Dyslexia and Me !

Its taken me all of 45 yrs to learn how to wear Dyslexia with ease and pride. But it is not easy by any means.

Growing up in the 80’s, dyslexia was very much frowned upon, both at home and in an educational setting.

Not many people know, that there is research to suggest that Dyslexia is hereditary and can run in families. In 2022 a study of over 1.5 million adults, scientists identified 42 genetic variants strongly associated with dyslexia.

With this in mind, I had one parent who was a whizz in accounts and the business world, making a name for themselves in many global organisations and one parent who was equally gifted and good at organising and managing a business, despite being dyslexic.

However, this didn’t stop my whizz of a parent, calling me, ‘Stupid,’ or ‘Thick,’ because I couldn’t understand simple mathematics or read complicated words, like they could.

Over time, my confidence hit rock bottom and I would do whatever it took to not get noticed in class when reading aloud or even sitting exams.

It wasn’t until I turned 11yrs and a trip to Harley Street, that I was finally diagnosed with Dyslexia. By this point, the lasting effects of being called names and feeling inadequate, stuck.

It wouldn’t be until I attended a school called St Bede’s, although renamed now to Bede’s in Eastbourne, where I was finally given the tools I needed to help me through my journey of Dyslexia.  

The tools won’t eradicate Dyslexia, I’m stuck with it for life, but it did help me spot the signs in my own children and to put in place learning patterns to help them, so that they never felt like I did.

In the years prior to restarting Tawny Owl Wood, I have been able to achieve many Diplomas in Holistic Therapies and Horse Management as well as two degrees in Community Governance and  Leadership and Management. 

So what does Dyslexia look like?

There are many forms of Dyslexia. It’s a learning disability that affects reading, writing, coordination, organisation, numbers, memory and even the ability to process instructions or commands, or what someone is trying to explain to you.

Words might not sit still on the page, they might merge together or change. P’s and Q’s and B’s and D’s are quite common for changing places. Following a sentence while reading it may be difficult, having to use a finger, pen or ruler to follow each word, so that the lines don’t merge or your brain read faster than your mouth are all typical signs of Dyslexia. Then there’s numbers, don’t even get me started on those!!

What does Dyslexia look like as a super power?

Pretty awesome! Because our brain patterns work in a different way, the majority of dyslexic people are incredibly intelligent and creative. Not just with making things with hands, but working out puzzles in next to no time, finding solutions quicker than someone else and seeing the world from a unique perspective.

Just some of the amazing people who are Dyslexic:

Albert Einstein, Henry Ford, Richard Branson, Steven Spielberg, Whoopi Goldberg, Leonardo Da Vinci, Robin Williams and Tom Cruise.

So how do I cope now, when I am writing my books?

Frustrated! I won’t sugar coat it. I have wanted to throw the towel in so many times over the last two years. I will sit and write a manuscript, which takes me about two months for a chapter book, send it off to my wonderful editor, for her to send back reams of sentence restructures, corrections in spoken sentences and grammatical mistakes, the list is endless! At this point, I want to give up, I cry, scream, rant and rave. Then I collect myself, sit back down, dry my tears and get back to work.

The end goal? To show each and everyone out there that a disability is only one if you allow it to be one. I don’t like being Dyslexic, but I’ve learnt to live with it and accept it as part of me. Recently, I have had to start doing story time in front of an audience. It’s beyond nerve racking for me, I have one half of my brain telling me, ‘I can’t do it because I’m stupid,’ and the other telling me, ‘This is for everyone out there like me, we got this!’

So the next time you see me and I get all flustered while I’m reading aloud to a crowd, come and stand next to me and read with me, together, any mountain can be climbed.

If you can relate to this blog or know someone who does,  click Dyslexia help or Dyslexia Daily | Dyslexia Resources | Dyslexie | Dyslexia Daily for more information.