Dyslexia “The D Word” Part 2: Identifying as dyslexic. How a lable can be a GOOD thing.
By Rachel Moore, MD, Certified Dyslexia Practitioner
In the first post of this series, we discussed using the word dyslexia as a diagnosis. That approach looks at dyslexia as a “condition”, something you “have”. But there is another way to use the “d word”. It can be used to help people who are struggling to become stronger.
Dyslexia as an explanation. When my daughter and my husband each found out they were dyslexic…it came as a tremendous relief. Finally, finally, there was an explanation for what they had been living. They were NOT stupid, NOT crazy. They really WERE trying hard when no one believed them. All the pieces fit. They are not nearly alone. This is a common experience among people with dyslexia.
Dyslexia is a great “explaining” word. It’s simple. It says what it is – dys (difficulty) + lex (word) + ia (condition). It doesn’t sound like an insult. When you are having trouble reading at school and someone makes fun, you can just say, “I’m dyslexic, you idiot,” and they’ll usually stop. True, people have some crazy ideas about it – like that you can read backwards (some sort of can) or it’s just about switching letters, but that’s a conversation starter! Dyslexia is a good explanation.
Dyslexia as a positive identity. We’ve all seen the videos…”Look at all these geniuses who are dyslexic!” “Einstein was dyslexic, maybe you are Einstein!” Or those “ Dyslexic Advantage” folks. Some of this might be taking things a little too far (and it might put too much pressure on our kids). It’s not scientifically accurate to say that all kids with dyslexia get a “consolation prize” of being world-conquering superheroes. They come in all shapes and sizes. However, it IS important to point out that dyslexia is nothing to be ashamed of; that there are many dyslexic people in the world and that a lot of them are very successful.
It’s also fair to point out that just because a person is struggling with one skill does not mean they don’t have plenty of strengths in other areas. In fact, it is critical to connect kids with dyslexia with their areas of strength and help them develop those. If you can imagine going to work every day and feeling inadequate at your job while being surrounding by people who easily complete the tasks with which you struggle, then you have some idea what dyslexic kids go through at school. That terrible feeling needs to be balanced with a strong positive experience of doing something else (whether it’s music, dance, sports, art, gardening, whatever!) really well.
Some people believe that folks with dyslexia tend to have strengths in similar areas. And it does seem like a lot of dyslexic people are excellent with “big picture” thinking or gifted at model- building or tasks requiring spatial visualization. Time will tell if these observations are proven true – brains are pretty complicated. But, in the meantime, it is clearly helpful for those who are dyslexic to gather around a positive dyslexic identity to counter all the negative energy they receive in a world that has labeled them “less than”. And it’s a great way to find support and information like at the International Dyslexia Association.
Some parents worry about labeling their child. And one of the ways we use dyslexia is as a label. But labels can be positive. And in our experience, dyslexia is mostly perceived as a positive label. It lets kids (and adults!) know what is going on with their learning. It reassures them that they can learn to read, write and spell. And it lets them know they are not remotely alone.
