I R Dyslexic
I just had it confirmed following a 3hr assessment that I am dyslexic. Which is kind of a shock and then again kind of obvious in hindsight.
It all came about after one of the many personality profiling exercises I did at work, my coach suggested I might like to get it checked out. So after a few phone calls and some enquires at work I got the full assessment. I have the workplace assessment to come, which sorts out the adjustments needed, and some more in-depth eye tests to do.
It turns out I am much smart (s-m-r-t) at non verbal type stuff but only average for words and letters and short term memory. It seems I have already (being old) developed some coping strategies.
This realization explains so much of my past, my struggles and my issues with authority… after all at school no matter how good the content of my work I always got red marks about poor spelling… end result I stopped seeking any feedback from managers etc..
So there is a feeling of resentment and anger on what I have missed out on, but that will likely subside as it works itself out. The larger and more growing feeling is one of empowerment, and I can now work on exploiting my strengths while finding improved ways to cope with my weaker aspects.
All in all I did not do so badly, but could have done so much better..
- I got all my O levels - but because I was thick I also had to also sit CSEs and so got all those too
- I got all my A levels - because I had to do remedial classes I missed out all the languages, so for General Studies I just ticked all the “B” answers for language multi choice
- I eventually managed to get a BSc - it was hard going and I almost gave up entirely, I was still trying to learn to spell
- I more recently got my MBA - This was really hard as it involves essay writing. My exam scores were 30% or more below my assignment scores
So to help me cope at work I am likely to be getting:
- Some colored overlays that change the contrast and make the text on a make less impenetrable. For me to read a block of text is like pushing through treacle.
- A spellchecker that also displays a definition of a work. I tend to select the word that look (pattern wise) correct.
- I will certainly get a smaller laptop from work and hopefully by pulling some strings I may be able to get a small tablet PC. Having a PC makes collating thoughts so much easier as my thoughts are many, disparate and wonderful. So I tend to write many many revisions of something before it goes out.
So it’s still settling in and the bitter/sweet feelings are still sorting themselves out. However, now I know things can only get better.