Dyslexia success stories

[FluthyFeaffers]

Could anyone share any success stories about doing well in life whilst having severe dyslexia, either about yourself or a DC who is now an older teen or adult who has gone on to have a successful experience with college, or training, or a good job, and are on track to earn, or are already earning, a decent wage?
I have a 12 year old DD diagnosed with severe dyslexia who is bright and clever and wonderful but severely impacted at school by having a reading age of a 6 year old. Secondary school is all about passing GCSEs and I don't know how she is ever going to achieve any educational qualifications due to her reading age being 6 years behind her school year age.
I'm feeling very bleak and my child's self esteem is dramatically waning.
I really need to hear some positive stories about success with severe dyslexia after leaving secondary school if anyone would be kind enough to share - I'd like to share some positive stories with my DD.
A lot of dyslexia stuff online talks about famous people who are dyslexic, but DD doesn't really connect with these. I think successful and positive stories from more ordinary people would be much more helpful for her to feel encouraged by.
AIBU to feel defeated by the state education system and how it doesn't fit my DD.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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

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.

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

Susan Hampshire, a well known older actress has dyslexia.

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.

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.

Gosh, thank you all for your wonderful, supportive and greatly encouraging replies!
So many of you have gone into great detail and I truly appreciate the effort you have gone to to explain and describe things to me.
I'm really touched. Thank you each and every one of you.
I have just sat with a cup of tea, reading through, absorbing, taking notes, researching all of the suggestions.
I'm so grateful, and I feel very heartened.💜
Mumsnet at its finest.

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.

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

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.

'this is not a world designed for dyslexic thinkers, for good reason, it would be sodding madness if it was.'
@MarkingBad
What do you mean by this? Genujne question.
I'm interested because I'm learning about all it means to be dyslexic, in all the ways beyond difficulty in reading. I'm desperate to learn more about the way dyslexic people think.

Me, I wasn't diagnosed till what would now be classed as year 6. I was way behind in reading at that point by a number of years. But managed to leave high school with, 8 C and above GCSE'S. My old primary school teacher was well impressed. I have a degree in Physics as well 🙃, I had a love of science and was very determined to get my degree.

What really helped through high school was a lot of support from my parents and school who gave me extra lessons. I didn't do a language and had extra English instead. My parents also paid for extra English lessons after school, I think both these really helped me catch up. It was hard work, for everyone and I've always had to put in extra time and effort then a lot of other people even at work. But it was worth it.

Edited to add, once I became confident in reading myself, my mum would always buy me books. I read almost constantly for pleasure as a child once in high school. Yes I was reading books below my age group, but reading regularly has always helped. Even now I find if I don't read regularly I find it harder to read.

The Dyslexia Scotland website is good and Dyslexia Unwrapped is especially for young people.
I've been a teacher for a very long time. I've had dyslexic students who have gone on to do a huge range of careers. There so much technical support out there and your daughter will be entitled to exam concessions to help to make the exams more equitable.

My dd is dyslexic.
We found school not very effective.
2 things that helped massively were
Paying for a special dyslexia tutor once a week after school.
We discovered she had not properly learned phonics and getting those sorted out and securely learned in an age appropriate way helped lots.
The second one may or may not apply to your DC. We discovered Dd has visual stress. This meant her brain didn't process what she is seeing correctly. Words moved, she saw "rivers" between the words more than the text and she had a very small visual field which meant her brain couldn't read ahead like most people, so she was having to decode each word in turn and then try to put the sentence together.
We paid for a private assessment and she now has coloured lenses. They are a mix of 2 colours plus a UV filter.
This made a phenomenon difference.
She now has a good degree and is looking to do a Masters, but currently working. If you are interested in finding more there is a Facebook page called Visual stress help and support uk with lots of info about how it all works.

Dh is severely dyslexic. He struggled terribly at school.

He's very happy now as an adult, has a lot of friends, hobbies, and financially is very comfortable as he created his own company (car industry) and 'retired' at 45.

He's successful in every way, I couldn't be prouder of him. His brain is amazing, works things out that I can't!

He says his dyslexia frustrates him, but it doesn't hold him back.

A friend is dyslexic & is a successful architect.

Atrocious spelling and absolutely terrible at replying to text messages, i don't think he has read a book in a decade but very well regarded at what he does.

Another thing OP - phonics isn't great for dyslexic children. When my DD was in primary school I helped out as reading support, I could tell the undiagnosed dyslexic kids a mile off. There are other ways to learn how to read.

I actually love phonics myself but only as a gateway to other languages but I think these days often they have no concept of other ways to teach literacy and so tend to give up quite early on if the child doesn't "get" phonics.

I had great success with the suspected dyslexic readers I worked with as I taught them to recognise patterns of letters to form words rather than try and break it down into phonics and relate it to sounds. Amazing how quickly the whole thing would click for them.

I wish your DD well, she will be ok even if it's a bit of a journey. Having you in her corner is invaluable.

Youngest has a diagnosis of dyslexia, disgraphia and Adhd.

She has a degree, masters and now works formatting English Language online. Was always an excellent reader from an early age. I think because how dyslexia impacts on a person is so varied that the outcomes equally vary. Equally what works for a child varies.
she can read and spell extremely well but is affected by poor processing which she managea now by lists and planning the order to approach a task. This works for her because she has other skills to call upon but it might be counter productive for another child.