There ARE Many Blessings to Being Dyslexic
My daughter often says to me, “Mom, dyslexia is NOT a GIFT!” I feel her pain.
Over the years, I’ve watched the daily struggles my daughter and husband experience in reading, writing and spelling. When they present me with a greeting card that they’ve written a couple of personal sentences in, I treasure it! Not only are their words heartfelt, but I know it took them literally two or more hours to write! First, they wrote two or more rough drafts and then ever so carefully and painstakingly wrote their feelings about me on the actual cards.
But there are many blessings to being dyslexic. There are so many unique qualities in them, because of their dyslexia, that I hold dear.
My daughter excels in art and music, although learning to read music was a challenge. In her early years of piano lessons, I had to rewrite all of her music on larger 12” X 18” music staff paper. As soon as she had a piece of music memorized, she never looked at the paper again!
Further her ability to use muscle memory in her fingers helped her excel in performing on the piano, viola, cello, and guitar! She quickly learned to play the viola at school. Her teacher suggested she learn the cello to challenge herself. We met him at the music store one Saturday, as he offered to help us pick out an instrument. When they had chosen an instrument, my daughter asked him, “How do I play the cello?”
He briefly shared that the cello was basically the same as the viola, except you had to learn to read a new clef in the music, to bow sideways, and the strings were in the reverse order.
She sat down and played the exact song that she had just mastered on the viola on the cello! Although I wasn’t too surprised, her stunned teacher sat down. “I have never seen a music student do that before!” he exclaimed. She is an accomplished musician. She understands music deep in her whole body.
And there are many times my daughter being dyslexic has made me smile. One such time was when she went to Japan during the winter and spring of 2001 and then that fall, I went to Japan as a Fulbright recipient. She was so excited that I would have the opportunity to see some of her favorite places in Tokyo.
As I packed for Japan, she said, “Mom, you need to know the long-distance number so you can call us. I’ll write it down for you.” I was skeptical that she’d write it in its correct sequence. I watched her tap out the numbers on her imagined calculator on her thigh.
In the same way her body knows the “feeling”, muscle memory, of a song on the piano, viola or cello once she’s learned it, her body, and therefore her brain, easily translates the imagined calculator on her thigh correctly. She was feeling the numbers and the phone number she wrote for me was correct!
She drew three maps to share some of her favorite places in Tokyo with me. Two maps were perfect, and I found every place she was so excited for me to see. The third map was not as helpful. I got off the subway at the correct location and began following the third map. I walked for a few miles and didn’t see any site that was on her map. I began asking people if they could help me. Everyone said, “I cannot read English.”
I kept walking. Unexpectedly a man that I had previously asked for help came up from behind and tapped me on the shoulder. As I turned to face him, he said, “I read little English. I try.” After looking at the map for more than a minute, he said, “Ah, so!” Then he turned it upside down!
“Not this way. That way.” As I thanked him, I smiled knowing exactly what had happened.
It took me quite a while to get back to the subway station and continue on in the OPPOSITE direction to find every special place on her map plus get some yummy cookies at her favorite bakery!
I can only imagine how challenging dyslexia makes learning! I love my husband and daughter with all of my heart. I feel their pain as I watch them struggle. I also appreciate their talents and love trying to see the world in their talented, unique way.
AND now, because of the struggles of my husband and daughter, we have an answer to the reading, writing and spelling challenges every dyslexic person faces.
We have Silent Elephant “e”, and we can teach dyslexic children and adults how to read, write and spell with effective, explicit instruction in phonemic awareness followed by precise, sequential, language-based instruction using “Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”, A Phonetic Reading Program for ALL Learners of Any Age Particularly Dyslexic or Struggling Readers” reading program utilizing “whole body”, multi-sensory instruction.
Silent Elephant “e” frees them of the struggle. Being free from the struggle lets them more easily recognize the talents and gifts their unique perspective brings to the world. (See Will I Always Be Dyslexic? Yes! And Many Famous People Are)
Every dyslexic and parent of a dyslexic child can breathe easier.
If you are questioning whether someone in your life is dyslexic and you’re not sure what to do, feel free to contact us.
Linda Katherine Smith-Jones Nina Henson