Variety Is the Spice of Life
March 15, 2019
Never was this aphorism more true than for a person with dyslexia! In our enthusiasm to address the challenges of dyslexia it is easy to hyperfocus on developing skills, remediation exercises, and overcoming obstacles. But in the pursuit of working on areas of weakness, sometimes the areas of strength (and fun) get left behind. In my experience, people with dyslexia like variety and lots of new ideas to think about, and they also usually have great skill in non-academic areas, whether sports, arts, design, people skills, performance arts, strategy, etc. It is important to have plenty of time to pursue these interests for two reasons. 1) No one likes to feel like they are spending all their time on things they aren’t very good at. It is discouraging, demotivating, and depressing. 2) Often these other areas are where they will find their niche, passion, and even career.
Most schoolwork, particularly in the elementary grades (math, reading, grammar, writing, spelling), was sheer drudgery for our kids. It was simply very hard work for them and none of them enjoyed it. They developed their real love of learning from listening to stories (fiction and non-fiction), doing things, and going places. Art materials (good quality pens, pencils, paper, paints, scissors, glue, etc.) were always readily available, as was fabric, sewing machine, yarn, needles, wood, hammers & nails, electronics sets, lego (not the kits, just pieces), cardboard boxes, duct tape, musical instruments, cameras, opportunities for sports, dance, etc. We made regular rounds of art galleries, museums (science, technology, historical, living, etc.), theatre, live music, libraries, etc. Left to their own devices with these materials and ideas, they each found their own wide ranging interests.
Encourage lots of experimentation. Nothing is a failure. If it doesn’t work the way you want it to, try again. Always encourage and support. Don’t point out any flaws in any of their work, and don’t give fake praise. In every project, no matter how crude or juvenile, you will find something to genuinely complement (colour, shape, hard work, interesting concept, novel approach, etc.) Over time they will find their own opportunities for improvement and see what needs to be changed. Help to fix things only when asked, otherwise leave them to it. So much of their academic time is spent with people telling them what they are doing wrong. Everyone needs praise and encouragement, so give them plenty. This is the time and place for them to be free of criticism and just have fun exploring. They, and you, will be much happier as a result, and you never know where those interests will lead down the road.
Photo: