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Being Dyslexic Can Actually Be Bloody Brilliant

Posted: 22/05/2012 00:00

I'm dyslexic. That's right. Richard Branson, Albert Einstein, Henry Winkler and Orlando Bloom and I can all officially high-five each other.

I was diagnosed about three years ago, during the second year of my university study, undetected throughout my entire school life. If you have to place how dyslexic I am on some sort of scale, I'm approximately halfway between "he can write completely fine" and "OMG what has he just written down on that piece of paper OMG."

If I could describe my dyslexia it would be like this - I can think and speak like most people just as well, but when it comes to writing my thoughts down a little 'block' comes into my head. For no reason whatsoever, I cannot copy what I have in my head on to the page. I just can't. I have to add several more words to compensate for the word I originally intended to write down, so the whole thing ends up looking like spot the ball competition, but with my sentence structure.

Now dyslexia affects people in different ways. It can be a major block to getting through school and getting through work. However, dyslexia isn't all that bad. In fact I ABSOLUTELY FREAKING LOVE IT. Here's why:

1: I can only write as if I am trollied: I cannot write essays, I cannot write any formal documents.
If I try to write in the third person you might as well put what I write into a blender. None of it makes sense.

However, there are no problems with me writing in the first person, in a chatty frame of mind, or to be more precisely, writing as if I have just had 18 Kopperburgs and I am about to make my move on you. The only way I can communicate in life, in writing, is if I am a total tool.

It's weird, but I love it.

2: The fact that when you are in education you do get freebies:
The rumours are true - dyslexics DO get freebies from the government. When I was diagnosed I received a computer in my bedroom, full to the brim of software to help me get over traumatising essays. It was a massive help.

The best software was Dragon, which allowed me to dictate my essay via a microphone into Microsoft Word. "Brilliant", I thought. "I can blast through an essay in about five minutes."

But it was never really as easy as that. In fact there were one or two setbacks. One of which was that if you ever said the words "microphone on" it would turn the microphone on. If you said the words "microphone off" it would turn the microphone off.

That meant, that if you were in the bedroom, you had a radio on, and at any moment the radio said anything around the word "on" and a word beginning with the letter 'm' directly before that word, my computer would turn the microphone on, happily open Microsoft World and transcribe approximately 17,000 words for the next six hours, without your knowledge. I never had to iPlayer a radio programme as it just DID IT for me the previous morning.

3: The fact that as a dyslexic writer I don't have to give a shit about language:
I admit this can seem contradictory. Writers are suppose to be champions of the word as an art-form. We're suppose to be into preserving 'proper English' forever, with the thought that if we turn our back on lecturing people about how it should be written for one afternoon, the whole language will be decapitated.

The fact is, because I'm never going to get it right, I don't care about preserving the English language at all - this whole lark about "making sure that everything is grammatically correct with no spelling mistakes". I don't give a toss.

If you like to lecture about using grammar correctly and abide by the god like rules of Eat Shoots and Leaves, you are officially weird. What is the point of spending your entire life correcting other people's language use (bar primary school teachers *they get high fives*)? Why do you get offended when someone starts a sentence with a 'but'? WHY?

I mean, the internet is currently pissing about a billion litres of words out every square minute. A lot not suiting to your standards. Face it. You've lost.

Not all of us did English Language and Literature to your university degree level standard. There is no uniform 'style guide' that reminds us the difference between affective/effective and so forth. My motto is "If you've got the gist of what the other person is saying or writing, leave it be. And if you don't get the gist? Just nod and smile anyway."

And if you've got one of those 'I can only care about people who use it's and its in the right way' on your Twitter bio, I hope an apostrophe stabs you in your sleep.

--

Dyslexia can cause setbacks in numerous ways. It isn't the same for every dyslexic person, and it isn't just in terms of writing things down. For example:

1. Dates:
We have a whiteboard at home where we draw on the dates in pen in pre-printed boxes every couple of months and add any special occasions or public holidays manually. So according to our house calendar between now and the end of June there are something like eight Bank Holidays. Oh and May has like 33 days in them. And according to this calendar half my mates have their birthdays on a different date than they actually think it is on.

