October is Dyslexia Awareness Month: From a Mom's Perspective.

    by   SusanHN   

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Oct 24, 2018
163

My 8-year old son was diagnosed with dyslexia a few months ago. He doesn't like to talk about it and he doesn't tell anyone else he has it. So I don't usually either. However, it's Dyslexia Awareness Month and I believe that the more who know about it, the more kids we can help. Plus, I tell my son all the time how proud I am of him, and I hope that one day he'll be proud of all that he is too.

My son makes friends everywhere he goes. He is kind and generous to everyone he meets. His smile is contagious. He also happens to have dyslexia. 

We suspected that there was something going on a few years ago. It was more than that he was having trouble reading. It's that he tried so hard and still struggled. Despite any improvements he was making, he was still falling farther and farther behind. Even when we gave him all the tools to learn, his brain just couldn’t put it together.

The diagnosis was actually a relief. No one’s happy to be told that their child has a learning disability. It broke my heart to hear someone tell me there was something wrong. However, seeing the tears in my son’s eyes while he tried to sound out words and sentences was already breaking my heart. This diagnosis would finally get him the help he needed to set him on a path to success.

In the last few months, I’ve tried to educate myself on dyslexia, and have found there are so many misconceptions about it. Some people think dyslexia means you just write letters backward; or that kids with dyslexia have low intelligence, have problems with vision, or just don’t try hard enough. But I’ve learned that none of those are right.

Dyslexia means that my son’s brain processes information differently than most people. He has to work extra hard to do what comes naturally to others, especially reading, writing and spelling. Using specific evidence-based reading programs, he can learn strategies on how to overcome many of the challenges, but he will never completely outgrow it. Dyslexia can vary to different degrees, but experts say that between 5-20% of the population has some form of it.

Because of how the brain works, many people with dyslexia tend to have incredible strengths too. My son is both innovative and resourceful - he can spend hours with cardboard and a roll of tape and turn it into something unique. In fact, some of the most famous storytellers, entrepreneurs, inventors and out-of-the-box thinkers even credit dyslexia for helping make them successful. People like Steven Spielberg, Richard Branson, Octavia Spencer, and Jamie Oliver are all dyslexic. Many believe that some of the world’s biggest game-changers had it too, including: Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Walt Disney, Pablo Picasso, and possibly even Albert Einstein.

You can find more info about dyslexia and other learning challenges on Understood.org. I highly recommend trying the simulations to see what it’s like for kids who have reading, attention, or other issues. Check them out here.

How does someone in your family (or yourself!) make you proud? Tell us below!

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by H2OSprite | Atlanta, GA
Oct 25, 2018

My bff is a man of ethics and integrity who does a difficult job with panache. Makes me proud to know him.

by mich61 | CATHEDRAL CTY, CA
Oct 25, 2018

My dad- always took care of my mom for years and years. He is a great man!!

by beetea | LAFAYETTE, LA
Oct 25, 2018

My kids all do the best they can and stay cheerful.

by mami2jcn | Willow Spring, NC
Oct 25, 2018

My daughter makes me proud because she cares so deeply about her little sister.

by Byrdy1999 | ORCHARD PARK, NY
Oct 25, 2018

I have two autistic sons so I understand the struggle to appear and look normal. I have found that they are teaching me more than I could ever teach them. They look at everything differently and that's ok. My oldest struggles to understand what he is not interested in. I am going to look at this site for guidance. Either way they both have not stopped trying. I will always be proud of them.

by katierysz | NEW BEDFORD, MA
Oct 25, 2018

My daughter makes me proud. She's almost 4 and I'm amazed with the things she knows and can do already.

by quackers50 | Athens, NY
Oct 25, 2018

My husband has always suffered from this and struggles to this day. He would never read in public. I support him as he is so very, very smart and this does not define him

by danigirl | erie, PA
Oct 25, 2018

My daughters make me proud

by malahini | BIRMINGHAM, MI
Oct 25, 2018

https://twitter.com/disneyfan40/status/1055415982364205062?s=21

by malahini | BIRMINGHAM, MI
Oct 25, 2018

My hubby makes me proud. He works hard, takes good care of his mom, makes sure I'm happy and always helping others. He truly is a blessing and has a heart of gold. I'm so blessed that he is my husband.

by angie5284 | TORRINGTON, CT
Oct 25, 2018

My husband has had dyslexia all his life. We have yet to see if our children have it. Both my son and daughter started off reading books upside down. As my son is getting older he has flipped the books the right way. We will see! I'm proud of how successful my hisband is even with having dyslexia.

by queenubian1995 | CARLISLE, AR
Oct 25, 2018

I'm extremely proud of my daughter. Most of her life has been a struggle but she has continued to try to make me proud and I am. Growing up it had always been just she and I because her dad left when she was small and she has a form of dyslexia as well as really bad anxiety and depression. She was still able to graduate high school with good grades. I'm disabled and she helps me out as well as work. She's the best daughter in the world and I always make sure she knows how much I love her and am so proud of her.

by floridagal | SARASOTA, FL
Oct 25, 2018

My mom makes me proud. She always has a positive attitude and looks on the bright side of things.

by Angelmom85 | Fairbanks, AK
Oct 25, 2018

My 10 year old son is the strongest most amazing person I know. He is my idol and he makes me so proud to say I'm his mother.

by 2ndheartmom | CHICO, CA
Oct 24, 2018

My daughter makes me proud. She is nine and had a heart transplant as a baby. She has had three heart surgeries and some anxiety came along with that, but she is such a charming little girl! She is compassionate and caring and she is fearless in many ways. She just sang a solo at her choir's school-wide concert and it was ah-mazing!

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