Thoughts on Dyslexia

Hi I’m an dyslexic.

Dyslexia has been a constant source of issue for myself.  Some of the biggest issues seem with language, reading writing and understanding information impacted.  Punctuation brings up some unique challenges for myself.  Mainly due to the fact that automatic, add punctuation in my head but won’t add it when writing.

Misunderstood as a condition some people expect that children labelled, helping schools avoid criticism.  Granted the education system is nothing more than an exam factory failing to offer tools for the modern world.  At the heart of this condition information processing condition that impacts language.  Often other conditions which are present in dyslexic at the bottom of the table of learning conditions.  Long list of conditions which can impact you in various ways with some being different per person.

Often end up rewriting massive parts of any piece just for it to make sense, sometimes I suffer from writers block which makes it worse.  Finding the right words to express myself can cause issues.  Spelling and grammar rules make the process a painful effort.  Writing is pretty stressful affair even this piece causing a deal of effort.  Spelling being a big problem one or two spelling which I have skipped or even reworded.

Dyslexic front

Rather hard to understand what it feels like be dyslexic or experience it.  Has not stopped people from trying to recreate the sense of frustration and extra effort required. Designer Daniel Britton being newest to create front which removes half of the letters.  How accurate is the front the answer is pretty accurate in the sense of feeling it can provide. When reading letters lack important information which required in order to put words together.  Sam Barclay created a book which helps to understand how concept further with phonetics explored. Dozens of studies into the subject with focus on colours, eye sight and even creating fronts to help.

Punctuation

Brings use nicely onwards to the subject of punctuation, Dyslexic finds processing information hard imagine adding punctuation.  Punctuation adds bunch more rules to language, English is complex one of the hardest languages to learn. Often my focus is just on writing with punctuation taking a back seat. Writing may look simple in practise need to tackle not effort required, but adding punctuation requires more effort. Proof reading holds the answer but done repeatedly. Going a rough ride improving my punctuation practise making it perfect adding it during proof reading.

Effort

2 minutes piece can turn into 5 minutes worth of work. Writing on a keyboard for myself is faster compared to hand writing. Errors corrected using word processing software far harder to correct mistakes done by hand.  Effort required to write by hand is far greater compared to a keyboard, not only do I have to physical effort but higher mental effort. Writing by hand not only does it have 50% more physical effort, 50% slower, 50% mental effort with no easy error checking. Keyboard still required a degree of effort but does make the whole thing simple.

Frustration

Sense of frustration you feel when reading my writing is nothing compared to frustration from it creation.  Even the example of the front can only give you some sense of the high amount of frustration be felt.  Imagine that all the time you wish to write something or even read but faced with challenge to do it.  Welcome to my nightmare trapped in a prison of language.  Some may call it a curse or nightmare but taken me years to appreciate it as a gift.

Nightmare or gift

Some ways could be seen as a nightmare felt like one growing up my education.  Methods used don’t suit teaching dyslexia for years forced to battle.  Longest time felt like a nightmare something was incorrect.  Only in my later years of education did I start to appreciate it more as a gift.  Methods used to cope are now major strengths. Suffering brings with it a gift that allows me to view the world in a unique light.  Issue of processing information allows me to view things in a different way.

Support

Bibic UK-based charity helping to support children, families with learning based conditions.  Charity uses a range of  techniques and strategies from various research groups created over the years.  Various teachers have supported me over the years with local education officials.  Support has gotten better in recent years however still lacking and I worry about the future.  Concern over funding which limited often people who need support who suffer from reduced funding. Family gave me loads of support growing up during my education I owe a great deal to them.

Reform

Based on my experience do firmly believe that education be redesigned to better support students suffering from the current model. Support down to a postcode lottery, support groups should linked up with government policy and networks. Students screened from the beginning with testing being constant.  Right now the UK suffers from an exam factory problem that is people don’t learn more learn how to pass an exam.  Results being most important element of education has shifted it away from providing the best way of learning or teaching. Causes issues not just for students who find subject at hand hard worse still they marked as a failure.  Black and white way of viewing results has condemned whole generations into the waste pile.  Decentralised structure acting as a support network would be helpful instead of a centralised system.  Everybody follows the same policy but is given the freedom to make it work. Not saying decentralised structure would solve all problems but would be useful. Allowing good ideas to appear be reshaped to work within local communities.  Change does not need to happen could be incorrect but something should happen instead of letting generations down.

 

30 minutes worth of effort 974 words later time to end my thoughts.