The Need to Read

From early on I suspected that something was different with the way my daughter looks at life. Her perception of how things are is always a little more interesting than the mundane way that the majority of us function. She has always been able to 'see' beyond the normal. Not in a supernatural way, although there have been moments where she clearly sees the unseen. But in more of an abstract view of the world. Like a Picasso crossed with a VanGough.

Her attention to detail can be profound in some areas and completely absent in others.
A couple years ago I realized that her mind is constantly busy and her need to be kinesthetically stimulated could almost never be met. When in the home school environment, I found that having her close her eyes and tell me what is going on in her mind would sometimes help with focusing. She would describe what she sees and then we would verbally tell each distraction to go back into its proper 'room' in her mind. I tried giving her something to fiddle with while doing lessons in hopes that her mind would stay on task while her body was in motion. We tried using an exercise ball as her chair hoping for the same results.

All this aside, I have always marveled at her story telling and singing. Her heart is clearly tuned into the Holy Spirit in ways that even I cannot understand. She has an imagination that is not held back by the restrictions of our current universe. But through all this, I could not get her to learn to read or understand even the simplest of math equations.

When the stress level is low, she can read and do math, but as soon as there is a distraction or any stress, she loses it. She has memorized many of the English words we use, and I figured we had the problem licked when I discovered that she is a sight reader. Except that when these same words are in a book, she cannot unlock that part of her brain.

Just last week, during one of these trying moments of reading from a book, I thought I'd try to learn what she sees. I gently asked her what the letters in the words are doing. Without hesitation she said, "they are all jumping around". So then I asked what the lines in the book are doing. Her response was just as casual as before, "the lines are moving in a wave" she followed that with a snake waving motion.

OK, so this sounds a lot like Dyslexia, which is something my husband has struggled with for his whole life. What to do now? Do I continue to ignore this to avoid the horrific 'label' of having a Learning Disorder? Do I plunge into hours of research? Do I panic, cry, laugh?

I prayed, Lord help me to know how best to serve Diane in this. What would You have us do? There is a peace is knowing that it hasn't been my imagination all along. That her 'craziness' isn't crazy. She is fearfully and wonderfully made by The Creator. He just added a little something extra to her.

First off, I contacted our school facilitator and shared my discovery with him. He put me in touch with the Special Ed department at our school. After a lengthy phone conversation, he said it sounds like it is Dyslexia, and that he would put me in touch with the Learning Disabilities department. It looks as if we may be starting school all over again (at least the reading and spelling). We will be using the Susan Barton kits. This is a multi sensory learning program designed for the 'picture thinking' Dyslexic. I will be learning how she sees the world and then, by following the program I will be teaching her how to adapt her brain to see in only 2D so she can read.

I borrowed the book 'The Gift of Dyslexia' to begin the long process of trying to understand Diane. So far it has been a lot of 'Aha!' moments. I see both my husband and daughter in so many of these scenarios. It is an interesting and easy read for anyone who may want to educate themselves about Dyslexia.

FYI the following people are/were Dyslexic:
Alexander Graham Bell
Hans Christian Anderson (also home schooled)
Winston Churchill (also home schooled)
Leonardo da Vinci
Walt Disney
Albert Einstein (also home schooled)
Henry Ford