Stories/ideas for Presentation

Tyler
I am dyslexic, and ADHD and I am the mother of a 11 yr. old son (5th grade) whose is dyslexic, only he has a more severe written and expressive disorder. He also had problems with speech when he was younger. He reads fairly well, but can not write paragraphs. He does suffer from tieme to time in school, because most teachers do not having knowledge of the characteristics of dyslexia. This is a major problem within this country’s school system.

Everybody needs to know dyslexia, even students. Just the other day, my son was in a group in class and they were discussing history and he could not think of some of the facts fast enough. The girls were insisting he hurry up and told him he wasn’t going to get a grade if he couldn’t think of anything. They were not aware that they…with thier constant talking, was the main reason he couldn’t think of something. He got upset. He is VERY sensitive.

I have recently gotten the nerve to attend college. It was because of my son being diagnosed I had myself tested. I knew I would need help in college with needing more time on test. I am having a terrible time with all the Algebra steps. I understand it, but it get confusing trying to remember everything and I am also not allowed a calculator. This slows me down because I have trouble remembering the steps to divide, especially with decimals.

I am writing an essay myself for my Engish class. It is titled ” The Burdened Child: Lost In the System”. This is a proposal essay. I’m writing about how teachers are not aware the characteristics of learning differences, how a child’s self-esteem suffers because of it and how testing to recongnize learning differences need to be changed as well as teaching stratagies. I myself have felt embarrassed, inadequate, stupid, and dumb in school. I know my son feels this too. Teachers need to be taught in college how to teach a child that learns differently and “Laws” need to be changed that will let them!

If you want to read and use any information in my essay I will gladly e-mail it to you. I have used statistics from” “Urgent Need For More Dyslexia Research” (http://www/dylexiamylife.org). I think most children that struggle and make C’s and D’s have an undiagnosed learning problem.

I don’t believe in the LABELS this country insists on giving us! Any child in America should have a right to learn no matter what speed their learning style is. In my tenth grade history class, I had a teacher that taught the way I learn. It was the only time I made straight A+’s. The only time I made an “A” period!The rest of my grades, especially math, were not that good. I often wonder what my life would be like, because I am a very creative person with low self-esteem and doubt, if all my teachers had taught in a way I could learn.

I would like to know how you feel about my three options in my essay. I would like to know what caused you a lot of grief and pain in school, the children, the teachers or your parents not understanding what you really needed?
If you don’t have time to answer any of these question, okay. Good Luck!
Shannon Willinger

Dear Shannon,

Wow! I am very moved by what you said and totally agree. My son is in this very spot. We are in this never-ending vaccuum with the school, etc. I would love to read your essay as well.

Wow you are to be congratulated. I almost had tears in my eyes, okay truthfully I did have tears. I am a parent of 2 child with LD. One who is dyslexic and extremely intelligent and yet will not take honors classes due to the volume of reading required. In what can only be considered a twist of fate her disability (reading) is also her best learning style. Now we are faced with her brother, a first grader with 10 times the problems and luckily he is also smart but he lacks the ability to struggle. He is easily frustrated and saddened. As a parent it is hard to know that because of a lack of proper education these 2 children will never be all that they can be. I think it is such a waste that children, adults too, are too quickly disposed of when they potentially hold the keys to our future.

I would like to read your essay as well and hope that ldonline will publish it.

I do teach and can tell you that the laws are there… they just aren’t followed consistently. read my piece on Adults with ADHD “Years of Tears”. I failed math twice in high school. My senior year I had a teacher who taught algebra in a way that I could learn. When I went to college (a catholic university in ND), my math professor was a priest and said use your calculators and that he would even “bless them” if it helped. one professor for statistics let me take exams in his office using the book for the formulas and steps. I got an A in both of these classes. You have a right to ask for these accomodations. See if you have a good advocate in your area to help you seek accomodations. I can give you more help on strategies that worked for me if you wish. As for the schools and the teachers, i think the big push by the president and most states to have the teacher be “accountable” for how the students do on standardized testing is backfiring for the LD kids. Their scores do not count usually. They are coded so that they donot bring the class or school scores down, yet are usually required to take the tests. Maybe the regular ed teachers feel that since these students do not count on the testing that they are srutinized for….well, I think a lot of them could care less and just push them off on the special ed teachers to deal with, who are very overworked and stressed as well. We have a big mess in the school systems. Although there are many good schools and systems and teachers… you would be surprised to find out how many teachers do not have a clue about what LD is or what to do about it. I have had my students told that they are “slow” by other teachers… and I have some gifted LD and EBD students! It is sad but more people need to come together to make positive changes happen. Talking about it is a great first step!!!!!
Georgia

