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I’m crying today. Crying over the Dyslexia that one of my Pirates is struggling with. I have two Dyslexic Pirates, but one is having lots and lots of difficulty, the other is doing great.
I know that every child is different, but, how can these two be so different? Or is it that I am handling it differently? Doubt that. It’s just that Dyslexia is not a ‘one size fits all’ kinda deal.
I did my research years ago and figured out how to help the older Dyslexic Pirate, but I feel like I’m still clueless with my second Dyslexic Pirate.
And, like a good mother, when I don’t know what to do, where to start to help my child, I cry. Then the crying reminds me to pray. (I’d like to say that praying was my first impulse, but I don’t wanna add lying to you to my list of reasons to cry.) The tears are tears of frustration and uncertainty. I need some answers. I need a plan that isn’t gonna waste our time and energy spinning wheels that can’t get us from point A to point B.
And I’m not really asking for any suggestions. I know you would all come fix me a cup o’ tea and comisserate with me and tell me anecdotes of others who used xyz approach with great success, and I would love you for it. But that likely won’t help my Pirate spell the word “giant” correctly in the book he is writing.
All that said, if you have a Dyslexic child, I do crave YOUR words of encouragement and advice.
But, mostly, I just gotta get this crying outta me, then I’ll be fit to plan.
Thanks for “listening” to me ventilate. Yer a peach!
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Hugs, You are doing the right thing just let the tears fall. Talk it over with God and get right back to it. You are his greatest sorse of love and encouagement. Remember the God who created the universe said love can break down the greatest of walls. Even with this God will see it through. MY son does not have dyslexia however he does have ADHD with learning disabilities. So believe me I understand your furstation and the tears I cried many myself. He is doing well now and in a trade he loves. Yet I had years of thinking he needed someone better than me. Moms always want to fix what is wrong this is something we have no control of. So take it to God cry your tears and God will give you the wisdom you need to get through. Remember you are the best there is. Hugs.
Thanks to all of you who have commented on this post. I appreciate your advice, concern, encouragement and kindness. Thanks!
Our daughter is severly dyslexic. In the first year of dyslexia therapy she went from barely being able to read, to reading everyone of the Harry Potter books. It is amazing the difference the therapy has made. Consistency is key.
I would encourage you to look into a dyslexia program for your pirate. There are several that are available via video or are software based programs. The one we have had great luck with is the one through Scottish Rite. It is insanely expensive to buy though. We get the services through the school for free.
I would suggest you troll ebay or some such to look for someone reselling an old dyslexia program.
I will be praying for you and your pirate. Remember there are many good things that dyslexic children have that the rest of the world misses out on. They see the world through a whole different set of eyes. My daughter can write anything in mirror image which is of endless entertainment to us all.
So far I have two with dyslexia. My 11 year old daughter had a hard time learning to read and has only just found out that reading can be enjoyable. She is very slow but is getting better the more she reads. My nine-year old son is the one who really has it bad. He gets so frustrated. He will only read aloud to me with no one else around to hear him. He’s third grade but has a first grade reading level. I make him read everday. Nothing too long or too hard and I have seen the progress. We go very slow and I have learned when to help him with a word and when to let him figure it out. He told me he reads his little sisters Bible story book at night and wants a real Bible to read at night now so I figure our progress is good. I just take it on a day by day basis and look for improvement no matter how small the increments. We do use fingers to underline/follow the words and I consistantly sound out words he has trouble with letter by letter until he gets it. I ache for him though when he mixes his B’s and D’s, on’s and no’s, was as saw, etc. or when he writes his letters or numbers backwards. Slow and steady, millimeters not miles. He is very much an audio/visual learner. He likes math and to build and figure out how things work. He loves to be in the kitchen with me more than the girls so I assume that he’s not headed towards anything overly scholarly and so as long as he can read the Bible with proficiency we are good. Know that you are not alone!
Oh the frustration I so remember it. I just send you a big hug. I know it is hard to find just what will work to help your child learn.
Keep praying. A good cry helps now and than. Just think how hard it is on your child. Remember there is hope.
Here is a bit of our sons story to encourage you:
Our son has both visual and auditory dyslexia. Even though he has 20/20 vision he had major vision tracking and eye teaming problems. He also had a speech problems related to ear problems and he had a tramic burn accident when he was four that they said might contribute to some to his processing skills. He did learn to read at bit slower pace (his first big book was a Henty and he read most of them), spelling is another story. His older brother and sister went off to college and he was determined he would do that too. If you would of asked us when he was in 10th-11th grade (he was always home schooled) if he could make it in college we would of said never. He got accepted to a small private Christian college on probation. He was very determined, he wanted no special help. To our great surprise he became a straight A student. When he graduates in a year or so he will have a Biblical studies degree and a RN degree.
I think we have a stronger bond with him from working so much with him. I am still amazed by him. I hope you will be able to look back some day too and know that all your struggling was so worth it.
One thing I did want to say, was that…. Just remember this is the way God created him. He did that for a reason, each one of these struggles will build and polish his character into one day being the man God desired him to be. Each of these struggles is important to growing him into that.
I can so relate to the need to cry just because you need to do it. Keep crying, keep praying, keep loving. God has a plan for him and will show it to you all.
I am so sorry you are frustrated. If you would like someone to share their struggles with you I would be happy to do so- and if you want tips that work for me. But I am gonna leave that be for now and just give you a big cyber hug:) You are welcome to email me if you want the encouragment/advice….. or just respnd. In the meantime another big cyber hug= and some prayers that you get the answer that will help him the best.
I tried to post a second ago, but something happened. If you get two from me, please accept my apologies. What I said was that I would always be willing to lend a shoulder. And, that one of my brothers was dyslexic. When what they were doing for him at school wasn’t helping much, mom started working with him at home. She had him read, holding a paper under the line he was reading, in order to help him focus on just what he needed to read. But, the biggest thing I remember her doing was having him write in sand. She had a large, shallow box, filled about halfway up with sand that she would have him write words in that he was having problems with. Using the large muscle groups in the arm, instead of just the small ones in the hand, cause more of the brain to be involved – helping with muscle and brain memorization. As an expirenced dyslexia mom you may already know this, but I thought it was worth a shot. It helped my brother a lot. I only remember it so well because I always wanted to play in that sand.
I don’t have a dyslexic child, but I do have a wonderful, brilliant, seminary-attending husband who struggled with dyslexia as a child and to a less extent continues to. He reads 300-750 pages a week to keep up with his seminary education. As a child, he hated reading and still prefers audiobooks, but because he still reads slowly, his comprehension and retention of the material is excellent. Keep up the fight! Your pirates will “rise up and call [you] blessed”!