Dyslexia + Spelling Errors...now what?
Is it possible to write 'dyslexia' that many times to try to spell it correctly?
Ummm...YES.
Dyslexia. Dylexia. Dsylexia.
I actually go through the same spelling craziness, you see above, for some words and dyslexia happens to be one of them. Kinda ironic...right??
You see I spell using my strengths. I picture things in my mind. So when I'm faced with the word...such as dyslexia...I picture it and start to spell it out. Then I look at it and determine if it looks good or not.
Sometimes that strategy doesn't work as it might look good but it's spelled incorrectly. (laughing now) However, if I do think it looks off I resort to the next thing which is not my strength, letter sounds.
I ask myself...what are the sounds in this word and did I miss a letter or mix them up?
Now, this is a time-consuming process for someone that has a number of ideas that they want to get out into the world so at times spelling is not the highest priority but the idea is!
(by the way: Ideas ARE more important.)
But here's the beautiful thing. We now have the technology to help support spelling and writing. When I'm writing on my laptop or phone, spell check will support my spelling. Ohh and don't forget voice to text (which I have to say is the best technology around when you need it for spelling support).
And this technology allows me to make the connections again with the letters and the sounds but also allows me continue with getting my ideas down while getting added support for the areas I'm not so great at....make sense?
But you might still be wondering what is dyslexia and how does it relate to this struggle with spelling.
Well, I love how Sally Shaywitz describes dyslexia in her book 'Overcoming Dyslexia".
“Dyslexic children and adults struggle to read fluently, spell words correctly and learn a second language, among other challenges. But these difficulties have no connection to their overall intelligence. In fact, dyslexia is an unexpected difficulty in reading in an individual who has the intelligence to be a much better reader. While people with dyslexia are slow readers, they often, paradoxically, are very fast and creative thinkers with strong reasoning abilities.”
Sally goes on to say that "dyslexia is also very common, affecting 20 percent of the population and representing 80– 90 percent of all those with learning disabilities."
But this is what I want you to take away today:
Being dyslexic may lead to some errors in writing and reading but it doesn't mean you or your child do not have the ability to read or write. It doesn't mean you are cheating if you use technology to support you or your child as these tools can even help you understand the relationship between the sounds and the words in front of you.
You have SO MANY ideas and wonderful thoughts and these ideas need to be captured in any way possible.
Today we have the tools to do that.
We don't have to spell words correctly to start with and if we do have errors in our spelling or writing...it's not a reflection of our abilities to bring something incredible to the world.
Voice the fact that spelling is a bit tricky (good for you)
Voice the fact that you love using technology to support your spelling and writing (go for it)
Voice the fact that you love to use other methods to communicate your ideas such as video (which I'm gonna do too)
And when you do...tag me or comment below so I can cheer you on!!
Susan :)
P.S. If you are curious about my learning journey, you can also read my book Beyond Ok from Invisible to Invincible.