Adult experiences
 of dyslexia

  Dyslexia Parents Resource

A social worker from Seattle writes about her experiences with words.

I have always had trouble with writing and spelling. I remember when I was in 10th Grade my writing and spelling were still so poor that I could not spell 'does' correctly. I spelled it 'dose' and could not recognize that this was wrong. My English teacher got upset with me, thinking I was just too lazy to look words up. I explained that I try but sometimes (a lot of times really) I spelled the words so wrongly that I could not find them in the dictionary. She made me cry, feel bad, and bought me my first 'bad spellers' dictionary. However, I could still find words sometimes, even with this dictionary. She told me to read more, and so I did. I read and kept journals of all the words I did not know, and I practiced them, spelling and definitions.

I have gotten much better, but I still have trouble when asked to write something freehand in stressful situations such as job interview writing samples. I find myself constantly second-guessing whether or not I spelled the simplest words correctly.

Although I have have managed to be quite successful, given my difficulties academically, I am concerned about my ability to do as well at a higher level in my career. I am concerned that this kind of problem will keep me from getting the kinds of jobs I would like to have and that I would do well.

Another thing I have noticed is that people I know seem to be able to read a word once or twice and then just be able to spell it correctly. It is like I have to see the word ten to twenty times before I can spell it correctly. I often read words wrongly, even words I am familiar with.

A.B., Seattle, Wa.

Read more adults' experiences of dyslexia on the following pages:

A Dyslexic Law Student's Story.

My Own Business - Creating Drawings for Architects.

Coping with a Learning Disability (Difference).

Better Late Than Never.

Why can't I read like the other kids?

Finding my own solutions.

Whoa! Major Flashback.

Success with the Direct Learning Comprehension Exercise.

Allison Lee Merriweather - dyslexic artist.

Dyslexia: An emotional account.