[Jeanne G]

Remember that drug commercial, where the guy cracks an egg in the fry pan and it sizzles, and he says, "this is your brain on drugs". Well...

I've been meaning to do this for awhile to see who else is dealing w/ dyslexia, to compare notes and to garner more tips. Do you have a story, or your friend's, or your Aunt Matilda's? I'd love to hear it.

Jeanne

[ross hamilton hill]

I have a weird type of dyxlexia, I have nerve damage particularly in my right arm and it scrambles up my typing, I have accepted it, I tend to reverse letters, poem becomes peom, their becomes thier, it happens a lot and when I'm tired it happens even more, certain words I always mis-type, there is no pattern behind this that I can discern, eg remembered is always typed rembered. I'm not the greatest speller at the best of times but it is definietly something going wrong between my brain and my fingers. It never happened when I was younger nor does it happen when I write by hand.
There are lots of these minor eccentricities, like face blindness, (can't remember faces) and object blindness, (can't remember what things are) Oliver Sachs has face blindness.
One of our (Australia) greatest leaders, Prime Minister Paul Keating was dyslexic, he could not read, and scrambled things up when he tried. And yet he was a fabulous speaker and very poetic. He had someone read everything to him.
I've already mentioned (via email to you) my ex who like you has spatial dyxlexia, as well as not being able to remember how to get somewhere, often moment to moment, she also can't process information easily, as you guessed, she has been diagnosed with mild autism, also she has the classic look of Asperger's syndrome, pixie looking, although only in some photos, normally she is very beautiful.
It's an intersting subject although not really related to poetry/literature.
I think you develop strategies, my ex moved to a quiet country town, and lives alone, her syndrome whatever you want to call it, has meant she is generally regarded as 'eccentric'.
I have probably made about 30 mistakes while writing this comment. Luckily I have the time to spend making my comments correct.

[Jeanne G]

Hi Ross,

Thanks for your story. I think it can be related to the writing of poetry/literature, esp. if the person has full blown reading/writing dyslexia, which I don't. Mine is mainly directional, but that always affected my ability to learn and retain complex grammar, and later when I tried to learn metrics and form poetry. Also, there are apparently some benefits to dyslexia that perhaps are somewhat of a tradeoff for the learning impairments and daily challenges of it.

I think finding coping strategies are key and was hoping others would have tips to exchange. I found these largely useless tips and think I got dissed by a dyslexia article. Check out the last one (too funny):

http://www.dyslexia-reading-well.com...-dyslexia.html
For left-right confusion

Wear a watch on the left hand to provide a point of orientation
visualize something you always do with the right hand such as write or shoot a basketball
The index and thumb of the left hand can form an L when held in front of the face

Jeanne

[ross hamilton hill]

It may interst you to know Bob Dylan is mildly autistic, I learnt this from an American lecturer when I did my teaching diploma, we had a very good course on 'special needs' pc euphanism for disabilties. That's where I saw pictures of Ausperger's children and later realized how my ex looked like that.
I can see how your problems would be difficult within the confines of school but really grammar and metrics are not poetry, they are technical aspects of poetry/language. And I'm sure they're many secondary gains as they call them, as with our Prime Minister Keating, I can well imagine he developed his formidable and inspired debating skills as compensation for the fact that he could not read well. Have you seen the movie 'A Beautiful Mind', in relation to dyzlexia, the academic who is the subject of the movie didn't read, he got his ideas from conversation and objects, don't think he was dyzlexic but he might as well have been. He was a major inventor of game's theory.

[W.F. Lantry]

Jeanne,

Two of my immediate family members have it. It's far from a romantic condition. And the compensation mechanisms lead to a kind of dual consciousness. No fun.

Thanks,

Bill

[Julie Steiner]

I homeschooled my daughters until high school. Three of their four closest homeschooling friends were dyslexics whom the educational system had brainwashed to believe that they were stupid and worthless. Did their parents and I emphasize the advantages of dyslexia, to help repair these kids' confidence and self-esteem, and encourage them to focus on their strengths rather than their difficulties? Damn right we did.

Yes, it's possible to over-romanticize such things, in a way that implies that no one's experience with a particular condition can be legitimately negative. For example, I occasionally hang out at an autism site online, where the climate is very hostile to research designed to find a "cure" for autism: "It's not a disease, it's a superpower!" I think it's safe to say that those autistics who are high-functioning enough to be ranting in online forums are far more likely to consider autism a blessing than those who are farther along the spectrum, some of whom cannot communicate at all.

Still, on the whole, I think it's helpful to point out that being abnormal is not always synonymous with being inferior.

[Jeanne G]

Hi Ross,
Yes, it's good to know I'm in good company w/ some uber talented dyslexics. I'd heard Einstein was so dyslexic he couldn't tie his shoes (I knew someone like that, thankfully I can), and that he often got lost on his way home (I can relate to that one, but moreso when I didn't know what the problem was).

Hi Bill,
No, not so romantic in the daily frustrations at times. Though sense of humour goes a long way, esp. for the garbled things I'll say. Hard not laugh at that, or to blame someone whether they are laughing at me, or w/ me. I'm curious about this dual consciousness you mention?

Hi Julie,
Yes, I hear you all the way. Being "abnormal" is usually a mixed bag of strengths and weaknesses. And it's good to focus on the former, while still realistically dealing w/ the latter.

