If Josh doesn’t pick up he may need to repeat a year.
When this was said to me at Josh’s parents evening I was devastated. How can my incredibly smart and funny boy repeat a year? Josh couldn’t cope with being put back, away from his friends, in the same class as his younger brother. This would kill his confidence. I knew I had to find out why.
Fighting for diagnosis
At three years old, Josh’s speech wasn’t great his nursery teachers would ask if he could speak. Of course he could, not great but I could understand him. By five his reading was nowhere near his peers’. Josh is my oldest son and it was clear from early on that reading was not going to come easily to him.
In the UK dyslexia is not tested for until a child is seven.
I paid to have a private test done at home. Josh showed signs of having dyslexia and was tested for dyspraxia which came back negative, he had trouble with his fricative sounds (usually associated with the letters S, F, V and Z).
As the years passed and with no solid diagnosis Josh’s self esteem and confidence started to plummet. He developed anxiety when he knew he had a reading day. He wanted to stay off school to avoid having to open a book. He got so anxious he started to pass out. I knew then I had to push for answers. Luckily for me I didn’t have to fight too hard as Josh’s school had funding and used it for children who required extra support with literacy. They invited a dyslexia team to work with a group of children who was showing signs of Dyslexia this meant Josh was on the way to get the answers we needed.
The team worked with the children for 8 weeks to build a picture of what support they required if any. Josh was given a support for learning teacher who would work with him in the coming months. This proved to be a positive result and his confidence started to improve. He built a great bond with his support teacher and I feel this was a big step in his struggle with anxiety and helping to build his confidence back up. He started to enjoy reading time and even looked forward to choosing a book to read himself. I could feel my tensions ease a little.
Now, armed with the tools we require, Josh and I have turned dyslexia into a positive. The campaign #MadeByDyslexia, which shows videos of people’s journey with Dyslexia has shown him that it’s not a negative thing. We speak about people such as Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, Jamie Oliver and Will Smith. Josh even had a writer visit his school who had published books called Abi Elphinstone. These are all people who have gone on to achieve greatness.
Empowering children in the classroom
Approx 15% of people have Dyslexia
20% of children in the classroom have dyslexia yet some still go undiagnosed and many teachers remain untrained in how to spot and support children with the condition.
Dyslexia can impact children greatly and more far reaching than the obvious ones. Anxiety is a common theme as children find them self in a position with something they have no control over like being unable to read out loud and can become stressed or anxious over it. Josh may find reading hard but he has so many other qualities and strengths. He is very visual and creative which is common traits for children with Dyslexia, he is a very good problem solver and can visualise a finished product in his head before most it’s just finding ways for him to get to that vision which is where the extra support comes in to place.
Dyslexia in the workplace - embrace the neurological differences
I used to fear for what the future would hold for Josh, I found myself often wondering what he would become. Would he attend Uni or would he go on to learn trades like his dad (who is also dyslexic) I stated in a previous blog that we can all learn a lot from having a more diverse workplace and we can learn even more from a dyslexic mind. I know I have and he’s only 11 now. I’m now excited for his future as I see him grow and speak his mind, I’ve always known he was a special soul and I just know he destined for greatness.
To finish I asked Josh if he would like to add anything to my blog and he told me “mum, I’m just so relieved because now I know I’m not just dumb. I know I’m smart and if I can’t do something I’ll just get someone else to help me do it because that is what all the siccessfull people do”.
That last sentence is how I know he will do just fine in life, and that is why I’m so incredibly proud to say my son is dyslexic.
