Our Community Weighs In: 18 Things Parents Wish People Knew About Dyslexia
If your child has dyslexia, you know that there are many misconceptions about it. We asked our Facebook community, “What one thing should people know about your child with dyslexia?”
Here are their insightful responses.
“Just because my daughter is dyslexic doesn’t mean she doesn’t love words—she does. It doesn’t mean that she can’t read, because she can. It doesn’t mean she doesn’t love books—she does. She just needs help and understanding of how dyslexia affects her, because she is an individual and has individual needs.” — Tania E.
“My children’s good grades are badges of achievement, requiring much more work and energy than most, all the while boosting their confidence tenfold.” — Lance F.
“My son with dyslexia is far more intelligent and creative than any state test or classroom grade may show.” — Nancy K.
“My son’s large vocabulary, strong reading comprehension and enjoyment of reading come IN SPITE of his dyslexia. They don’t make it less real. Dyslexia manifests in many different ways. Don’t just assume it means someone can’t read.” — Jennifer R.
“Many dyslexic students can be twice-exceptional students, and we are so happy when teachers recognize that and can be flexible with their approaches to teaching in response. These students actually like being in school and contributing to their classrooms.” — Laura F.
“I wish people knew that my daughter works hard for things that come easy to her peers.” — Rachel S.
“Let my son use the tools he needs to succeed and stop attaching ‘strings’ to his usage of . I don’t care if it’s one word, one sentence, one paragraph: Let him type or use speech to text. It’s about his learning style, not yours.” — Jessica M.
“My daughter’s dyslexia wasn’t because I didn’t read to her enough!” — Nicole M.
“I wish people knew that my son’s dyslexia isn’t curable. I’ve been asked more than once if there is a cure. It’s not a disease.” — Allison M.
“My daughter has more personality, tenacity and courage in her little finger than the children who judge her at school will ever have.” — Sam D.
“When you say you can’t believe my son is dyslexic, it’s sweet. But it also minimizes all his hard work. The extra time it takes him to do everything, the restrictive diet changes that help him do his best, the coping strategies he’s developed over many years.... There’s a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes that makes it surprising to you that he has dyslexia.” — Scott and Missy M.
“I wish people knew that my son held it together all day at school today but lost it when he got home. He’s gone to bed in tears again. But he’ll get up in the morning, finish that bloody homework and head to school with a smile on his face.” — Leah S.
“Children get their self-worth from their success in school. Imagine going to work every day to a job you disliked and no matter how hard you worked, you never achieved the success of your coworkers. My son is resilient and strong. I would like him to be taught with programs matched to his strengths and learning style.” — Kim J.
“My son is probably one of the hardest working kids around. Just because he struggles does not make him lazy.” — Brandie P.
“Just because my daughter can read and loves books doesn’t mean she doesn’t have dyslexia. We’ve had teachers doubt the diagnosis, but then criticize her for being lazy because she has trouble reading out loud from unseen material, and spells words phonetically—even really simple words, while getting more complex and difficult words correct.” — Stephanie A.
“My son is like a duck on water. He looks calm, collected and normal above water, but is paddling like mad to keep everything moving along. He’s trying so much harder than you could possibly imagine.” — Melanie A.
“Dyslexia complicates much more than reading and spelling. It’s invisible. Be kind.” — Sharri N.
“My daughter with dyslexia has amazing people skills and is a magnificent artist. But most of all, I want people to know that she is a brilliant little girl, and she will grow up to do amazing things.” — Jennifer F.
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