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.

My DH had an awful time at school. His reports from primary school are shocking (they didn't sugarcoat in those days!) He absolutely hated it and describes school as hell.
He left school with 2 or 3 o-levels. Bummed around for a bit then got a job that sparked his interest in one area of the field and his company paid for him to do a degree in that area. He graduated and became one of their best investments. He eventually left there and started his own company which he sold for a lot of money. He started another business which has been successful (mostly) and is really a hobby as it's his special interest and he earns a decent amount of money.
He's recently diagnosed Dyslexic & ADHD, thanks to our DS being same.

My cousin's grandson has graduated as an OT and has obtained a position as an OT in a hospital.

ETA Apologies - accidentally quoted entire post.

Both my DC are dyslexic but couldn't be more different, which illustrates that the 'dyslexic experience' is not universal, but depends on a range of factors. I'm a teacher and see this very clearly with the dyslexic learners I work with.

DC2 is likely to get through secondary school with decent grades through 'hard work' and having learnt both strategies to manage the dyslexia and to really play to her strengths in other areas, contributing to an overall sense of doing OK.

DC1 is crashing out of school altogether despite being a marginally stronger reader and speller than DC2. The difference, and 'culprit', is DC1's absolutely shocking working memory and huge challenges with processing information in all forms. Despite brilliant support since primary school through an EHCP (and DC1 being essentially bright, curious and a talented artist and musician) this key aspect of the dyslexic profile is very pronounced in DC1, rendering all learning, not just decoding and encoding (reading and writing, essentially), really difficult. DC1 has 'worked hard' (as have we as parents, and every teacher, TA and SENDCo that's worked with DC1) since starting school, to the point of exhaustion, to little avail.

My advice would be to lean into getting as much support as you possibly can for your DC, and to read up on the entitlement of all children with SEN to access the curriculum.

Keep on the front-foot and inform yourself about the options for alternative learning pathways and qualifications in the event that your DC ends up not entering for GCSEs; there are lots of options but the onus is currently on parents to scramble around to find suitable alternatives.

Please remember that not all hard work reaps the same rewards: dyslexia presents very specific cognitive challenges and impairments which present differently in individual learners. Don't for a moment think your DC is not working as hard as another parent's dyslexic DC if your DC is not attaining similarly. Your DC is putting in all they've got, and it's the job of the adults in education to meet your DC where s/he is.

Good luck, OP. Be your DC's cheerleader and advocate on this journey.

I could have written your post when my DS was 12. My DS has profound dyslexia, struggled all throughout school and I had exactly the same concerns as you. My dad always told me, don't worry, he'll find his thing. I thought that on the day he left school he'd run away from education as far as possible. He is now on his second year at uni studying music technology and doing well and is enjoying it. Despite the fact he still struggles with reading and writing. He didn't do very well with gcses but still managed to get a place, even though he didn't have minimum qualifications they were asking of him. When we went to the uni open day, I spoke with the head of the department who said that numbers for this particular course were small enough for them to be a bit more relaxed, and with the combination of his application stating he had learning needs as well as a good reference from the school (he never did well academically but always tried, was always well behaved and well liked by teachers) he was accepted.

I was also concerned about DS's self esteem. To try your hardest but to keep coming last in almost every lesson has got to make a dent. But I think this has made him more resilient in the long run and uni is a completely different experience. I always reminded him that being dyslexic will make him a natural problem solver and allow him to think outside the box.

I'm going to encourage him to find a summer job which will be his first job, I'm quite apprehensive because of his difficulties with reading/writing as well as things like mixing up times and days of week/month. But we are lucky really that we are living in times like this where work places are a lot more understanding and there is less discrimination around learning needs.

School is tough for people like your dd and my ds. But school is not the be all, it's a small part of their long life. I'm so glad Ds school days are over! And I still can't believe he is at uni, I would not have imagined it in a million years. At one point in year 8 he just broke down and refused to go to school for about 2 weeks he would sob and beg me not to go. Things can and will change for your dd, just be patient, her time will come.

Everyone brain connects differently according to a whole variety of factors. Dyslexics have a neurobioloical difference that affects the way we process language, for example fluent word recognition, word construction, working memory, and or phonics along with others. While both sides of the brain are used in performing some of these tasks, it is mostly the left side of the brain that deals with the technical functions of processing language.

For brain function efficiency we need short connections to make fast and accurate processing between different areas of the brain. Dyslexic brains have some structural differences to non-dyslexic brains and scans have shown that where we cannot rely on the usual parts of the brain to process information or perform tasks we tend to seek help from other parts of the brain.This means we have to make longer and therefore slower and less effective connections to perform the same language tasks.

There was some research about dyslexics needing to use up to 5 times more of their brain area to process tasks. No wonder it is easy to get bogged down and go off on a tangent. It is also using up a huge amount of energy, tiredness and frustration can be hard to cope with, especially for a child.

Non-dyslexic brains are in the majority, they think and communicate in a fashion that has allowed humans to become a cohesive society, working together to survive. They have great problem solving abilities that is a good fit for most of society. We need the vast majority of people to be non-dyslexic to achieve this.

