Dyslexia and dysgraphia are learning disabilities that affect roughly 15% of the population. There are several subcategories of each disorder that hinder in some way, reading, writing, spelling or something to do with letters. Dyscalculia is another similar disorder, dealing with numbers. Overlap is not uncommon with any of these ‘’unrelated’’ conditions.
The following is about a person who was diagnosed with Dysgraphia...
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Since he was 16 years old, subject 1 has written stories in a notebook. He got in the habit thanks to his high school english teacher. The class had to write in a journal, and each week the teacher would check to see how much they had written. In the beginning subject 1 did not like doing this, but he was graded on the task, so he did it. The teacher would pick a few journals ( ‘’gerbils’’ as the boys called it,) each week to check in more detail. Most times they could write about anything they wanted but they had to write something original. One day the teacher informed subject 1 in her usual matter of fact way ’’your spelling and punctuation are atrocious, but you are a good writer.’’ This and other terms of endearment along with an introduction to Shakespeare opened new worlds for subject 1.
If not for Ms. Carter and her encouragement, he would have moved on from writing and never looked back. Things have not improved in the spelling department for subject 1, and as he approaches fifty years old he doesn’t hold out much hope of ever becoming an editor for the New Yorker, but that's ok. Subject 1 has a new perspective these days. He writes almost everyday, just for pleasure.
Between his journal writing days and now, he has been through some low spots with his writing. Subject 1’s handwriting is bad, he didn’t type, and when he prints it looks like a ransom note, so he always rewrote in his best cursive when he wanted to show his work, only to be asked if it was written in code. This discouraged subject 1 to the point that for years he stopped writing. Then one day something snapped into place and he started back writing, in his own halting fashion.
Last year, Subject 1 moved ahead several decades, bought a laptop and is learning to type. He only uses spell correct, but in writing four paragraphs identical to the ones above, subject 1 wouldn’t have to stop and look up the spelling of over a dozen words. It’s like a breath of fresh air, and takes off so much stress. So much in fact he wrote a poem about it.
Dispel
From an open divide
flow unbridled words
Twisted and tumbling
Across the bridge
The words dwell in solace
Phonological Dysgraphia – Phonological Dysgraphia is characterized by writing and spelling disturbances in which the spelling of unfamiliar words, non-words, and phonetically irregular words is impaired. Individuals with Phonological Dysgraphia are also unable to hold phonemes in memory and blend them in their appropriate sequence to produce the target word.
Below is a list of some famous writers who have Dyslexia or Dysgraphia. The list is long, these are just a few that subject 1 is familiar with.
Agatha Christie
Stephen J. Cannell
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Richard Ford
WB Yeats
Fannie Flagg
John Irving
Agatha Christie, the best selling novelist of all time, was an “extraordinarily bad speller” and couldn’t balance her checkbook. Subject 1 can relate to that, but the modern age has given us tools to cope with a lot of problems. For subject 1, learning to type was the way to bypass most of his troubles. The worst thing for subject 1 besides spelling was starting words with the second letter. Thankfully that does not happen when typing. These aids have given him confidence, and much more enjoyment in his hobby.
Subject 1 thanks you for reading ;)