Tips for students 

• Make sure you always talk to your parents about any issues you may be having or anything that you think may help you.  Just talk to them, they are there to help you. Keep in mind, though, that the classroom today is different from it was when they were in school.  So make sure you explain in detail.  

• Make sure you have good relationships with your teachers so they are aware of your challenges and know what the best thing to help you is.  I know it is difficult to speak up, but learning to be an advocate is a skill that you will use all your life.

• While you may have to do things that you do not always want to, just know that they are making you better. 

• Stick with the things even if they may be hard sometimes, 

• Find something that you enjoy outside of school to give you confidence, take stress away, and decompress.

• Ask for a retest and try getting accommodations. Use your accommodations.

• Open communication with parents and teachers. 

• Do not believe you are "less than" because of your dyslexia.  You are capable of so much! And the perseverance and work ethic that you develop because school is harder for you will help you throughout life.

Age and Gender 16 (diagnosed at age 6); Male

Interests Gym/Weightlifting; Wrestling; Hanging out with Friends; Snowboarding; Video Games 

A book you've enjoyed and why I really enjoyed reading The Kane Chronicles series, including The Red Pyramid, by Rick Riordan. This series is about siblings that come from a line of magicians who were split up after the death of their mother. Their dad was captured by an evil god, and the siblings, when reunited, had to find a way to rescue their father. I liked this series because it was fast paced and kept my attention. 

Book recommendations Harry Potter; Percy Jackson; Dune 

Story I have Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and ADHD. I am currently a senior in high school and am ranked first in my class. While I am successful now, it wasn’t always like this. I began kindergarten at a charter school for the intellectually gifted, and I immediately fell behind my peers academically and struggled with reading, writing and math. I did not feel intelligent when I trailed the rest of the class in academic performance. This embarrassed me and worried my parents. 

Upon diagnosis, my parents enrolled me in tutoring, occupational therapy and vision therapy. My learning differences have not kept me from being successful in school. Much of this is due to my third- and fourth-grade teachers, who recognized my strengths and taught me how to overcome weaknesses, encouraging me to read more challenging books and solve more complex math problems. 

After fourth grade, I began to appreciate my accommodations and how my dyslexia, dysgraphia and ADHD were impacting my work. My learning differences affect my working memory and processing speed and often cause me to misread and miswrite things, including on tests and quizzes, causing me to get the answer wrong even when I know the correct answer. Since what I do on paper never reflects the understanding in my head, I have good grades, but not perfect grades. Over time, I have realized my dyslexia and ADHD come with strengths, which help me view things with a unique and more holistic perspective and give me a knack for problem-solving.  

Going from being almost held back in first grade to being recognized as the most improved and best student in fifth grade, I have learned that with diligence and determination, I can soar past my peers. Despite the challenges posed by school, I stay motivated because I know that the strengths that come with my differences will help me succeed in whatever career I choose. 

Encouraging advice To help reach my goals, I need areas where I have a positive mental image of myself. For me, that place is the gym. While I have never been great at any sport and school can be challenging, I have always succeeded in the gym. From the start, I was stronger than all my friends. The gym helps me stay positive, relieve stress and maintain a positive self-image even when other aspects of my life are challenging. All these things have taught me the importance of hard work and perseverance, but also that it is essential to take time to do things you enjoy to stay productive. 

What has helped you succeed? I have found that the most important tools that have helped me succeed are my accommodations, which include being allowed to type my notes and assignments, having extra time and not having to read aloud. Another important thing was learning how to communicate with my parents and teachers to make sure that my accommodations were being properly implemented. The last thing that helped me was learning how to advocate for myself so that I could explain to my parents and teachers what I needed.   

Tips for dealing with dyslexia As a successful student with dyslexia, I have observed that when you struggle to read sentences that you need to find books that you actually enjoy to practice reading so, when you do get tripped up, the joy you get out of reading the book is more than the frustration you get from reading. I have also found that setting breakpoints based on how much work you do helps you get the work done faster so you get to have fun faster. 

The older I have gotten, the more I realize that I learn visually.  So I learn information through watching videos and listening and not just through reading.  This might not work for everyone, but pay attention to yourself - you may learn very successfully in a way that is non-traditional.  I also realize how important it is to have a proofreader and, after I get my teachers’ permission, to use tools like Grammarly.  That last tip (proofread) actually is one everyone should follow, even if they don’t have dyslexia.