Tyler,

This sounds like a very interesting and important presentation. Do you have a written paper about your experiences that you could share with the readers of LD OnLine?

Thank you for sharing your story online.

Kathleen Ross-Kidder, Ph.D.
Director,
LD OnLine

Hi Georgia,

Please tell me more about this coding issue you brought up regarding the standardized test and the how the LD kids scores don’t count. Very, very interested.

Thanks

Dear Shannan,
I have just come to this site for the first time and want to know how I get to read your essay. Itis it this site (http://www/dylexiamylife.org).
Joni

Dear Shannan,
I have just come to this site for the first time and want to know how I get to read your essay. Itis it this site (http://www/dylexiamylife.org).
Joni

Joni,
I tried to send you an e-mail answering your questiion, but my computer had other ideas. I do not know if you got my email, so I’ll answer your question here. If you want to read my essay I’ll have to send it to you. It is about seven pages double spaced plus my works cited page, it will be about three pages single spaced. I do not think I can put it in the chat room so I will send it to you after my professor is finished with it, as it will no doublt need revisions. I used some of the information from www.dyslexiamylife.org (statistics) and the Misunderstood Minds special that was on aired on PBS the other night. By the way, the book Dyslexia My Life is a good book just in case anybody wants to read it.. I nearly cried all the way through it, because I was a little rough on my child (with him doing his homework) before I read about dyslexia, because I didn’t understand. I wish I had known. I just found out a couple weeks ago that not every state recognizes or helps dyslexia or LD children. I live in Texas, at least here they recognise dyslexia to some extent.
Shannon

What it means to be learning disabled. It means that you know you will always have to work 10 times harder then everybody also, just to understand basic information. It sometimes means understanding the concept, but not the process. Sometimes it even means climbing a mount that you can’t even see the top, but you know it’s there.

What it means to be learning disabled. It means that you know you will always have to work 10 times harder then everybody also, just to understand basic information. It sometimes means understanding the concept, but not the process. Sometimes it even means climbing a mountain that you can’t even see the top, but you know it’s there.

Tyler,

Congratulations on your wonderful accomplishments. You are a great guy to share your experiences with others.

As a mom of a 9 yr. old ld son all I can say that parents of ld kids muliply the worries of every day parenting 10x. There isn’t a day that goes by the I don’t worry about my son’s future when ge grows up. He is a great person and it causes me alot of pain to watch him have to work so hard.

Best of luck to you.

I would like a copy of your paper. I am a parent of an LD child and a LD teacher. I can relate to all of the stories I have read. Good Luck! And Thanks for your contribution to helping our childrens’ cause get heard!

Tyler M.

First of all congratulations on your accomplishments. I know you have worked long and hard to attain your goals..

I have a gifted LD daughter who is has audio and visual processing delays, fine motor problems and ADD. I think dyslexia is the umbrella that all these different problems fall under. Because she is adopted and I had no trouble with reading, it has been a challenge. We did not go the special ed route in school, but provided private intervention with Lindamood Bell multisensory tutoring. She is up to grade level in reading and making outstanding progress.

I will say, though, with the use of AT in the classroom the children can excel. For some reason, she also has a double dose of determination.

I would like to receive a copy of your presentation when you have it finished. I am always reading inspiring stories to her about people who have difficulties. I agree with the post above and like I tell her: You have to work twice as hard as everyone else to achieve 1/2 as much. Good luck and please let us know how we can get a copy when you are finished.