The dyslexic brain is more in tune with right brained activities, inventive, creative, and spacially aware. It thinks more in physical senses, 3-D and visual terms than in language terms. It views problems in a more hollistic, lateral, big picture way, turn over objects and 2D images in our mind to quite literally think around and through something which is a set of unusual advanced problem solving skills. This different thinking ability could be key to leaps in human development. Communities need dyslexic thinkers to make advances they would never have thought of even in large groups of non-dyslexics.

I personally think in images more than words, I'm quite often in blackout mode where I'm just doing a task or staring at something without thinking anything. Yet I am often told, and it is not always a compliment, that I ask the questions and come up with solutions that no one else thought existed. I can pour out ideas and solutions without concious consideration, hundreds of them downloaded in one go, I have no idea where they come from. I assess risk quickly and accurately so I offer the ideas with the most potential and least risk for their expected outcome. I am fast to pinpoint an issue that will arise and then discuss how it can be solved. I am apparently "bloody annoying" in these regards, I often keep my gob shut until I'm asked because I've had to learn it's not always wanted.

This is where the collaboration with non-dyslexics is vital, as they consider how the dyslexic big picture thinking and solutions would work for everyone. They can run with a game changing idea alongside the dyslexic and make it work for most, and shed off some of the more "out there/bonkers" stuff our creative minds inevitably conjure up. Non-dyslexics form these ideas into something that can be organised properly something the dyslexic has more trouble with.

Non-dyslexics and dyslexics make for a better community when we work together. This is where we need some changes to include dyslexic thinking in the workplace, in public, and improve the self esteem of those who went through an education and employment system where they were singled out for bullying and punishment rather than help to learn.

Sadly although we make up around 10% of the population, 22% of dyslexics are unemployed, many are also underemployed for their abilities. Workplace discrimination is rife still, it is hard to feel valued when you do not think like your peers.

For me dyslexia is not a dysfunction. It really isn't, the problem lies with our society and for most in particular our education systems and how we assess learning, i.e. exams that are heavily dependant on whether you can process language through reading and writing rather than whether you can perform the actual task whether it is reading a book to rocket science and brain surgery.

I managed a career in technical cardiology, I only left due to ill health, I then got a degree and became a teacher and did some BSL / English interpreting on the side.

I once saw a programme about people with dyslexia, one architecture firm preferred dyslexic workers, the CEO said the cost figures would be all over the place but he knew the design would work, because it always did.

I would recommend a BSL course for your DD. The dyslexics I know picked it up quicker and the students without dyslexia and it has a logic to it that I find just makes sense. It's also very visual so if DD 'thinks in pictures' it will suit her better than French or Spanish.

I keep saying this on various posts but you can actually go to an FE college at 14. If she is one of these dyslexics who are good with practical stuff or is in to animals it might be a better route than school.

This is my local college, she would start with a Level 1 or 2 course and could then progress.

www.wolvcoll.ac.uk/courses

Winston Churchill in WWII talked about 'corkscrew thinkers', I think we dyslexics form a large part of these.

I often find solutions that others have not thought of, or I come to things from a different angle.

Many years ago my parents were involved in a disability group. The group created a course for taxi drivers to help them help disabled customers. Only one taxi company signed up.

The group was at a loss as to how they could get others involved. I told them to contact the local paper and have a photo with the taxi company staff who had done the training with a recommendation that disabled and/or elderly people only use companies that had undergone the training.

I'm dyselxic. I'm the commercial director for a 20mil turnover company.

I find numbers easier than words.

Not sure how severe I am - lay people insist it must be mild as I got to Uni - but actual educational psychologists who tested me age 20 at Uni didn't say that - in fact I have typical spiky profile and he was surprised with my handwriting speed I managed to get a A in essay subject. In end diagnosed with dyslexia and dyspraxia - which explained a lot.

I "got" reading later than peers and was considered years behind but with time and support at school massively improve and was then was put in high reading groups after that and avidly read at home - but spelling was always a major issue. My mother raised possibility late 80 to mid 90s I may have dyslexia - but teachers always shut that down called it carelessness and laziness. In end I pushed to get tested at 20 - and yes I was and then everyone had always thought I was - one of my siblings was as well.

I got a 2:1 undergraduate degree and when on to get a Masters - the new uni had support groups where we'd be told dyslexics do this dyslexics think like this and we'd be like err no that not true for all of us. So I'm sceptical about universal dyslexic experiences as a result.

Pre kids had good well paid career in computing - and lived normal happy life since. Personally I find tech helps a lot - I was so bad with spelling that spell checkers weren't initially a help - but with age that's improved and my kids have had enough support not to be so bad - plus text to speech in word helps so much with finding mistakes - plus typing in workplaces means poor handwriting less and less an issue.

I think hardest thing has been kids inheriting my problems and we've put in a huge amount of home support and they did catch up and do well in exams. Though at 12 I was really worried about DD1 - first thing every teacher mentioned was her poor spelling - and that was was despite years of going though spelling programs at home. I think her phenomenal memory hid a lot of her problems - DS had dire working memory and often needed a huge amount of over learning but long term had fewer spelling issues.

