Dyslexic thoughts: an interview about dyslexia (part 1)

This week’s post is one of the main reasons why I started this blog. It’s an interview about dyslexia. I am really excited when such nice ideas are realized and I am certain that you will love it as much as I did.

But first, a bit of background information. The interviewee wants to keep his anonymity. He was born in Athens, Greece in 1983. As a child he was diagnosed with dyslexia. The purpose of this interview is to shed light on his story which defined him while growing up.

I decided to split it in two parts because I figured it was too big to fit in a single post. Here we go!

How old were you when you were diagnosed with dyslexia? How did you know?

I was 7 years old; I had just finished the first grade of primary school. My parents noticed that I was having trouble with retaining information and I was also making lots of grammatical and syntax mistakes. What's more, spelling was my weakest spot.

Did your teacher inform your parents that you may be having learning difficulties?

No. She just told them that I was very negligent with my homework. She thought I  was naughty and I didn’t want to study. My mother was the one to suspect that I may have some kind of learning disorder. She was also dyslexic. It is common for dyslexia to run in families. When she was young, they didn’t call it dyslexia. But she knew she was different from the other kids at school. On the other hand, my elder brother was very good with dictation and he had a very appealing handwriting so he wasn’t even tested.

What did your parents do when they suspected you have learning difficulties?

Once they realized that there was something going on, they immediately took me to a private center specialized in learning difficulties. There, I was subjected to various tests both oral and written and the results indicated I was dyslexic. I will always thank my parents that trusted their instincts. Otherwise, my dyslexia would have gone undiagnosed.

How did you feel when they told you that you have dyslexia?

At first, I didn’t know what dyslexia is. After they explained it to me, I felt injustice. I was overwhelmed by this new reality and I couldn’t figure out how to cope with it in the beginning. After a while, my feelings shifted. I felt really relieved that my learning difficulty had a name and the experts in the center were more than qualified to help me deal with it.

What difficulties did you face at school due to dyslexia?

It was very hard for me to retain any information. I was bad at spelling too. I couldn’t understand and solve any mathematical problems the way this was done at school. Whenever I went to the center, the experience was entirely different. I was able to understand Maths to a centain point and I got better with my memory too. Just a reminder though. Dyslexia doesn’t affect intelligence. It’s a common misconception and many dyslexics are traumatized by that. 

After you were diagnosed with dyslexia, did you manage to handle it in a better way at school?

At first, no. As I said before, school teachers taught in the conventional way which was unsuitable for a dyslexic person. After 4 years, I started seeing a difference. I could retain information in my mind, I was doing better at almost all subjects at school and this boosted my self-confidence. I started believing in myself and I was able to attend school, without having to constantly worry if I am going to make it through the day. Actually, I felt that I belonged somewhere.

Have you been bullied because of dyslexia?

Many times. Actually, I was bullied by my classmates on a daily basis and some teachers were a part of this too. I was made to read aloud while standing in class so that the other kids could make fun of me. Some teachers even let them do so while others disapproved of this behavior. In general, it was tough because I felt there was no one to support me.

After you learned to cope with dyslexia was there still any bullying towards you?

Dyslexia never goes away. It’s not an illness. It’s just your mind functioning in a different way. So, no matter how well I managed dyslexia, it was always there and it still is. So was the bullying. Even when I moved on to middle school, there were a lot of children that continued making fun of me. One would think that this was going to stop as we were growing up. That wasn't the reality though and I can assure you it wasn’t fun at all.

That's the end of the first part. I would love to read your experience on dyslexia in the comments down below. If you liked this post, don't forget to share it!