Don’t Let Others Get You Down!

How you break the news to a child that he/she has a learning disability is extremely important! Focus on the POSITIVE!

I remember finding out I had dyslexia as a child. . .

I remember the School counselor and how she made me feel. . .

She made me feel little as if something was terribly wrong with me. I sat in a conference room with her explaining dyslexia to me and basically telling me I would struggle my whole life. She said it was ok If I no longer considered college an option!

You’ll never remember everything people tell you, but you’ll always remember the way they make you feel. I felt like I wore a large label that read “dumb.”

Lyndi Ruth Stucky

My school didn’t have the accommodations to work with dyslexic children, so their best solution was to add me into a room with other children who had special needs and other “more extreme” disabilities. For every test I took, I left the “normal” classroom and went to take it with the other children in the “special” classroom.

Lyndi Ruth Stucky

”There was a woman who taught in those special classes who really believed in me. She mentored me and always had really creative ideas to keep my desire to learn alive. she brought in different colored cellophane papers to put over the words as I read, and she had colored papers for me to draw on. She knew how to make learning fun and creative, and her way of teaching helped me get over my dislike of having to go to the special classroom because she made learning fun. ”

Lyndi Ruth Stucky

”I love projects, and my teachers allowed me to explain what I knew by making presentations to the class, and they didn’t always require me to do the same amount of writing as my non-dyslexic peers.

This was a huge help for me, and I encourage any teachers who have dyslexic students to prioritize creative ways for dyslexic kids to show that they understand what you are teaching.

After all, the point of school is not writing papers it’s learning.”

Lyndi Ruth Stucky

Don’t Accept a negative label

I need to make clear that not a single child in those “special” classes is dumb. I don’t believe that standardized testing has the ability to label anyone’s intellect.

As a child, I didn’t understand how to navigate without a label marking what I believed. So “dumb” was the only word I saw that others projected, and I took on that label.

Lyndi ruth Stucky

Parents of Dyslexic kids are extremely important. They, more than anyone, affect the outcome of their child’s life.

Parents are advocates for their kids, in school, and at extracurricular activities. They have the ability to build self-esteem, and counteract the negative labels from peers, school, and society!

Truly the saving grace in my story was my parents.

To them, no one could label you, unless you let them, and they opened my eyes to the fact that I had a choice to embrace my gifts and run with them.

I believe that when God allows hardship in life, He also provides you with the tools to get through the trials.

He’s not a God who leaves you empty and alone in your struggles. We have a choice in our trials to sit in it, complain, and give up, or hone in on what we could be good at, take a chance on ourselves and walk in a direction with curiosity.

As an Adult knowing that Others with Dyslexia made a success of their lives helped me keep an open mind

Curiosity, as an adult, is what has helped me with my disability the most.

Keeping an open mind, having a willingness to learn new things, and the tenacity to see it through have taken me far in life.

No matter what situation we go through in life, know that someone else took the same situation we’re complaining about at ran with it.

Lyndi Ruth Stucky

So, I became a runner.

I began to look at success as jumping over hurdles. When I ran into a ‘life hurdle’ I could get knocked down, but as long as I could still get up, I defined it as success!

Lyndi Ruth Stucky

And, believe it or not, we are stronger than we think. So don’t be afraid of the hurdles in Life!

Lyndi Ruth Stucky

My Biggest Advice for Anyone with Dyslexia is:

1. Don’t negatively label yourself
If you’re going to wear a label in life, make it a positive one that uplifts and encourages. If you wear a harsh label you are only limiting yourself.

2. Stay curious
You never know where you could find something you’ll excel in so stay open to opportunities.

3. Embrace the hurdles of life
Everyone has them you’re not alone in it. Keep your head up. See them as training, not as beatings.

4. Know that you are uniquely made, and God has given you the gift of seeing life in a specialized way. Learn to use it to your advantage.

5. Laugh at yourself
The truth is, you will mess up. A lot. Disability is a strong word meant for strong people. You are strong but you need to learn to laugh at yourself.

Lyndi’s Photography websight you can find here!

Don’t Forget That Many Successful People Have (Had) Dyslexia!

• Albert Einstein
• Stephen Hawking
• Leonardo da Vinci
• Pablo Picasso
• Keira Knightley
• Tom Cruise
• Richard Branson
• Steve Jobs
• George Washington
• Abraham Lincoln
• JFK
• Whoopi Goldberg
• Steven Spielberg
• Tim Tebow
• Henry Winkler 
• Jamie Oliver 

George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and JFK were not good at spelling and yet they were some of the United States’ most memorable presidents!

Leonardo da Vinci may have dyslexia to thank for his special way of looking at the world and his eye for inventions!

There are people all over the world who overcame their life hurdles and who have achieved success despite difficulties with reading and writing.

Annie Eklöv

Success doesn’t mean that you are famous! For many success is raising a family, working an enjoyable job, being able to take vacations, owning a home, or starting a business, just to name a few ideas of success.

Whatever you chose for your life, don’t limit yourself by looking at life through someone else’s pair of glasses!

Use your own glasses and your own unique perspective to your advantage!

If your Dyslexic, you have a unique way of looking at the world that often comes with incredible creativity and the ability to think outside the box!

I see this every day in my daughter, Maria (11). She is dyslexic and she makes me look at life differently! She thinks of ways for using everyday objects that I would never think of!

Embrace who you are and your unique abilities, and you will go far in life!

Annie Eklöv

Check out my other posts on Dyslexia!

25 Tips for Getting Through School With Dyslexia

A 10-Year-Old Describes What it’s Like to Have Dyslexia

15 Super Games for 10-99-Year-Olds with ADHD/ADD and Dyslexia

15 reasons why Kids with ADHD and Dyslexia should play games

16 positive traits of dyslexia, A new perspective

The post below is about making it through school with ADHD and Dyslexia. I wish all parents of ADHD and Dyslexic kids would read it as well as all teachers!

What every teacher should know about the ADHD child

Unfortunately, the title doesn’t reflect the fact that I also talk about dyslexia in the post.

Copyright Annie Eklöv