One of DD2 friends is just diagnosed with server dyslexia and few other issues - she just completely failed the Y10 GCSE literacy exams despite her teacher parents getting her diagnosed and extra support just before- - her parents have found college course suited to her interests and ability - she has a route forward which suits her and she looking forward to.

This may have some catch up programs you haven't tried - (stick to British English ones)-

https://www.spelfabet.com.au/phonics-resources/catch-up/

You may also want to start researching Functional Skills exams - an alterative to GCSE in English and maths - that may or may not suit better.

I know she 12 but if you can and aren't already I'd look at getting outside tutor to school to try and bring the English Language skills up in time - there are years left to make progress in - it's a marathon not a sprint - and also keep on at the school for extra support.

I cannot overstate the amount of effort I put into my children learning to read every single day, right through the summer holidays for years.
By 8 they flourished and became avid readers, reading all the Harry Potters and all the Hunger Games type trilogies.

It takes effort and is tiring, but the benefits are huge.
Reading has never intimidated them.
The key thing is to start easy and build their confidence in their ability to read.

Reading will be fundamental to their confidence in their ability to study and do well, so building their self belief is key, but audio books are great too.

Op DD is 12 - - and she knew before 7 she was likely dyslexia I image she put in huge effort in support as well.

I felt overwhelmed at times with 3 kids all needing support - and pretty depressed that DD1 at 12 was still having huge problems with spelling despite all our hard work - and it was a lot. She is at uni now -doing well - so she got there in end though it looked touch and go for a while.

It can take longer to get there - but still worth pushing even at 12 - even some slight improvement could push her closed to the 4 needed in English - though it's so hard to keep going - and sometimes it's not going to happen and then you need a plan B.

Plan B may be longer or more meandering but can still get them somewhere they want to be.

Audio books, graphic novels - podcasts TV documentaries - all help expand knowledge and vocabulary - and she may benefit hugely some some exam concessions or they may be another dyslexia support program that just clicks with her or builds on her exiting skills enough.

One of the managers where I used to work has severe dyslexia. Started in the NHS at band 1 and is now a band 7 overseeing 100’s staff in their area and managing a department across several sites. They’re well liked and well respected and very open about their dyslexia and the challenges they’ve had. Think a good support network/employer can make a world of difference.

somewhat ironically the point the poster was (presumably unintentionally) making was that they themselves have terrible reading comprehension and were making assumptions based on something you didn't say....

@another1bitestheduck
Thanks for the back up!
I mean, to any parent who has fought the education system hard for years to get their child's SEN acknowledged and diagnosed, and is posting here asking for a morale boost, that was a pretty provocative post.

Hi, I've only glanced through the derailing comments.

I am dyslexic and only got diagnosed in university. I've got a degree in radiography which being able to visualise 3d structures (a skill often associated with dyslexia) helps.

.My mum, bless her, was really upset that she didn't push more when I was at school and manage to get me a diagnosis. At school I managed to do my exams with the normal amount of time with careful exam strategy, eg skipping questions I didn't understand on one or two read-throughs and going back to then at the end.

I didn't know my times tables when I left primary despite understanding some more advanced maths. 12 is quite a tricky age, when I really started to hide my difficulties I'd say. Later I did develop good coping strategies.

When I did GCSEs in the 2000s they were more dyslexic friendly than now. However, with the new government maybe they'll move back towards that a bit...

Good luck

I have dyslexia/dyspraxia. Currently an SEO in the civil service. I have a degree in history. I have worked out what works for me and what doesn't. I cannot read off yellow paper or take lots of notes when people are talking/coping from a white board/powerpoint. I am great at seeing what is needed outside of the box/solutions.

The problem with school is everyone is expected to be good at everything and you have to fight for reasonable adjustments until college/university.

I'm dyslexic, diagnosed in the very early 70's at time when there was very little understanding or recognition. I couldn't read until I was 9 or tell the time, recite the months of the year, the times table. I languished in the bottom streams at school until my parents took me out of school entirely at 13 and I taught myself. I couldn't tell you the number of exams I failed in order to scrape together a few O' levels by the time I was 18. I went into the workplace and then returned to education in my mid 20's and got a degree in computing. I understood that I was never going to be academic but I could make up for this by working twice as hard as my contemporaries, really putting the hours into study and practice. It's easy to be motivated to study this hard when you've spent a few years at the bottom working 70 hours a week being screamed at by a chef. I think my dyslexia has helped me enormously in my career. It's given me the permission to ask the stupid questions that everyone in the room was too embarrassed to ask themselves ("I'm sorry to stop you, sometimes I don't pick things up first time, can you explain that again, I not sure I follow your thinking"). I've worked at senior level for many companies who valued my skill in explaining complex problems in a simple terms so everyone can understand the issues. I've been very successful, top 1%-2%.

Tell her she can achieve anything she puts her mind to . I grew up not knowing I had it, as much as things were frustrating and extra challenging at times it didnt define me - I'm now a therapist 🙃 💜