It is I the news because a professor has written a book debunking the notion of the ailment.
On this subject, I have some experience because one of my boys was diagnosed as dyslexic when he was very young, seven I think. He was officially statemented which cost us a few bob and his condition remains to this day?
This diagnosis would go on to cost me a fortune because my wife decided that our son needed a private school to get the necessary attention. And who am I to argue? But then what about his brothers who came along? Not dyslexic but what we have done for one child… So we sent them as well to the same private primary school and they have all since gone on to comprehensive secondary schools.
So the money I have shelled out on account of dyslexia? I dread to think.
But a wise investment as it transpired and like so many things in life, an inadvertent upside.
Because it was at this school that my wife saw a dance class being advertised and it was at this class that would lead to the west end and Hollywood for the boy who got his letters jumbled up.
And so I don’t resent the diagnosis at all. Tom and his twin brothers loved the school and Paddy would have gone there too if the recession hadn’t blown in and almost knocked me over.
But what of dyslexia and do I believe in it?
No.
Being truthful, I was never happy with the diagnosis. I have never been comfortable with saying that my son has the condition. I just believe that some kids have an issue with literacy in the same way that some kids are gifted at maths and that these anomalies are normal and do not need labels or to be explained away by bodies of experts.
I failed my English Language O Level the first time around. Not because I was stupid as I thought at the time. But because I was a summer baby and hideously immature compared to my peers – which I have of course now grown out of now.
I am not comfortable with any of these new conditions that we now have. Even with good intentions – these conditions also come with an agenda that is undeniable. Legions of professionals who make a living from them and not to mention the big Pharma companies with prescription drugs they would like us to take.
I have a fair experience in this field but most learning disabilities that young children have would take training fort them to overcome. And I applaud your courage to send Tom in this school and look where he is now. I salute you for being a great father!
I found this post after my wife told me that you were blowing up on Twitter. That people had very harsh words to say about you, so I googled to see what all the fuss was about. Now clearly they’ve taken this post way out of context. And let’s not even bother with their lack of a sense of humour in regard to your book about Tom. I’m commenting because I have a nephew with dyslexia and the more time I spend online the more I see that it’s handled very differently across the globe. In Australia we’ve discovered that it’s not a learning disability but an eye condition – along the same vein as short sightedness. There’s a disconnect between the ocular nerves and the brain and it jumbles up the letters. My nephew is now the proud owner of a swanky pair of spectacles, and from the moment he popped those bad boys on, the letters righted themselves. Problem fixed. And now he has the added bonus of looking all debonair and sophisticated, the girls in his life all cooing over his distinguished style. This insecure kid who feared he was stupid, now loves to read. And all it took was a stylish pair of shades.
I hadn’t seen any harsh words or seen anything – but I expect people can see a book and make a conclusion for themselves without having read it. This is why that book took so long to get the tone right and I am super confident that anyone taking the time to actually read it, will understand that it is not bitter at all. In fact I am jubilant at the good fortune that has visited my life via my kids. And long may it and the Eclipse continue.
I’m really hoping that my comment here isn’t the reason why yourself, and your son, became aware of the internet hubbub. You can be certain that none of the keyboard warriors have read the book. And to be completely honest, most likely they are not familiar with the English sense of humour. As an Australian, I was raised on it, and have had many a good chuckle at your work. Your Nokia bit still cracks me up. My niece refers to Tom as Nokia now since seeing the clip herself. Thanks for the laughs mate.
Very well said indeed, Dom. I’m glad to find another like-minded parent out there! We live in Perth, Western Australia and my husband and I have been through this time and time again with schools, medical fields and what not. We have 4 boys ourselves but add 2 girls after. We often hear relatives, friends and teachers labeling our boys with ADHD, hearing and speech disorder, even autism. We refused to send them to any therapists. We know our children better than these so called professionals (most of them are in their early 20s and possess degrees to their title which meant nothing to us) who didn’t raise our children in the first place. We share your sentiment about the pharmaceutical industries as well. We decided to take control of our own financial situation and bit the bullet. Took them all out of school 8 years ago and homeschool them ourselves. Our eldest son is now 20 and he’s been accepted to do a degree in Liberal Arts in Sydney, New South Wales and he aspires to be a photographer, animator and eventually would like to move into video production just like his dad. All my 5 older children are very good in arts and music although I suspect no 6 will be heading that direction too. All 4 of my boys created their own organization called Infinitum Opus and they compose music and create videos and video games. Bottom line is there is absolutely nothing wrong with them. They are just different and needed different guidelines and can’t conform well with the general public. That doesn’t make them dyslexic or autistic. Very glad we did not allow ourselves to be guided down that path of labeling our children. I’m very sure Tom is just very talented in his own rights and he sees alphabets differently from his piers. Just like music and dance. So congrats to you, sir and your gorgeous wife Nikki for moving him to a private school and especially for putting him through dance where he was allowed to explore how to learn best for his own good. We’ve paid our price to make sure our children will one day pay forward to society. And that’s all that matters in the end.