Do you know a person like this?

by Lynden Punnett

BA Cert.Ed.Dip.T.E.F.L. Dip.SpLD (Dyslexia)

I couldn’t wait to leave school. School was so hard for me. All my friends managed to read and spell well, but for some reason, I could never master this efficiently.

The teacher always seemed to be ‘on my case’. “Why can’t you behave in class”, “I am tired of trying to help you and you still can’t read.” “Why don’t you pay attention.” “You must try harder.” “Where have you been? You are late.” “Why don’t you ever have a pencil or the correct book?”

“Go to the back of the class …. You are a dunce. You will never amount to anything.”

I hated school! The other students teased me and laughed at me because I failed in every subject area. I didn’t want to go there, but had to show up. If I was late, because I missed my bus or forgot something at home, I was sent to the head teacher. My school reports were dire and I was terrified of showing them to my parents. When we had Parents’ Day at school, I pretended to be sick, so I didn’t go and my parents did not feel it was necessary for them to go either. Further education for me would never happen, I felt doomed, a total failure.

If only I could have had some help, I am sure my life would have been better. I know I am not stupid. I am very good on a computer. I can make and build things with my hands. I love being artistic. I am able to ‘see’ how things work or could work. I just can’t read well and reading is such a struggle and my spelling is awful and I don’t like writing very much. I just don’t seem to be able to get a better paying job and sometimes I am not even employed. The employer sees my school record as ‘hopeless,’ ‘unemployable,’ or I am given a low paid job when I know I can really do that job well.

Does this sound like you?

• My boss can’t understand why I don’t write better reports.

• I’m not the quickest reader, but I’m often the quickest thinker.

• I can’t try for promotion, because I won’t pass the test. But I could do the job.

• I really can’t read much at all. I usually say I forgot my specs.

• As long as I use a spellchecker, I’m fine. Just don’t ask me to write by hand.

• People say I’m careless and forgetful, but I really try and I get furious with myself.

• I haven’t a clue about filling in forms.

• I’ve found ways to hide my problems, but I’m really struggling.

What is Adult Dyslexia?

Symptoms, Signs, Facts and Figures. 13 – 18+ years

• Distinguished by extreme difficulty in reading, caused by a hereditary brain based phonologic disability.

• Affects approximately 15 per cent of adults. 10 per cent of the population are dyslexic, four per cent severely so.

• Affects an equal number of men and women.

• Adults often hide symptoms by avoiding situations in which they have to read and write.

• May have improved their reading over time and read accurately, but still find reading slow and difficult.

• Often never diagnosed as having dyslexia.

• Often underemployed.

• May have exceptional visual spatial skills, artistic, entrepreneurial or people skills.

• Can still become strong readers, but it takes more tutoring time than with younger children.

• Special instruction methods are needed, not just extra time practising reading.

Many dyslexic people learn to cope with their difficulties, to make good use of their areas of strength and to become successful and fulfilled individuals. They develop strategies which compensate for areas of weakness, and use their strengths.

Dyslexic people often find it helpful to use technological aids such as computer packages, digital recorders and smart phones. This frees them from some of the effort involved in written work and routine organization, and allows them to concentrate on the parts of their work they do best.

There is evidence of a “route to offending”, among certain young people, which starts with difficulties in the classroom, moves through low self-esteem, poor behaviour and school exclusion, and ends in offending. Children and young people with dyslexia are more likely fall onto this route, because of the difficulties the face with learning.

To be continued next week