Transitioning from dyslexic teen to adult: What you need to know.
Transitioning from dyslexic teen to adult
with Natalie Brooks (from Dyslexia in Adults)
Do you have a teen who has dyslexia or another learning disability?
What sort of supports do they receive now, as a teenager?
Have you considered what sort of support they will (or will not!) receive as an adult?
“I’ve found that growing up means being honest.
About what I want. What I need. What I feel. Who I am.”
- Epiphany
If you have a teen who learns differently (ADHD, dyslexia, or another learning disability), your family might be used to things like IEP forms to fill out, IPRC meetings, accommodations, learning new assistive technology and lots of paperwork. These things may feel a bit overwhelming at times, but we know the intention behind them is to support your teenager to be able to learn and thrive in the way that works best for them.
However, as you transition from a teen to an adult, there can be a lot of unanticipated changes in the supports that surround your teen. As our kids move out of the school system, the framework and guidance often drops off as well…and many haven’t considered what this will be like. It may feel like society thinks that learning differences don’t continue to exist within adulthood.
So what do we do to prepare our teenagers for this shift?
We spoke to Natalie Brooks from Dyslexia in Adults who shared not only her story, but also her tips and insights into what it is like to make a transition away from that supportive framework.
Natalie was fortunate to go to a school in the UK that was specifically designed to help kids who have dyslexia. However, when she transitioned out of it, she realized how little was out there to help adults, both in the workplace and in society in general. She decided that more awareness, support, and community was needed for adults who have dyslexia, and her organization was born (check it out here)..
Some themes that Natalie discussed to help teens on their journey were the importance of:
Decreasing Shame: It is so important for all of us to help to decrease shame and stigma. When we help teens to feel less shame surrounding their learning difference, this travels with them into adulthood. We need to share messages that everyone has strengths + struggles and the value in vulnerability and honesty (like sharing real and embarrassing stories of your struggles!) to normalize mistakes and differences.
Understanding Yourself: When we better understand ourselves, we can own who we are and feel more comfortable and confident in that space. We need to help our teens realize that they cannot have the strengths they have without the struggles - many of them go hand in hand with our learning differences.
Acceptance and Self-Kindness: There is value in being able to laugh at ourselves and accept our quirks! It is also important to help teens realize that they are worth their challenges (read that again!), and that even if they struggle in some areas, that they bring a lot of value to other areas (differences actually bring value to a team!).
Self-Advocacy: As our teens move into post-secondary school and/or the workforce, they will need to have strong self-advocacy skills to be able to get what they need. As they become an adult there are no longer parents, special education staff, teachers etc. working to help them with accommodations and questions - they need to be able to ask for what they need.
Learning Strategies: Arming our teens with tools, and with learning how to learn, will help them no matter where they are on their learning journey (or their life journey in general!).
Natalie’s insights were helpful and applicable to many different situations. She spoke about how this all applies to the workplace, to conversations with your boss, how to navigate relationships and friendships, and how educators and parents can support their teens through these transitions. Natalie’s Masterclass, along with lots of other expert content is available in our FREE Support Library, resources about dyslexia, and supporting teenagers (check out here, here and here).
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Written by Jill Watson, B.Ed., M.Ed., OCT.