Some Questions Answered...

How does it feel to be the parent of your child?

I feel extremely blessed to be the mother of Sophia. She is an amazing little girl with so much artistic talent. Even though I would never think to change anything about her, life has definitely had its challenges for us. As a parent, it is extremely difficult to watch your child struggle. Sophia struggled through kindergarten and first grade, but we didn't know why. She appeared lazy to my husband and me, which didn't seem to fit her personality. Sometimes she would even misspell her own name! Sophia was behind her friends in learning to read and write, and would often come home from school crying about being teased on the playground. She also complained of headaches and dizziness, and whenever she tried to read she said the text would move all around. My heart ached for her. I wanted so badly to help her, and tried all sorts of things, but nothing seemed to work. I knew she was intelligent, bright, and articulate, so why was she so confused by letters and numbers? It was a very dark time for our family. Then she entered second grade, and in the middle of the year, everything changed! With the help of her amazing teacher we were able to diagnose her as being dyslexic. Everything finally made sense to us! It was a blessing to figure out what was going on, and to figure out ways to help Sophia. Now in third grade, she is finally starting to get her confidence back. She has an Individualized Education Program (IEP) plan in place with the school to help her with reading, writing, and spelling. She will never be asked to read aloud again, which as a parent, I am thrilled about. We still have our hard days, but life has gotten a bit easier now that we have a plan in place and learning techniques to use.

How is your child developmentally the same and different from other children at the various ages?

Sophia looks and acts like any other third grader. She appears very intelligent and expresses herself well. You would never know that she is different than her friends unless you ask her to read or write. This is because her disorder interferes with the acquisition and processing of language so there is a disconnect between what is on the paper and what her brain processes. One unique thing about Sophia is that she is extremely gifted in the arts. She is unusually creative and talented in both drawing and acting. She also excels at problem solving and hands-on learning. Her mind definitely works in a different way than other kids her age. 

What professionals or agencies do you deal with? What services are available to you and your child?

We have worked closely with the school psychologist and other administrators, and we now have IEP plan in place. Through her IEP plan, Sophia's teacher allows her to use a tape recorder in class so she can record lessons and listen to them again as needed. This really enables me to help her with her homework because I can listen to the lesson with her and know exactly what is going on in the classroom. It puts the teacher and me on the same page, and it helps Sophia because she does not need to  make any notes during class (which is a very labor intensive process for her), and can always listen again if she needs more clarification. Sophia's teacher also lets her use a program on the computer called "Natural Reader." This program is a text-to-speech software with natural sounding voices. The easy-to-use software can read you any text such as Microsoft Word files, web pages, PDF files, and E-mails. "Natural Reader" can also convert any written text into audio files such as MP3 or WAV so Sophia can put files onto her iPod and listen to them over and over again. This program is so helpful that we also have it on our home computer so Sophia can use it from home for homework, projects, and just everyday use. Sophia's teacher also gives her less homework problems since she takes a lot longer than other kids to complete the homework, and she uses oral assessments as much as possible with Sophia. If she has to take a written test or quiz and an aide is available on test day, he/she will read Sophia the test questions. If no one is available, she is able to use the "Natural Reader" program to type in her questions, and she is given extra time to finish. Sophia's IEP plan has really made all the difference!

How did you find out about the above services?

We found out about the IEP plan and computer services from her second grade teacher and school psychologist after she got tested for dyslexia. We are so thankful that her second grade teacher spent extra time with Sophia to help diagnose her. Her teacher had some previous students with dyslexia, but they were a little different from Sophia so it took her a few months to recognize the symptoms. Sophia's previous teachers had all just assumed she was lazy, and told us that if she would just try harder, she would succeed.

What financial burden, if any, are you experiencing?

Sophia is really not much a financial burden to us. We have chosen to purchase some  tools, mostly electronic, to help make her learning easier. For example, we have bought an iPod, iPad, a handful of apps that help dyslexics learn, a tape recorder, computer programs, such as "Natural Reader," and a handy folder that she can put worksheets in that only show the line of text that she wants to read at that time (allowing her mind to not get lost trying to decode the other text). All of these tools do not add up to a fortune, but we know they would be hard for many families to afford. We feel extremely lucky that we are able to provide our child with the tools that make her life easier.

What other information do you want to share? 

I would just like to share that we have taught Sophia (and truly believe) that dyslexia is a gift. It is not something to be ashamed of. We tell her all the time how special her brain is and always celebrate her talents in the arts. We remind her of who in history was/is dyslexic - for example, Walt Disney, Albert Einstein, Steven Spielberg, Keira Knightley, Pablo Picasso, and Leonardo da Vinci just to name a few. She has really started to blossom in school and started to gain her self-confidence back. I advise you to celebrate your children's gifts, including dyslexia. I would never want to change anything about my Sophia - she is beautiful, and her mind is beautiful.