2. Names:
Now I'm not sure whether we have actually met or not, but if you have ever met me in the past, I'm sorry to say that I have already forgotten your name. I'm great with faces, I never forget a face. But literally... the first time we ever meet, you say your name to me, I shake your hand *PFFFF* it's gone. I've tried writing down people's names in my journal as a way to remind myself of your name, I've tried to do the Paul McKenna routine of closing your eyes, saying your name several times, twirling around, dancing the Lindy Hop to remind myself... nothing.

Now I could be crap at names generally as a means of habit, but just until I'm wronged... if I ever bump into you in the London Underground or wherever don't be confused if I look at your face and scream "DYSLEXIA".

3. Job Applications:
As a manager at your top company, are you looking for a brilliant team-player to join your team? Somebody who is a great problem solver, with great communication skills, analytical skills? Somebody who thinks outside the box?

So why are you asking for asking for everyone to apply 100%... in writing? It has been claimed by scientists that a lot of dyslexic people have excellent problem-solving and analytical skills, but a lot of dyslexic people share a weakness, and that is WRITING. WRITING ABOUT HOW WE HAVE ALL OF THOSE SKILLS DOWN.

Now you might think - why not send them a podcast about why you would make a good employee? Why not make a funny little film? Why not doodle about all of your skills on a large FANTASTICAL BALLOON? Well in some scenarios it could work, but for big corporate giants that force you to respond to 127482648 competency questions... no chance mate. No chance.

 

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07:28 PM on 05/23/2012
Great article! I'm dyslexic, quite bad but I'm also very academic which has created real problems not being able to write anything as coherent as an essay needs to be! I'm doing my A-levels in two weeks and have been wondering about journalism. I've always thought however that I wouldn't be able to as it focuses on my massive weakness, though reading Bryan's article has made me think again! Thanks!
lastpost
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01:43 PM on 05/22/2012
"halfway between "he can write completely fine" and "OMG what has he just written down"
Which is best? A perfect sentence, that imparts nothing of merit? Or an imperfect sentence that does? More ways to find out than a violent one.

"I cannot copy what I have in my head on to the page."
Setting thoughts to a tune might help. Like childhood times-tables. I remember that dirge, but the words have gone.

"I can only write as if I am trollied"
If Derren Brown's correct, that can be simulated. Maybe the mind can be taught to assume that state, without external influence.

"in education you do get freebies:"
When I was at school we had to write on slates. I fell off the roof, often.

"as a dyslexic writer I don't have to give a shit about language:"
In my day we were beaten, for words like that.

"If you've got the gist of what the other person is saying or writing”
you’re on the way to starting your own religion. Even though it makes no sense, when someone asks you to explain it.

"my mates have their birthdays on a different date than they actually think"
How long have you known the Queen?

"as a way to remind myself of your name"
connect an image to make it a bigger target.But don't call Gordon, gorgon.

"Job Applications:"
Q1. How's your general heath?
A1. As a rule, if I can’t stand upright I don’t come in.
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Scott Bryan
02:27 PM on 05/22/2012
Thank you lastpost.

These responses have made my day.
08:18 AM on 05/22/2012
There is no such thing as dyslexia. It is an invention by the middleclass who do not want to believe that with respect to some subjects they may have thick children which they would like to believe is only the preserve of the working class.

Since dyslexia is now over 30 years old and getting a bit Old Hat they have invented another problem called numeralexia (spelling not fully decided yet) in order to give them a new excuse for having thick children for the next 3 decades. Failing this there is always Ritalin which by using their eloquence they can get from their GP unlike those awful kids from the council estate.

