Dyslexia

Someone asked me to write about being a dyslexic author. Each genetic combination that results in dyslexia is unique, that’s why it is now part of the DSM-V definition of autism spectrum disorder. By the way, dyslexia is not caused by Tylenol, neither is autism.

While there is a universal collectiveness of any human trait, additional influential factors make each of us, dyslexic or not, unique. I like that.

In sixth grade, I changed schools midyear. The new school was in the midst of a spelling contest between the two sixth grade classes. Although I knew every word perfectly the night before, I bombed the test by missing two words. The teacher called me before the class. I stood looking at the floor, trying to become invisible. The teacher, Mrs. Smith, said, “Look at everyone.” I looked at a girl in front of me with curly blonde hair and blue eyes. She met my gaze. Mrs. Smith explained to the class that I had lost the competition for everyone. Then she looked at me and said, “I don’t know if you’re stupid or lazy.” I was horrified and didn’t want to make things worse by shedding a tear. The girl’s blue eyes brimmed with tears. Then I was dismissed to return to my seat in the back of the room.

The answer is, neither, I am dyslexic. I taught myself to read at age 14. Looking back I was functionally illiterate until then and no one noticed.

As is said about a deficit in one area, it increases the abilities of another or other characteristics. When I tutored statistics to a blind student at university, his inability to see the stairs made him walk down them fearlessly fast, almost to the point of making me fall—that fearlessness is an unknown risk of being a sighted guide on outdoor staircases.

As Temple Grandin, Ph.D, said at an autism conference that I attended, if there was a cure for autism, she wouldn’t want it. Autism is part of who she is, just like being dyslexic is part of who I am. It’s part of how I can write such a compelling story as Kathryn’s story. https://cactusrainpublishing.com/the-trilogy/ Scroll down and view the videos.

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