Dyslexia success stories

Dyslexia is an umbrella term so even those of use with severe and moderate dyslexia won't have the same experience as your DD.

I live with stealth dyslexia so I got all the nonsense from the teachers, to the point I had term long detentions, and none of the help. I hated school with a passion but I was in the top 2% every time, goodness knows how since I was persistently accused of idlitis. I was diagnosed with dyslexia in my late 30s, with the issues I displayed it should have been picked up early but that was not the way schools or colleges worked then. I have 2 x NVQ level 5s and various other qualifications, I'm not academic in the traditional sense but I am practical. I taught myself to code PHP, CSS, and HTML 20 years ago, I don't keep those skills up now, no need but it is a creative and problem solving outlet for some dyslexics.

2 key things I felt helped.

Reading was always a big thing growing up, house was full of books and encouragement to read at all times. No one answered any questions, they had to be looked up every time.

Finding interests that challenged and encouraged me was key to stave off the self esteem issues dyslexia can cause. If I could achieve in creative and sporting tasks then failing a little elsewhere was less of a big thing.

I'd support anyone with dyslexia in anything they are interested in, it could be a life saver from the horrors of low self esteem.

There is an anthropologist who was working on a research paper about the origins of dyslexia in the population. She herself is a dyslexic, if I remember I'll try and look her name up, she has an interesting theory about the role dyslexic thinking plays in the evolution and societal developments in human groups.

Edited it to add, I get fed up of people using the term superpower for dyslexia, if it helps you then fine but don;t force the idea on me, this is not a world designed for dyslexic thinkers, for good reason, it would be sodding madness if it was.

How did she do it? Did she go to uni? How?

My niece has a degree, she’s dyslexic.

My DH is also dyslexic and just to counter all these ‘I’m dyslexic but academic’ stories, he’s a tradesman. He earns decent money. He works mostly by himself so can take his time with stuff but most of what he does is numbers and measurements. It has surprised me how much dyslexia affects his life in other ways, he can’t read long emails from school and take in the info for example, his organisation skills are poor but he realises this and mostly copes with alarms/reminders etc.

I have severe dyslexia. When I was in a state primary school, I was told that getting through to my GCSEs would be challenging. Thankfully, I attended a supportive secondary school that offered additional learning support. With hard work, I not only completed my education but excelled, earning a first in my BSc and a distinction in my master’s degree, achieving the highest mark in my course. Today, I’m a consultant at an engineering company and one of the youngest at my level of seniority.

One of my proudest moments was when, after five years of working with my manager, I finally shared that I had dyslexia. She was surprised—she hadn't noticed any signs of it from my written work. With the help of tools like Word and ChatGPT, I can express my ideas fully, using my abilities without being limited by dyslexia. It was hard work and my confidence still suffers but it has limited impact on my day to day life now.

The trick is to find what she is good at. It can be quite demoralising for them to only be focusing on areas of challenge.

Both of my DS are scientifically minded. One is finishing A levels and the other is doing a Masters at a top uni. Both of them probably got some of the lowest Sats scores in the phonics areas in their year.

Use technology to help. Audiobooks are great as they allow children to access the narrative without the barrier of reading. Both of mine type their work and use the read out loud option to spot mistakes. There is even a google tool that converts text into podcast discussions which is good for learning new topics.
Also check out
https://collins.co.uk/pages/barrington-stoke

for dyslexia friendly books.

Susan Hampshire, a well known older actress has dyslexia.

Ds2 dictated his GCSEs and A levels. He then used speech to text at uni. His spelling is still pretty hit and miss but he uses spell check and types everything now
His written work was unreadable when handwritten. Bit better now but he really types everything. He takes "rough" notes by hand though
He is very articulate as a result of having to dictate whole paragraphs to a scribe at school. State school.
History and Politics at uni. No scribe but he did used to ask us to check his grammar
There's never been a point where he has checked out of reading and researching but he isnt very interested in reading "books" for pleasure, ie fiction

Through my children’s diagnosis I have also been diagnosed as dyslexic. Though not as severe as you described your daughter, I am a classic ‘dyslexic masker’ that used short term photographic memory through school and uni. I also learned off reading that I might be asked to do in school. I studied hard but would have benefited from time management support, overlays, exam techniques, typing rather than my SLOW writing, etc. I am successful in my career and a higher earner (Mumsnet beloved 6 figure amount)

My brother is severely dyslexic, he is creative and a master problem solver, running his own successful business.

My father, while not diagnosed, is definitely severely dyslexic. Though retired now, he owned and led a multi-million pound business.

