Hello everyone,
Recently on a Realm Makers Consortium group, someone asked about making a character with dyslexia. There were several comments, including my own about living with dyslexia. One question appeared several times stating they were familiar with the trouble reading, but how does dyslexia affect the life as a whole.
I read an article several years back stating there are four distinct types of dyslexia. A person may have any one of the types or have a combination of any of the four. I have not read of any studies talking about the effects on life, but for me, here are a few of the effects of either the dyslexia or the coping mechanism of being dyslexic.
I find myself not trusting what I see. I will frequently review and reread any situation to make sure it is clear what I saw or read. This plays out in life as being skeptical and always looking further than the surface to make sure what is presented is the image in my mind. Even then, I will continue to review it in my head.
Another effect of being dyslexic is not being able to say certain words. The word appears in my head, but it will not come out of my mouth. To cope with this, I expanded my vocabulary. Sometimes it is a simple word and I will substitute a more complex word that I can pronounce. Other times, it is the complex word that perfectly fits the description but the word stutters incompletely out of my mouth. My mind instantly searches for the next best word or define the word in a longer sentence.
Then recently I found this has been a benefit to me throughout my life. It taught me to be ready to make changes when required or to fight through until the proper word comes out of my mouth. It also made me prepare better for speaking engagement. I also look for alternative solutions to problems. Since I do not trust my eyes, I examine simple problems with more skepticism and see things most people overlook as not being important. This gave me a better insight into life others do not have.
Whether I am viewing something as complex as God or simple as toast, I view the world through a skeptic’s eye wanting to know more about any subject so I can keep it clear in my mind. I am always digging deeper trying to find out if what I am seeing, is actually true or a misconstrued image of my mind.
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God bless,
Danny Mac