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Own it
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That’s right. You’ve got dyslexia. As Dylan says in the movie, “It’s so important to just own it. Just totally own it.”
Part of doing that is embracing the strengths that come with this diagnosis.
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You see the big picture
You understand complex ideas and translate them into something simple and clear. Leaders and visionaries see this way. |
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You think outside the box
That’s a great place to think. There you easily see the links between ideas and combine them to create something original. |
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You’re a creative writer
Your imagination fuels amazing stories and ideas. So what if you can’t spell. That’s why spell check exists. |
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You’re a visual thinker
Dyslexics excel in spatial professions: engineering, art, architecture, medicine (especially surgery and orthopedics), design. |
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Your memory is sharp
Because you rely on your memory more than notes, your ability to recall details will serve you well every day of your life. |
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You’re very empathetic
You know, first hand, how hard things can be. That’s why you have such strong compassion and empathy for others. |
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You’re naturally curious
Why? Well, that’s a great question, isn’t it? We’re fairly certain you can answer this question yourself. |
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Telling Friends
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“Dyslexia shouldn’t be something that you should be ashamed of, but you should
express proudly.”
– Skye |
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Naturally, your friends will be curious about your dyslexia. (They might even have it and not know it!) They’ll ask questions galore. Because you are very clever, you’ll use these answers to educate them.
Here are some tips about how to talk to your friends.
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SHARE
Want to share what works for you? A great piece of your art? A trick that you’ve learned? Help that you need? Inspire others with your words. Join us on Facebook!Share yours » |
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| When they say: |
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You say: |
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| Oh, dyslexia! That’s where you write letters backward, right? |
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Actually, people with dyslexia might struggle to name a letter, but letters don’t look backwards to us. Even non-dyslexic kids write letters backwards when they first learn to write. |
| Most kids with dyslexia are boys, aren’t they? |
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A big study at Yale found out that the numbers of girls and boys who have dyslexia are about the same. |
| Don’t kids with dyslexia outgrow it? |
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Nope. Dyslexic kids grow up to be dyslexic adults. |
| Dyslexic kids must have poor vocabularies. |
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Absolutely not! We might know tons about dinosaurs and reel off a list of their long names — but I may have trouble reading, writing, or even finding the word “dinosaur” on a page. |
| Maybe if you worked harder, you wouldn’t have dyslexia. |
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As if. People with dyslexia work incredibly hard to read well. It’s just that my brain figures out and recognizes words in a different way than yours does. |
Content based on the work of Dr. Sally Shaywitz. |
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Tips From Kids
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| “I memorize note cards a few days before a test.” |
“I draw pictures
of the words
I don’t know.” |
| “Start out with books on tape.” |
“You need to learn
to advocate
for yourself.” |
| “Find a book that you really like and try reading it twice.” |
“I started using dictation software.” |
| “Listening to white noise helps me concentrate.” |
“Start on an assignment as early as you can.” |
| “Don’t try to memorize everything at once.” |
“To memorize dates, draw the events in pictures.” |
| “Ask for help from others.” |
“Use Learning Ally to relax and listen and follow along.” |
| “Walk and say your notes to yourself.” |
For more information,
read this.
Read now » |
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Support for Students
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There has never been a better time to be a dyslexic student, with new technologies to offset your mechanical difficulties and a growing emphasis on developing and celebrating original thinkers in the classroom.
Support for you comes in various flavors.
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Eye To Eye matches you with mentors who have learned to live and thrive with dyslexia, and who will work with you to figure out how you learn best. |
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There is assistive technology out there made specifically to help you. You may be slow at taking notes, writing papers or have unreadable handwriting, but technology can come to your rescue. For example, Natural Readers offers free software for the PC or Mac that reads any Word, PDF, email or webpage aloud. |
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Learning Ally allows you to listen to your textbooks and other works of literature through their collection of 70,000 digital recordings. |
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