Jeanne

[Jeanne G]

I only figured it out in my mid-30's, which then made my many public gaffs less embarrassing. If I had traditional or maybe full blown dyslexia then I would have been diagnosed like my brother was in school. He wrote w/ the expected inversion of d's and b's, whereas I never did. My big achilles heel was always complex grammar; straight A's everything else, except Phys. Ed (if there was wrong place to send the ball, I'd do it), but grammar made me dizzy, confused and fell out of my head faster than I could plug it in. Same thing when I tried to learn metrics. There's this thing w/ dyslexics not being able to retain what you learn (if the subject triggers it).

I was 10 and went to my teacher after everyone left, super embarrassed, because I could not learn left and right like everyone else. She didn't tell me I was dyslexic (wish she had, but maybe she didn't see it as that either?), but she did give the great tip that I still use. She asked which hand I wrote w/, put an R on my right hand w/ a magic marker, then an L on my left. I said, ok, but what do I do when that wears off? "Think of which hand you write w/ and that's your right hand". But I don't know which is my right hand. "Think of your writing hand and jiggle it if you have to". That clicked. I can't think out my left and right, but body memory works. Sometimes just a glance of my eyeballs is enough movement, but I usually still jiggle. Of course people look at me sometimes like, "what are you doing, crazy lady?"

As I got older, I realized there were plenty of other seemingly unrelated issues concerning direction, learning certain mechanical things, clockwise and Lord forbid, counter-clockwise, mirror image, backing my car, etc. Lots of orally inverting words: friends and family call it "speaking Jeanne". Mixing up names: went out w/ a guy named Terry and called him Randy, for months. How many times can you apologize for doing that? Luckily he was easy going and thought it was hilarious. So did his friend, Randy. Erp.

I met Cheryl recently, who also has directional dyslexia. We compared notes a bit and she can't read maps like I thought I couldn't either. Until I started to use all the body memory stuff; it's an arduous process where I can't just glance at one like many and away I go. I lean over and play twister w/ it; turn it around whatever directions I'll need to turn; use both hands to get the memory into my brain, then painstakingly write it out. Also, do all the reverse for return directions, because forget about just converting all those lefts and rights on the fly. Got lost, many times trying that one. Looking forward to hearing from anyone else who has these, or similar problems and whatever solutions work for you.

Jeanne

[ross hamilton hill]

Jeanne I have l/r problems, was funny when I was in the cadets (army training at school), was head of the column on parade and went sailing off by myself in the wrong direction, I still make mistakes and my son last night would not follow my directions in the car, saying "but Dad you always get lost", and I don't have dyzlexia. Just absent-minded.
Mt ex is staying wirh me for a few days, in town to see the doctor, she is till making big mistakes and stayed with me because we all decided she could not stay with our son because she would never make it into the hospital without someone to be with her. Although when arriving our son explained to her to get a taxi from the airport to his home ( where she had not been before) the airport being close to his home, instead she took a taxi into the city and then from the city out to his place, turning a $20 ride into a $60 one. My ex reasoned that 'Central' which is what we call the main railway station in the city must be 'where you start from' when going anywhere so she took the taxi there first. My ex understands she has spatial dyzlexia but in the hospital she became totally panicked because there were so many queues and counters, I was with her but she got it all mixed up but luckily some kind nurse found us and took us to the right room. My ex has many great attributes but her problems have meant she has never been able to have a career, and her parents didn't understand what was wrong with her as a child. (She stopped talking for a year when sent to boarding school) but back then psychology was a new science.
all the best
Ross

[Douglas G. Brown]

Jeanne,

I am slightly dyslectic. When I was about 8 years old, I got into one of the "Bumper Cars" at the county fair. Naturally, I was the only one going counter clockwise, when all the other kids were driving clockwise, as the signs stated. I had no idea why so many cars were banging itno mine! The operator had to shut the ride down, and tell me to turn around. The worst part was that several of my classmates were witnesses, and I took some ribbing at school for a few days.

I never got a formal diagnosis, as this was about 1959. I was simply "gormy" (probably have a bit of Aspergers, too). Another phrase used a lot back then was "accident prone", which I was. I was clumsy at sports and dancing, and tend to have a poor feel for where my body is (such as, tearing my clothes on branches while walking in the woods). I have difficulty recognizing faces, but remember voices well. I type a lot of words with 2 of the middle letters reversed (thank God and Bill Gates for spell check)

I use the position of the sun or moon, and landmarks, to navigate while driving, and make a mental map of my route.... which works very well. I hate directions that use "left" or "right", and the clockwise thing still takes a moment to visualize. I do a lot of mechanical work, and still have to focus a lot on which way tightens or loosens a bolt or nut. This is the most annoying thing for my situation.

I think that I have compensated by seeing a lot of things as a chain of events, with a beginning, middle, and an end. I scan scenerey and pictures for the tiniest details. I can remember scenes from years ago like they were photos in my mind. I love to pick out anachronisms in movies. I watch funerals, weddings, church services, trials, and the like as if they were theater (in my mind, I compose little reviews of these events, which makes even a long-winded sermon interesting). I can remember licens eplate numbers on family cars from years ago, and phone numbers of people long dead, and even my college student ID number.

I have always enjoyed symmetry in architecture, and form in verse. Free verse makes no sense at all, unless it is pretty straigfhtforward.
I tend to scan songs I hear, and rate them according to how regular the meter is.

Social situations are a challenge, as there is so little structure. Best thing, for me, is to approach them as an actor would a role in a play.

I didn't have much trouble with math or verbal stuff in school, but I really had to focus, and shut out the world around me. I think that quite a lot of creative people have this situation to a degree, and perhaps it can be a benefit. But, there is nothing romantic about it, as other parts of life are slighted.

I wonder how people with more severe dyslexia can get by at all; can't be easy for them.