My Life With Learning Differences

    When I was in first grade, my teachers told my parents that I would never learn how to read. 

    That’s how I remember it, at least. 

    But my mom says that’s not exactly right. What they actually told her was that I had several learning differences. They’re called dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia. 

    I didn’t really know what any of those big words meant. All I heard was that I was different. 

    And no kid wants to hear that.

    When I was in first grade, my teachers told my parents I would never learn to read.

    That’s how I remember it, at least.

    My mom says that’s not quite right. They told her I had some learning differences. They’re called dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia.

    I didn’t know what those big words meant. All I heard was that I was different.

    And no kid wants to hear that.

    When I was in first grade, my teachers told my parents that I would never learn how to read.

    That’s how I remember it, anyway.

    But according to my mother, that’s not exactly what happened. What my teachers actually told her was that I had several learning differences called dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia.

    I was very young at the time, and I didn’t really understand any of those big words. All I heard was that I was different.

    And no kid wants to hear that.

    Honestly, the biggest challenge is that many people don’t understand learning differences. Sometimes people think that I’m not trying hard enough. That’s really hard to hear. Usually I have to try harder than many people just to keep up. 

    I’m also underestimated a lot. People might assume that I’m not smart—but that’s not true. I can achieve anything other kids can. But I might need some extra help to get there. 

    What does that help look like? I might get extra time to complete a test or assignment. I’ll also get a word bank for some tests. That’s a list of words that I might have trouble remembering that will help me complete the test. 

    But one of the things that’s helped me the most isn’t something I learned in school. It’s something that I’ve always loved: art.

    The biggest challenge is that many people don’t understand learning differences. Sometimes people think I’m not trying enough. That’s hard to hear. Usually I have to try harder than others just to keep up.

    Also, a lot of the time I’m underestimated. People might think I’m not smart, but that’s not true. I can achieve anything other kids can. But I might need some extra help.

    What does that help look like? I might get extra time to complete a test or assignment. I’ll also get a word bank for some tests. That’s a list of words that I might have trouble remembering that will help me complete the test.

    But one of the things that’s helped me the most isn’t something I learned in school. It’s something I’ve always loved: art.

    Honestly, the biggest challenge I face is that many people don’t understand learning differences. Sometimes people think that I’m just not putting in enough effort. That’s really hard to hear, because I usually have to try harder than many people just to keep up.

    In addition, I often find that I’m being underestimated. People sometimes assume that I’m not smart, but that’s not true. I can achieve anything other kids can—I might just need some extra help to get there.

    That help often comes in the form of an accommodation from my school, such as extra time to complete a test or assignment or access to a word bank—a list of words that I might otherwise have trouble remembering—to help me complete a test.

    But one of the things that’s helped me the most isn’t something I learned in school. It’s something that I’ve always loved: art.

    I’ve loved to draw for as long as I can remember. But the older I get, the more important it feels. 

    My learning differences can make it hard to communicate. Plus, I’m pretty shy. Art lets me share my ideas and feelings with the world.

    Think about it this way: If someone handed you a page of words in a language you didn’t understand, it wouldn’t mean anything. But if someone handed you a painting of a smiling child, you would get it. So would someone who speaks Japanese or Spanish or German. 

    Art is a language everybody understands. I guess that’s why they say “a picture is worth a thousand words.” 

    I’ve loved to draw all my life. But the older I get, the more important it feels.

    My learning differences can make it hard to communicate. I’m pretty shy too. Art lets me share my ideas and feelings.

    Think of it this way: If you saw a page of words in a language you didn’t know, it wouldn’t mean anything. But if you saw a painting of a smiling child, you would get it. Someone who speaks Japanese or Spanish or German would too.

    Art is a language everybody understands. That’s why they say “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

    I’ve loved to draw for as long as I can remember—but the older I get, the more important it feels.

    My learning differences can make communication difficult—and also, I’m pretty shy. Art allows me to share my ideas and feelings with the world.

    Think about it this way: If someone handed you a page of words in a language you didn’t understand, it wouldn’t mean anything to you. But if someone handed you a painting of a smiling child, you would get the idea. So would someone who speaks Japanese or Spanish or German.

    Art is a language that everybody understands. I guess that’s why they say “a picture is worth a thousand words.”