DC are dyslexic, older is in 2nd Yr of Uni, younger is doing A Levels.

My mother is NT but was proactive and resourceful in 80’s ensuring my brother had every possible support. I can totally understand why she didn’t see I was also dyslexic, proud of my masking 😂. With so much support now available I try to follow my Mother’s example - use every resource, create a culture of hard work being celebrated (not the result), understand that dyslexia is so much more that a spelling / reading issue: time management needs to be supported, language processing in general needs to be understood.

If you are NT, it may be worth sharing with you that it has taken me 14 mins to type this reply to this point. Why? I have had to re-read at least 10 times to see if I can see which words I have mixed up, which words I thought of but skipped when typing. Self editing is so hard as you can’t see many of your own typos. And I’ve just re-read x 2 and found more typos that I couldn’t see in the previous 10 attempts, it’s exhausting. Hopefully I have sorted them all now.

My DD was assessed as having severe dyslexia when she nearly 8. School put her on some programmes but what turned her around was private specialist tutoring that she had for 2.5 years from age 9. Learnt whole new way of reading, spelling, managing maths problems. She got 3 A grade A Levels & is at Uni. She still needs some support especially with organisation & checking things has a support worker at Uni she can link in with

DS - dyslexic but also latterly diagnosed ASD. Struggled academically but does have great visual spacial abilities, which is common in ND people so very good practically. Also has an amazing sense of direction and is a great driver. I digress. Did engineering/electrical course at college which he excelled at and we realised he was far from stupid, very bright in fact.. This led to an engineering apprenticeship which he is in the final year of and doing brilliantly. He was their apprentice of the year and is on course for a great career in engineering. He already earns more than me 😁

DD - dyslexic and recently diagnosed ASD. Failed her SATs (and the stupid phonic awareness test multiple times) and was assumed not the brightest. However, Ed psych tests revealed a spikey profile with extremely high ability in some areas but shocking short term & working memory. Like DS, she's great practically, particularly good at art and music, very creative. She has also developed a love of reading (once she finally learnt to read!) which no doubt helped her academically. Through sheer determination and hard work she exceeded her predicted grades at GCSE (predicted 3&4s, got 7s). Is planning to go to Uni next year where I have confidence she will excel in her chosen course.

DH - undiagnosed dyslexic (became obvious once the DCs were diagnosed). Struggled at school, labelled thick, got no help whatsoever. He clearly isn't thick. Like DS, he's great practically and also extremely determined and hard working and managed to get a decent job in engineering. With more help, I'm sure he would've done even better.

I will say that my DCs received a lot of help, most of which I paid for (private English & Maths tutors throughout high school). They do get extra time and adjustments in exams. They are also both very hard working and determined by nature. I would love to go back to their primary school (who overlooked them in favour of the "brighter" children) and share their successes as would a friend whose son they wanted to go to kick out of the school as they thought he was beyond help and would screw up their sats results - he's now doing an art degree!

As a teacher I see lots of kids with dyslexia. We have lots of kids who use reading software in their exams, many type longer answers, some have human readers and/or scribes. There are lots of accommodations available these days to allow students to show their own best work.

The most impactful things you can do at home:

Make sure your child has lots of opportunity to succeed, and celebrate what they're good at (academic or otherwise).

Put in the hours with the reading. 10-15 minutes every day, just make it part of your daily admin, like showering, brushing teeth, making the bed etc. Same as you would do if you had a child that needed daily physio exercises, for example. Speak to your SENDCO for specific advice.

My eldest brother is dyslexic and has 2 degrees and a business. 2 of my children who are dyslexic - one less severely so who is doing well. The other is 10 (diagnosed at 7) At which point he couldn't read or write at all. He has a measured iq of 140+ but currently can barely write, he can't spell at all, he can read reasonably well now having had intense input just working on this skill alone. He is also autistic and that makes everything harder as he has speech problems also. For him there is absolutely no super power in his dyslexia - for him it is a profound disability.

The Dyslexic Advantage by the Eides is a good book if you want to read positive stories about people with dyslexia doing well after struggles. The book also covers some of the science behind dyslexia couched in simple terms and identifies the strengths associated with the condition.

Spectacles can’t help dyslexia, but that can help if there is a concurrent refractive error or eye muscle imbalance.
it’s worth investigating is coloured overlays help, they do in about 1 in 20 cases.

DS is a highly regarded architect. DD has a good degree, further degrees and has just qualified as a teacher (career change).

Both severely dyslexic. They have had to work very hard.

