Dyslexia and ADHD - The Miracle Cure. Wynford Dore

      EARLY ENCOUNTERS WITH LEARNING DIFFICULTIES

      Although when I was growing up I do not recall the words ‘dyslexia’ or ‘ADHD’ ever being used, I can now remember clearly that there were many children in my school who did have the symptoms. These children were sometimes lonely and had low self-esteem. Even though many of them were bright and creative, they simply could not get to grips with basic tasks like reading or paying attention. Of course, the notion that these people might have had a neurological problem never crossed anyone’s mind in those days. Consequently, many children I knew spent the early part of their lives being bullied and ridiculed, not just by their fellow classmates but by adults as well. There was a complete lack of sympathy and it was quite naturally assumed that they were thick or lazy.

      Looking back, I still feel an extreme sense of guilt. I remember one lad in my class who could not grasp the difference between years and months. When he was nine years of age, the big joke in the school was to ask him how old he was, to which he would always reply, ‘I am nine.’ Then, if you asked, ‘Months or years?’ he would usually reply, ‘Months.’ He was a constant source of entertainment for everyone. We would laugh ourselves senseless and hardly considered just how miserable we were making him.

      I also remember a number of boys in the school who would make any excuse possible to avoid doing the physical education classes. This was not because they hated sport, but because, at the age of 11, they still could not do their shoelaces up properly. A ten-year-old boy called Mark was so embarrassed about this that he used to come to gym class with his shoes already tied up. He would try to slip them on without anybody noticing, but, unfortunately for him and much to the amusement of everyone else, they would constantly slip off because they were not tight enough. The teachers did not have a clue that this boy simply could not learn how to tie his shoelaces so he was punished and, on one occasion, made to write out lines. Unfortunately, Mark also had a problem with his handwriting so, in the end, for him school was one long succession of punishments. I cannot imagine what he must have gone through, it must have been horrendous.

      Until my daughter Susie was diagnosed with dyslexia in 1980, I had never heard about it. Once the concept was explained to me, however, it made sense and it was a great relief to hear that she was not simply stupid. Of course, no parent ever believes this of their child, but it was still a great feeling to have an expert tell me there was a name for her problem. Surely, I thought, if the enemy can be seen, it could be defeated, too.