Working class kids need not apply for a course to combat numeralexia, and like so many government initiatives from special grants to First Start must be swamped by those in socio-economic group B who do not need any assistance. Isn't life grand.
11:07 AM on 05/22/2012
You don't know what you are talking about, I'm afraid. I taught for years, and some of our students did not know they had dyslexia - but we could spot it a mile off. They worked twice as hard as other students, had a good grasp of the subject, their short-term memory was terrible, and in seminars they were often head and shoulders above the rest, but you just would not know it by the work they handed in. Not surprisingly, they often suffered from low self-esteem and sometimes depression, thinking they were stupid for just not getting it.

People with dyslexia often acquire new skills very quickly, and are often able to see the whole picture way ahead of everyone else.

You can people are dyslexic, and not just 'thick', as you put it, because their written English is far inferior to their spoken abilities. One of my most brilliant students was studying for his Masters, but could hardly write an intelligible word, so he read his essays into a tape recorder (before the days of speech activated software) and his dissertation was one of the best we had ever read.
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10:15 AM on 05/23/2012
Thanks for that, taylos... so glad to hear that there are people working in the education system who are able to recognise this so well. I am not dyslexic, but profoundly dyscalculaic (always pay with large notes and just hope the change is correct!) -- even back in the day when teachers were not so well informed about these things, I was extremely fortunate that one of my teachers actually realised there was something very, very seriously wrong (perhaps because I was such a high achiever in every other subject; perhaps because I clearly grasped the abstract elements of maths but just could not get the numbers right.) I'll be eternally grateful to him for his clever exam tip: "Now, don't forget to write down every single stage of your calculation, no matter how trivial, just to prove you understand exactly how to solve the problem... it's your only chance." It worked (up to a point). Thanks, Mr G.!

As a self-employed person, I still frequently send out invoices with numbers inverted -- but now I've learned to get my kids to check them first!!!
11:45 AM on 05/22/2012
The aim of my comment was only to stir up a few teachers and perhaps middleclass parents, and it may be starting to do just that but nevertheless how long will it be before another "lexia" comes along such as the other one I mentioned earlier to take away limited and valuable resources but not divert them towards those kids with parents in socio-economic group C1 and below.

Resources will always be diverted to those with the time and eloquence to form a lobby group of some sort, and that is less likely to be the parents on local authority housing estates. The size of the parent's mortgage or value of ones home is often the prime factor in obtaining extra help for ones little darlings.
02:36 PM on 05/22/2012
The problem, as I see it, is that you are both right.
Dyslexia is used as a blanket term where 'Little Snookums' who actually has an IQ of 75 can be excused to all the other Mums for his poor school results as having a 'learning disability' rather than having to admit that he is a thick as two nine inch planks.
'Little Snookums' then gets to be put into the same category as 'Jim' who is completely incapable of producing legible handwriting, but has an IQ of 120 and is an outstanding computer programmer.
And when it comes to school funding, the more kids they have with a 'disability' the more money the government gives them... claiming a kid has a disability also lets teachers off the hook for their students under achieving.
Unfortunately both groups suffer as the reality of dyslexia is watered down and the kids who could do better if they had better/ more interested teachers are written off because they are 'disabled'.
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BOBinPS
Really?
02:38 AM on 05/22/2012
Love it! I am sooo dyslexic. I read at a snail's pace. Totally frustrating! I have to read every word. I didn't know what dyslexic meant until I was in my 20s. Then it all made sense. In K1-K9 we had to read in class. I counted ahead. I knew what paragraph I had to read. I memorized it. When it was my turn, I performed. Nobody knew I couldn't do it if it were random. I developed skills to deal with it. I still can't read quickly. But I learned that reading is about comprehension, not about fast. My comprehension skills are great. Just not so fast. Being dyslexic made me stronger. Another challenge overcome.
11:54 PM on 05/21/2012
Can we have some positive comments about being bi-polar.
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BOBinPS
Really?
02:51 AM on 05/22/2012
My heart sinks. Stay the meds. Bonne chance, my friend.
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10:57 AM on 05/23/2012
Sure.
By all means. Here's Stephen Fry talking about being bi-polar (watch to the end -- it's the best part!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKiAz6ndUbU