My first definite memory of knowing I was dyslexic is when I was about ten or eleven and I was sent off to a summer school for dyslexic children. I have vague memories before that of my Mum giving me special lessons but the summer school was the first time I really knew I was dyslexic and what that meant.
Thanks to my Mum's hard work I was quite a competent reader but my handwriting and spelling were always very bad. Up until recently my handwriting looked liked a six year old's. Something I was very conscious of in my working life. My spelling was erratic. Some quite complex words I could spell with ease but simple words eluded me. Knowing what I do now, its easy to spot a pattern. Longer words with distinctive consonant driven sounds (e.g. dyslexia) were easier than short, faster spoken words with complex vowels (e.g. enough, because ) or subtle phonic differences (e.g. th / f / v sounds). This was because my weak cerebellum was easily overloaded with information. Faster spoken words with sounds that required more time for my brain to decode were too much for me take in properly. Because I was not hearing the words correctly this compounded my problems in learning to spell. It also lead to some speech problems with mispronunciation TH / F / V / R / W / L sounds.
I left school at 16 and went to work for a computer company on a government training scheme known as YTS. For the next few years I was the typical shy, teenage computer geek. With poor social skills, my hobbies tended to be things that either didn't involve social interaction, such as computing or reading, or were with similar socially inept people such as role playing games (Dungeons & Dragons).
By my early twenties I was starting to try to understand how my brain worked and why I just didn't seem to connect to a large part of what went on in the world around me. I slowly started to build some confidence in myself through developing a social network where I fitted in and could take part in on an equal level. I also took some evening classes. First GCSE English and when I passed that I took A Level English Literature. Despite not being allowed to use a computer in the exam (which I had been in the GCSE) I got a grade D for the A Level. Its probably the single thing I'm proudest about in my life. I also got lucky in work and for the first time I had a job where my boss encouraged me and rewarded hard work. Naturally I worked harder, got more responsibility and I found I had to interact with people more, my staff, colleagues and customers. This highlighted some of my short comings in communication skills so I started getting private lessons in public speaking, acting and recitals. Through this I learnt some incredibly useful skills, gained confidence and improved my speech patterns.
Whilst all this helped it did not solve the underlying problems that my dyslexia caused, poor spelling and handwriting. As my jobs became more responsible with more staff, I became even more sensitive about my poor spelling and handwriting. Working in computers allowed me to avoid most situations where this was a problem but whenever circumstances forced me to leave a post-it note for someone or worse, write something on a white-board in front of people, I was embarrassed.
In 2002 I saw Trevor McDonald presenting his 'Tonight' program which was doing a special on a new treatment for Dyslexia. This was pure chance, I had never seen this program before and had no interest in it. I just happen to switch on the TV catch the word dyslexia so I gave it a few minutes just to see what they were saying. What that program told me would change my life.
The program was following three people, two children and an adult, over six months as they attended a clinic run by DDAT, now know as the Dore Achievement Centres. I was stunned by what I saw. Over the six months the two children and the adult vastly improved their spelling, writing and confidence, all though doing a few simple exercises every day. Over the next few months I looked into DDAT and the science behind what they claimed to do. I wasn't 100% convinced by what I read as it seemed counter-intuitive that improving your balance should help your spelling but I was convinced enough to give it a go. Because of the huge demand the TV program had generated I had to wait six months for my appointment.
I started the treatment in November 2002 and noticed the first difference after about three months. My last appointment was in January 2004 by which time my handwriting and spelling had significantly improved. I also found that I was less stressed as I could cope with the world on the same level everyone else. My interests and hobbies have changed. Computers and technology have less appeal nowadays but I've started to learn to draw and to play the piano, both things which I absolutely failed at as a child. Most of all I'm learning to trust my brain. When I was dyslexic I knew I would misremember or misinterpret things so I was always very careful about double and triple checking everything. Now my memory is significantly better I'm trusting my own memory and judgment a lot more.
