ViCsion and heARTing pRoblems erew also beVieled be causes. All proven have to be incollect! A gaRte doll has bene diScowOrd but is't still fully tOn understood."

This is not just a haphazard jumbling of the text. It is very carefully arranged to give as accurate a representation as possible. This really is what I see when I read. The capitals represent the letters I recognize first when I see some words, in others the letters are out of order. Words also rarely appear to me in proper sequence in a sentence. The words that look normal are that way because I do recognize a few correctly. Below is the same text presented without the distractions.

"When I was young dyslexia was thought to be a learning problem that could be cured through education. Vision and hearing problems were also believed to be causes. All have proven to be incorrect! A great deal has been discovered but it's still not fully understood."

Writing or typing is frustratingly slow. More often than not I spend so much time and concentration figuring out how to spell each word that I forget how I wanted the sentence to end. It's not that I'm a lousy speller, it's the connection between meaning and character—whether typed or written. A single coherent paragraph can take hours this way.

So, what do I do about it? Reading is still a problem. If I have the privacy, I read aloud. Hearing the words seems to help. Audio books are definitely the best option for me, if I can find them. I intend to make all of my works available in audio format eventually. (Text to voice can be a handy feature, but I wouldn't want to listen to an entire book that way until the technology improves.)

If I'm writing, every time I come to a lowercase B or D I think of the word "bed." This may seem simple enough but I also have to look at what I have written so far to remind me of which direction I should picture the word. I have had moderate success with what I call "shotgunning." I only write the first few letters of the important words in a sentence and skip the rest in an effort to keep up with my thoughts—then of course I have to rewrite everything. Typing is a better option but I still have to concentrate on spelling out each word, and remember which hand is which—as mentioned I often use the wrong one.

Enter better technology. Dictation software has finally come to my rescue. Now I can turn complete ideas into text. I still have to go back and fix errors, but it works—and has changed my life for the better. I feel as though (metaphorically speaking of course) I'm paralyzed from the waist down and have been dragging myself around on my elbows my whole life. Now someone has given me an electric wheelchair. It's a tremendous improvement—but it's still not as good as walking. However, success can be achieved in spite of adversity. Whether you are dyslexic or have something else that is holding you back, don't give up—there may be a solution.