The Journey of a Dyslexic
by Brennan Ratican
2014
What is dyslexia?
• The word dyslexia is made up of two parts:
!
★ Dys meaning not or difficult
★ Lexia meaning words, reading, or
language
!
• Dyslexia is a learning disability that impacts the
ability to break down words into their sounds
and combine these sounds with symbols
A little bit about me…
• I’m 13 years old and in 7th grade
• I’ve lived in Thousand Oaks my whole life
• I have a brother and sister who are both at Lang Ranch
• I learned I was dyslexic in second grade
➡
My dad is dyslexic, too…it typically runs in families
• I am a karate black belt, I play football and ukelele and
was student body president
I’m here today to share my experience to help teachers learn
more about dyslexia, how it makes kids feel, and some
resources to help dyslexic kids feel part of the class
A few signs of dyslexia
• Appears bright and articulate but unable to read or spell at grade level
• Labelled as a daydreamer or careless, not trying hard enough or lazy
• Isn’t “behind enough” or “bad enough” to be helped through usual school channels
• May not test well academically; tests well orally, but not written
• Feels dumb; has poor self-esteem; hides or covers up weaknesses with ingenious
compensatory strategies
• Computing math shows dependence on finger counting and other tricks;
• Knows answers, but can't do it on paper
• Strong sense of justice; emotionally sensitive; strives for perfection
Read more: http://www.dyslexia.com/library/symptoms.htm#ixzz3D9weyU7t
It all started in 1st grade…
• I had the highest math grade, but I was
placed in “Reading Club”
• “Reading Club” is where kids that aren’t good
at reading were given extra reading
instruction
• Being in the highest math group and lowest
reading group crushed my self-esteem
• I started working with a tutor to help me
read well enough to get out of “Reading Club”
…then came 2nd grade
•Even after working with my tutor for months, I was still in “Reading Club”
•My parents talked and talked with my teacher about my reading struggles
and my increasing school anxiety and sadness
➡
So, near the end of the school year, I was sent to the “Resource Room”
for more help
➡
To fit in my “Resource Room” time, I was pulled out of math — my
favorite and best subject
•For math, I always could figure out the answers in my head, but couldn’t
get my hand to write out the steps the way I saw them in my brain
Even though my teacher said I was just lazy,
I wish she understood I was working so
hard just to keep up…
and how embarrassed and sad I was
because I didn’t feel part of the class
My thoughts about myself
that year were really sad
•I talked to my mom and dad about how I was feeling
➡
“I am baddest reader in the whole 2nd grade.”
➡
“What I think about in my head doesn’t come out of my hand
on the paper.”
➡
“I know I am smart in my head but when I open my mouth to
read I don’t feel smart anymore.”
•I cried myself to sleep every night and went to the nurse almost
every day because my head and stomach hurt so much in class
➡
I even threw up inside my classroom…I was really
embarrassed
•I was so nervous about school and angering my teacher that I
started seeing the school psychologist to help me calm myself
When I learned I was dyslexic,
I heard a lot of myths
“People with dyslexia see letters
upside down”
“People with dyslexia switch letters
around”
“Dyslexic people are not smart”
“If you are dyslexic, you can’t read”
I had to learn that with dyslexia, I just saw the
world differently…like I wore a different pair of
glasses than other people
I spent time learning about
dyslexia and dispelling the myths
Dyslexics brains are wired to see letters and numbers differently
Dyslexics can be just as smart as other people
Dyslexics can have a higher success rate than others because they must
learn to self advocate, use different coping skills, and find creative
!ways to work around their differences
In fact, some of the greatest inventors and
innovators in the world were/are dyslexic
➡Albert Einstein, Leonardo di Vinci, Richard
Branson, Charles Schwab, Steven Spielberg, Steve
Jobs, Patrick Dempsey…just to name a few
Dyslexics can learn to read and can also use
other senses and tools to collect information
MRI Scans Show the Difference
This is what brains look like when reading
Go ahead…give it a try
What’s it like to see the world
through my pair of glasses?
We pegin our qrib eq a faziliar blace, a poqy like yours enq zine.
Iq conqains a hunqraq qrillion calls qheq work qogaqhys py qasign.
Enq wiqhin each one of qhese zany calls, each one qheq hes QNA,
Qhe QNA coqe is axecqly qhe saze, a zess-broquceq rasuze.
So qhe coqe in each call is iqanqical, a razarkaple puq veliq claiz.
Qhis zeans qheq qhe calls are nearly alike, puq noq axecqly qhe saze.
Qake, for insqence, qhe calls of qhe inqasqines;
qheq qhey're viqal is cysqainly blain.
!
Now qhink apouq qhe way you woulq qhink if
qhose calls wyse qhe calls in your prain.
Excerpt from "Journey into DNA" on the "Cracking the Code" Web site, NOVA
Online
Did you get all that?
This is what the paragraph
really said:
We begin our trip at a familiar place, a body like yours and mine.
It contains a hundred trillion cells that work together by design.
And within each one of these many cells, each one that has DNA,
The DNA code is exactly the same, a mass-produced resume.
So the code in each cell is identical, a remarkable but valid claim.
This means that the cells are nearly alike, but not exactly the same.
Take, for instance, the cells of the intestines;
that they're vital is certainly plain.
!
Now think about the way you would think if those cells were
the cells in your brain.
!
Excerpt from "Journey into DNA" on the "Cracking the Code" Web site,
NOVA Online
I’m here to tell you that in every
school, dyslexic kids are trying
too hard to learn and fit in
There are many great resources for kids who learn
differently:
Learning Ally: Provides audiobooks, even textbooks!
Ginger: Spell check on steroids
Livescribe: Records what you hear and write
Evernote: Tool for taking and organizing notes
Good old-fashioned flashcards
In-class accommodations like study guides, whiteboard print
outs, seating up front, not grading spelling, etc.
You can make a difference
Look for kids who are struggling in your classrooms or
feeling bad about themselves or school
Let them know they are not alone…everyone learns
differently
Help them find tools to help them learn
Encourage them to advocate for what they need
Encourage them to join other kids who see the world a
little differently
Please let kids, parents and even teachers know
that I am happy to help other kids who learn differently
Thank you for your time
and helping me help others