#MyDyslexiaStory: India Reddy
Wednesday 26 January 2022
As a toddler I was talking extremely early, and my mum said that frequently she would get comments about how advanced my vocabulary was. I was bright, cheerful, confident and had the ability to engage with anyone…..and I still do! It was for this reason that my mum thought I would find school a breeze…but when I started I didn’t! English in particular really challenged me and my mum questioned the possibility of dyslexia in reception but a diagnosis was not possible then.
Fortunately when I was 7 the school agreed to test me, and a diagnosis was confirmed. The school advised my mum not to tell me as they thought I could play on it and use it as an excuse. However after reflection and thought about this she decided to go against their advice. I remember clearly mum sitting me down and showing me pictures of various successful celebrities and telling me that they all had a special magic power…and so did I! To be able to tap into this gift I would have to make a few little changes to the way I learn.
“I feel fortunate that I am a determined little girl that will not give up”
Home schooling was hard as it was difficult to keep up with the work. My TA and teacher were wonderful though providing extra support, and mum knocked back on some work and replaced it with more practical skills, such as making a business plan for things I would like to do in the future. Dyslexia can be hard in day to day life such as text messaging, and keeping up on class, but I feel fortunate that I am a determined little girl that will not give up.
My special gifts outweigh the difficulties. I am good at communicating with all types of people, I am confident, caring. I love acting, gymnastics and have clear career aspirations already.
I was proud to recently do an interview on a dyslexia podcast with India and my Mum, talking about my dyslexia story.
My advice for someone who has recently been diagnosed with dyslexia:
My advice is to feel grateful of your special powers! I would choose my powers over 10/10 for a spellings list any day!
From Dyslexia much innovation is born, and without innovation the world would not be where it is today!