I do not fall in any of the categories you have listed here. I would like to tell you about my own journey. As a child, I always struggled with reading and math. I was being tutored every summer in grade school and was usually regarded as either "dumb" or "lazy." In high school, I had the choice of being either one of the slowest kids in the "fast track," or one of the smartest kids in the "slow track;'" As a result, I was ill-prepared for college. With time, however, I learned that I had a visual acuity for pattern recognition that was useful for the study of art history, and I had developed a strong interest in non-Western art and the study of non-Western cultures. It was not until late in my Bachelor's studies that I first heard the term "dyslexia."

After graduating with a disappointing GPA, I struggled to find my way into graduate school. As my education progressed, I continued to discover alternative ways of learning, and my interest in the study of non-Western cultures grew. It took me almost a decade to conclude my MA in Asian and Pacific Art History and Religion.

Eventually, I began teaching at the community college level, and I believe that my dyslexia made me sympathetic to students who required alternative learning experiences.  Teaching led to my earning a Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture, and I developed a career teaching both art history and an array of studio art classes. I have also established a name for myself as a sculptor.

Name and Location Noelle, North Carolina

Child, Age Now and at Diagnosis Son, Diagnosed at age 6, currently 16 (junior in high school)

Reaction at Diagnosis When my son was first diagnosed, I cried.  I remember feeling fear, because of my poor and incorrect understanding of learning differences, and overwhelming sadness that my child would not experience the joy of reading and the knowledge that comes from the written word. I have this photo, taken a few years after diagnosis, where he is walking and reading a book. I cry when I see it—he learned to read.

Best Early Advice The psychologist who diagnosed Hugh told us that our biggest challenge would be maintaining his self-esteem. She encouraged us to find outlets where he could succeed because school would be difficult, especially in the early years.  This was crucial to restoring his self-esteem, which was damaged by the early years of school.

Learning Disability Book Recommendation I give out copies of The Dyslexic Advantage. When I learned to view my child through his strengths and not by his weaknesses, I could better support him. It helped me find the words to talk to his educators in a way that helped them see him for his strengths and not for the extra work he presented to them.

Recommendation on Helping Your Child Be Successful My son's third-grade teacher recommended that she have a "hand-off" meeting with his fourth-grade teacher. His third-grade teacher gave an honest assessment of his strengths and weaknesses and strategies she used to help him succeed, and his fourth-grade teacher bounced her ideas of how to help him find early success in fourth grade off of me and his third-grade teacher. Third grade was his best year, and fourth grade far exceeded that year.  Those two teachers are some of the best he has ever had.

As a parent, you need to educate yourself.  Read the literature, follow the blogs, join the Facebook groups, and understand the legal language (like 'free and appropriate public education'). Recognize that you are an integral part of your child's education team, with the right to agree or disagree. Understand the rules regarding when re-evaluation is and is not required.  This knowledge is your most powerful tool, empowering you to make informed decisions for your child's education.

Probably one of the best things I ever did was to attend a Peter Wright advocacy seminar - www.wrightslaw.com.  I got so much better at IEP and 504 meetings and just talking to educators after that. I am a lawyer, and the tips he provided made me better at my day job but demonstratively more effective of my most important job of being an advocate for my child.

Hard Truth Some of the most critical interventions for my son were provided outside of school (specialized tutors). You cannot be a passive player in your child's fight for literacy. Early intervention is key, and parents must take the first step. You will have to instill discipline in your child and make them do things (learning-wise) that they might not want to do. We did a lot of tutoring outside of school, along with some other therapies (including the controversial vision therapy). It required the sacrifice of time and money. It helped my child learn early on that doing difficult things yields results, and I can see the bounty from those lessons in most of his activities today. But the early years were rough. It's important to remember that perseverance in the face of challenges is crucial to your child's success.

