This week is Neurodiversity Celebration Week, a worldwide initiative which aims to challenge stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences.
This is something that resonates with me as someone who has dyslexia. I wanted to share my experiences about how this condition has affected me throughout my life.
Read about my experience here:
I knew I was different from a young age and my parents were worried because my writing and reading seemed so far behind, despite appearing to be quite bright. It came to a head when I failed my 11+ exam. In those days that meant I couldn't join my five siblings at the grammar school, instead going to a secondary modern school. My new school didn't know what was wrong so I had lots of tests, an IQ test, a speech test and even a hearing test. I was quite unlucky at the time because dyslexia wasn’t a thing, and I was diagnosed with ‘word blindness’.
I would say the mechanics of having dyslexia held me back when I was younger. It made me feel very self-conscious when I was doing ‘simple’ things such as filling out forms in front of people.
As I grew older, I realised we all have toolboxes. I just don’t have some of the tools other people have, but, like most dyslexics, I have extra tools that most people don’t have. I see simplicity in complex things, which means I can see what’s going wrong and how to fix it. I grasp concepts very quickly and can easily translate my experiences to different situations. I also have three-dimensional thinking, a skill many people with dyslexia have – that’s why many of us become architects. I still can’t spell ‘restaurant’ though!
While having dyslexia has been a gift to me as I thrive in challenging situations, it was a real problem when I was growing up. That’s why it’s so important to help young people who’ve been written off just as I was. These skills have also helped me get my dream job here at Peabody. There’s a lot of integrity in what we do and I get a sense of value in my work, which is very fulfilling.
My advice to anyone who has dyslexia or a neurodiverse condition is:
1. Don’t try to fix it – you can’t change it, so you should accept it
2. It’s all about confidence – find things you’re good at and focus on them
3. Embrace the benefits it brings – remember you have skills other people don’t. Embrace your superpower
4. Use technology to the max. The read out loud functions are amazing and you can train yourself to listen at speed. The quality of the dictation built into Apple is also amazing, so use it.
Read more and find out how you can get involved:
#NeurodiversityCelebrationWeek
