Easter's Lilly

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Dyslexia...just a challenge.

When I was young I was diagnosed with Dyslexia. But before anyone really knew what was wrong I was put in all below average classes and classified as "challenged." I'm putting that nicely. Then one day my teacher did some tests with me and discovered that I had a learning challenge to overcome and not an intelligence issue. My father read to me every single night giving me more and more practice every day at reading to him. Now that I am an author, I know a lot of people think, "How did you do that?" I honestly believe that if we are handed challenges, we need to find ways to overcome them. I am grateful to that teacher, grateful to my father and glad that I did not give up. I have been writing songs, poetry and novels since I was very young. Now I have one novel out, one coming out in June and hopefully a third in January. I just wanted to say that although people may tell you that your child has dyslexia, it is not hopeless. It is just another challenge to take on. Tom Cruise, Whoopi Goldberg, Albert Einstein, Alexander Graham Bell, Pablo Picasso and Thomas Edison, (to name a few) all had (or have) dyslexia.  I am proud to be in their company. 
Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory.
 santiz

5 comments:

  1. ‎#Henry Winkler
    # Walt Disney
    # Albert Einstein
    # Thomas Edison
    # Alexander Graham Bell
    all dyslexics
    Here is a great link about dyslexia..

    http://www.overcoming-learning-disabilities.com/famous-people-with-dyslexia.html

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  2. Thank you for your comments, Randy. The site you posted was very interesting. I never knew there were "positive traits" per say for people with this kind of learning curve. It sure does explain a lot. I am super focused on areas of interest. I never really read as a child but you can't stop me now! Here are some of the traits listed from :http://www.overcoming-learning-disabilities.com/famous-people-with-dyslexia.html

    Creative Thinker
    Insightful (often reads people very well)
    Engaging and Humorous
    Hyper-focused on area(s) of interest
    Curious
    Determined
    Often thinks in pictures, rather than words

    I have a relative who suffers with this who is highly intelligent and very creative.

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  3. Wow Judy, you really know who to send this to. I am the wife and mother of four dyslexics. I am also a dyslexia specialist. So this issue hits close to my heart. I believe that dyslexia is just a learning difference. It is just something you were born with that you have to learn to deal with. Although I am not dyslexic, I believe we all have our burdens to bare. Mine is in the area of Math. It just isn't my thing. Dyslexics are highly intellegent as you are living proof of. They are the great minds in this world. They may have a difficulty with the language, but it is also a gift. Dyslexics think outside the box! I strongly believe when God allows you to have a deficiet in one area, he provides strengths in another. I can prove this over and over in my students and family. So I believe that dyslexia is truely a gift! It does not define you, but it makes you become stronger because of it!

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  4. Tammy, I love the way you think. Thank you for the kind words. Yes, I thought of you when I wrote this. Quite a bit of my family lives with dyslexia. Strangely enough, one is an artist, a photographer, a dancer and then there's me. It definitely influences creativity. And I love what you said about it not defining you. That is absolutely correct. It certainly will make you stronger.

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  5. Hugs Judy! In my former life I taught students who received services from Special Education. I can tell you from EXPERIENCE that dyslexia does NOT equal lack of intelligance! I had some tremendously smart kids in my classes who just needed to learn a different way than the majority.

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