Why Perceptions About Dyslexia Are Wrong.

One of my favourite dyslexics, is entrepreneur, Richard Branson.  Before I knew he was dyslexic, I had admired what his business, Virgin, came up with over the years.  I never used to be interested in business as a young teenager.  To be honest I probably knew about his business through some sniggering and school boy humour.

How can someone name there business 'Virgin'?

Then I found out that he wanted to set up an cross atlantic airline service from scratch being up against the huge established airlines such as British Airways etc.  I remember thinking how daft that must be.  Then he started launching his own Cola drink up against Coca Cola and Pepsi. Then a bank! How does someone who appears to have no experience in these areas but in selling records dare to even think about setting out to compete with really strong competitors and in many regards be successful against them?  He could he be so different in his thinking?

More recently, I discovered that he was dyslexic, didn't have a great time at school but came into his own once he entered into the wider world.

As a parent of a dyslexic child and as someone who personally struggled to do anything spectacular at school himself, I know how the current education system can make people with dyslexia feel overwhelmed, stupid, slow, average, and many more different adjectives!  Equally they can be told that they are stupid, not listening, day dreaming, not attentive enough etc etc.
Then if they are really lucky they get a diagnosis of dyslexia but whilst they can use that to understand what is going on for themselves, getting others to understand is difficult.  I have heard of having a dyslexia diagnosis being a 'death sentence', I have spoken to parents that literally grieve a perceived loss with their child because they are dyslexic and perhaps not that 'perfect child'.

The mainstream thinking is that having dyslexia is a bad thing and yet with the right support and understanding we have people who have such potential who can literally change the world, just because they think differently.

I would like to show you the TEDx talk below from Kate Griggs, CEO of charity, Made By Dyslexia, as her work really communicates such as positive message about the positive impact that dyslexia can have on us all.  The title is "The Creative Brilliance Of Dyslexia."

What struck me as really important is the process of education that she came through and how the founder of her school realised that a new style of education was needed to unlock the creative brilliance of dyslexics.

Across the UK and worldwide there are a number of schools that are now specialising in supporting dyslexic students and whilst a lot are public schools, there are ways to get places for those who

The Council For The Registration Of Schools Teaching Dyslexic Pupils.

cannot afford the fees.

For parents that are interested in knowing more about getting funding through the EHCP (Education Health & Care Plan ) system, there is going to be a workshop by specialist solicitor Andrew Barrowclough at the SEN Jigsaw Conference that is taking place on the 21st April in Stoke-on-Trent.  This would be an ideal workshop for parents and teachers who want to find alternative support for their dyslexic learners.  

The full lineup for the event is listed below and covers other topics such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, SEN and behaviour, SEN and communication, Auditory Processing Disorder and many more topics.

Click here to find out more and book your tickets.