I'm dyslexic, as is my DS and a significant proportion of my wider family. I taught myself to read before starting school, but my mother threw a party when my sister was officially declared functionally literate at age 16.
Dyslexia profiles really vary. My sister dictated all her exams and used audio books or a screen reader for anything she has to read. That was over 20 years ago, and shes gone on to get a degree and has a great (but unusual) career. Your DC school had no excuse for not supporting her, but you need to get on top of what to ask for and make it happen. She should get extra time and IT to assist at a minimum.

My husband is dyslexic. He has two degrees and a masters degree. He has his own successful business and brings home a 6 figure salary.

My youngest is severely dyslexic. He was failed by his primary school but had an ehcp for secondary school and went to
a school with specialist support. He got the lowest possible score for his English sats in year 6 but went on to do reasonably well in GCSEs. He’s now at college studying what he loves.

the specialist support is key.

personally I hate references to Richard Branson etc as they came from affluent backgrounds and had the money to access any specialist support they needed. Certainly not available in our family.

I'm very dyslexic and have had a successful career, currently in a senior leadership role as well as 10 GCSEs, 3 a levels, a degree and several professional qualifications.

At work I'm considered one of the best and brightest because I see things differently, come up with innovative ideas and see problems in ways other people don't.

I had no idea though until my mid 20s when one of my managers had me tested in utter despair because I excelled at some aspects of my job and bombed at others.

Dyslexic people tend to have low self esteem because they will have gone through a lot of their life being told things like:

You need to try harder
You're thick
You'll never amount to anything if you carry on like this
Having to do "special reading" at school because you're just not keeping up, meaning you miss vital learning in other lessons
Not being allowed to take the higher level papers (eg Maths GCSE)
Simply feeling stupid because you don't "get" something

The things I had that were really helpful were:

A dyslexia coach, who taught me skills I use today
A good understanding of where I excel and where I don't - for instance, language is my top strength and maths is my worst. So I avoid jobs where I have to do a lot of analysis, mathematics etc as it's really stressful for me.
A really, really good understanding of what dyslexia actually is, as it's not a reading condition or a learning disability

I would say for you DD the key is to find a way to boost her confidence. She also really does need to find a way to navigate the reading thing as it's the gateway to everything else - I'm sure you're well aware literacy is key - but there are so many ways to access the written word she just needs to find what works for her (read aloud software, coloured glasses etc).

I'm not going to lie, dyslexia presents many barriers and frustrations. Whether it's someone deciding you're too stupid to do your job you're perfectly good at when they discover you're dyslexic (happened to me twice), people making fun of you (a lot) just the sheer exhaustion you get from having to try so much harder that everyone else (all the damn time) the embarrassment of the other bits of dyslexia no one talks about (eg getting lost easily including in the office you work in all the time).

BUT she can find her lane and her strengths and excel. Also, these days I quite enjoy laughing at people who get confused when I talk about being dyslexic as they can't compute how I'm so good at my job because they have preconceptions and instantly decide I shouldn't be able to read.

There is a dyslexic school. They teach to the children’s strengths. I would have moved to gain a place.

Interesting, my child struggled with the coding aspect of their degree and suffered a bit of vision dustress too, which is linked to dyslexia.
Also a verbal dispraxic but whilst sometimes struggles over the odd word, is very social.
Dispraxia and dyslexia are closely linked.
Only wish I had known this even 10 years ago so they might have been diagnosed earlier.
My children are privately educated and it is disappointing that it was missed.
Finding out at university is very late, but better late than never.

DH didn't find out he was dyslexic until adulthood... it was our DD being tested that made him realise! He was just told he was useless at spelling, reading etc. (But passed the 11+ based on reasoning etc!)

He's a reasonably successful Army Officer. I have to proof read all his written correspondence (and do any official hand written stuff for him). Theres quite a bit in his job.

Good luck to your DD. Fortunately we are passed the stage of seeing dyslexic children as lower ability... personally I think its made my DD more determined and hardworking.

DS1 is dyslexic. I home educated him to GCSEs. He couldn't read fluently until about age 11 and really struggled with spelling.

I gave him lots of time to learn to read and write. But I also supported him in going at a faster pace with maths/science/computing which were his strengths. I made sure his dyslexia did not get in the way of that.

After doing well in GCSEs as a private candidate, he went to our local state 6th form and did 4 A levels. He got 3 A stars and an A, which were the top results for his year group.

He is now in his 2nd year at Durham University studying Maths. First year exam results were equivalent to a first.

Cbbc have a website that helps typing. I think it's called garage band or something similar.

I thought the jury was out on overlays though in terms of evidence that they do anything.