Recommendations on Approaching Meetings with the School I carried a 3" binder with materials, including my child's testing and IEPs, and helpful information about education law.  I would have it with me in the meeting, available to reference (with anything I expected to reference readily available on one or two pages of notes I had out).  Once, I was unhappy with the school's plan because I did not believe it was appropriate.  I withheld consent because I did not want to waste my child's or the school's time with an ineffective plan.  That act of withholding consent changed the plan offered.  We wrote in the plan that it would be reviewed (if needed) after three months.  I followed up with his EC teacher for the review, and she reported they now understood why what we had requested was appropriate.  Many kids with learning differences have above-average intelligence, so the "one size fits all" plan your child's school prefers may not be appropriate. Your child may need something individualized to ensure they receive an appropriate education.  Knowledge makes you more equipped to advocate for your child's needs.

You will have challenging moments with educators, and you will discover that some may appear not to have your child's best interest at heart.  You have to find a way, when those conversations get tough, to reframe and get the conversation back on an upbeat track where you establish that his education team has a common goal of making sure your child gets a "free and appropriate public education" (FAPE).  You will have to say "thank you" a lot, sometimes even to an educator you may not like because of how they have dealt with your child, but that is part of the reframe.  

Finally, as your child grows older, in middle school or early high school, invite them to the meetings.  If you have equipped your child with the right language and helped them learn how to articulate the impact of their learning needs and how the classroom does or does not meet those needs, they will become the most valuable person in the room.  The communication and advocacy skills they develop will not only improve their IEP/504 plans but will also be skills they can use throughout their lives. These skills will empower them to advocate for themselves in various situations, making their future brighter. 

Important Early Strategies We realized that my son could demonstrate mastery when answering questions orally, whether math or comprehension.  So we pushed for oral testing when he did poorly on a written assignment.  We also informally checked his knowledge/comprehension at home with questions delivered orally; because we were confident with his mastery, we were more inclined to push for the accommodation. We realized that he needed less information on a page because his eye tracking was poor.  With less information, there was less chance his eyes would “jump” and misread the information. This could mean taking an assignment with twelve math problems on one page and instead putting the same number of problems on six sheets of paper, or making the font of written text bigger with more spacing. 

It is also important to realize that the standardized reading testing used in schools may not be appropriate for a dyslexic student.  Your child’s comprehension may be far beyond their phonemic capacity.  As such, books should be chosen by interest and not by “reading level.” Books at the lower reading level are boring to many kids.  If reading doesn’t interest them, it is hard for them to improve.

Thoughts on Testing If you can afford it, I highly recommend private testing. Owning the report gives you better access to the provider with questions and follow-up.  We recently tested our son again to ensure he has accommodations for college and AP testing, and the new information about what his strengths and weaknesses are today has already helped.

Encouragement Sometimes, the most challenging things we do are ultimately the most rewarding.  Make a plan, adjust your strategy, and go into it knowing that the payoff may not come for a long time. My son's journey is a testament to this. His incredible perseverance, discipline, and work ethic, developed over ten years, are the result of those early struggles in elementary school. Those difficult times are now part of the fuel that drives his success.  You, as a parent, play a crucial role in your child’s success.  Figure out where your child’s strengths lie and help them play to those strengths while supporting their weaknesses.  You will also grow in this process. I cried when my son was diagnosed because I didn’t know then how much personal growth we would all get out of his journey. Now, I see the long-term benefits of perseverance, and I am full of satisfaction about the young man he has become.   

Final Thoughts Listen to your child. The challenges change over the years. Initially, we focused a lot on dyslexia and making sure he learned to read. While I put in place strategies to help with ADHD and executive functioning skills, I focused hard on literacy. When his reading skills improved, we shifted to focus more on dysgraphia and ADHD. Today, many of his accommodations are tied to his needs from those challenges. Listening to him shaped the shift in his accommodations, and his recent testing validated what he had been saying.

You cannot fill a gap or catch a student up to grade level overnight. Steady and consistent work over time will show growth that the student and teacher desire. Do not worry about how far behind the student may be; focus on the growth you are seeing in the skills you are working on with the student. Do not rush through prerequisite skills to try to catch students up. A shaky foundation will never hold up, and the "on grade level skills" will not hold up on that foundation.

Don't let a student's dyslexia diagnosis become a crutch or excuse. Learn about some of the dyslexics who have become highly successful in their fields, and use them to inspire. Einstein, Spielberg, and even Agatha Christie (a famous novelist), were all dyslexic. If they can do it, so can you.