Yes, dyslexia is really real- not just something people say when they get caught not spelling a word correctly.
When I was little, I hated being dyslexic. The words were constantly moving on my paper. I would read words that were not on the paper, but my brain thought they were. B's and D's were my absolute worst enemies. I have heard people say, "Oh, I'm dyslexic, that's why I couldn't spell that word." That's fine if you really are. But, for people that are not dyslexic and say that, they don't really realize what it's like.
The definition of dyslexia is "a difficulty to read and understand words, letters and other symbols," but it does not affect the person's intelligence. That's where people don't understand that dyslexia might not seem like it's a big problem- but, to a person, especially a child, that is struggling to read and write when all their peers are reading and writing no problem, that child begins to doubt how smart they truly are.
I personally began to question my intelligence level from a very young age. I didn't understand why I couldn't read for more than ten minutes without needing to take a break. I was so tired. Writing truly gave me a headache, and to this day, I sometimes question it. It's quite annoying when your brain and your eyes are not connecting correctly. Occupational therapy can help a lot with dyslexia- it personally helped me a lot. But, dyslexia is not something that will ever disappear. It's something that I was born with, and will live with for the rest of my life. I have learned to cope with my dyslexia: I can read for hours now without wanting to take a nap, and I don't get a headache from spelling. However, automatically remembering left and right still gets me more times than not.
On days when I am tired, I really struggle with spelling or reading. My brain kinda forms a mind of its own. I begin to see words that are not actually on the paper, and it just becomes a nightmare, so I have learned that I will be in big trouble if I procrastinate in college.
I try to find the bright side of dyslexia, and I consider not being able to procrastinate educationally a pretty big one- because, I know if I wait until the last minute, it will be bad. Some people can cram that paper in just minutes before the deadline and they will get a fairly good grade, but if I did that, my teacher would use my paper as an example of why not to write your paper right before the deadline. Another upside to dyslexia is that my brain pays very close attention to details that other people don't notice. For example, those picture books that have hidden images in then are one of my favorite things to do because they keep me entertained for quite a long time- and I am pretty good at them. Dyslexia comes with a bunch of downsides, but it also has a few positive things. I have come to realize that my dyslexia is not not a curse- yes, it can be annoying, but I see things differently from the rest of the world- which is pretty cool.
So, to all my fellow dyslexic people, remember we would be completely different if we didn't have our dyslexia. Don't get frustrated next time when your eyes and brain don't connect correctly- they will eventually!
