Now it’s the break, let’s think about things more generally and get ready for the next academic year. Today I want to think about difference. I dont agree we have superpowers – that’s just making it ‘them’ and ‘us’ again. I do think we have something going for those with some neurodiversity.
I love people with dyslexia or dyscalculia. In fact, I think we’re fabulous! Nothing stops us except other people and their expectations of us.
I have dyscalculia, and living with this isnt an easy thing. Especially for the people around me. They tend to find out quickly that it can be a challenge to me and to them. Mostly it’s thought of as dyslexia but with numbers. Yes, sort of…. I can’t tell my left from my right, I think differently to neurotypical people, I cannot really ‘see’ numbers: when they are written down they look like they’ve been ironed into the paper, just splodges really. So much more though. People with dyscalculia often cannot tell the passing of time, judge distance, estimate, remember anything with a number in it, recall appointments or dates. Sometimes there are other things like remembering names, faces or other information. I know my birthday, my partner’s birthday but everyone else has to hint. When I say hint, the hint has to be: Cath, it’s my birthday in a week. Lovely. I have more birthday surprises than they do!
Dyslexia is more than just getting the odd letter or word jumbled up. It’s much more common, or more commonly diagnosed, than dyscalculia. The good news is there is the technology to help, people are more understanding than they used to be, and we can be a bit more honest than “Oh, that’s just me!” when we do our ‘thang’.
However, what I love about us is that we are marvellous. We think outside the norms and the way that other people are conditioned to think, precisely because we have to. We have taught ourselves to learn. Once upon a time I would have been considered unteachable because I have a learning disability but I taught myself and found some tutors who were open to adapting and now I have an undergrad and three postgrad qualifications. I left school with no qualifications. We can do anything. That’s why I am a Specialist Mentor and that’s why you are going to do well at university, whether you have a mentor, extra support, tech, or nothing.
People with dyscalculia learn strategies to cope. They have people help them with the things they cannot do, the same way as others who are not surgeons have someone else do their operations, still others fix leaks under the sink or make the television work. Some people teach their assistance dog ‘Left’ but not ‘Right’ as they dont know which is which anyway and the dog just has to figure it out. Gosh that is one smart dog! Some have smartphones for directions, apps for reminders and so on. We get there. Equally, people come to us for help with logic, problem solving, dog training, technology, and all the other things we’re good at doing.
You are wired differently, so just notice that this is a Difference not a Deficit.
I recently found this on the internet, if you are interested, read on…. https://www.madebydyslexia.org/assets/downloads/spelling-it-out.pdf