August 15th, 2009 | 
Author: My daughter is 10 years old, and is being tested shortly for dyslexia – although it is pretty definite she has it, we are having the proper testing done. However, how can I explain about dyslexia in a kind way so that my daughter does not think there is something "wrong" with her. She already struggles with her self esteem because of reading, writing, spelling and maths issues and has been bullied at school. How can I explain why having this test is a good thing and that dyslexia is only a minor part of who she is?
Tell her that everyone’s brain works differently. Some people are good at sports, others at math, others at reading, others at art or cooking. Some people’s brains have a more difficult time making sense of the signals that are a part of reading. Their eyes and their brains don’t communicate very well. The good news is, that once you understand how your brain works, there are ways to help you learn better.
Posted in dyslexia
Explain that the eyes read words mixed up and the brain then has a hard time understanding the message. This makes her special. Nearly all dyslexics are great at art…or sports. Try to get her into something like that.
References :
Tell her about all of the famous people who are dyslexic, for example, Tom Cruise. You could maybe even make a point of taking her to see a Tom Cruise film and at the end saying that hes got dyslexic and that he appears no different to anyone else. I found a list of famous people at http://www.dyslexia-test.com/famous.html
To explain what it actually is, just say pehaps that some people are born with blonde hair, and some are born with brown. It doesnt reflect what type of person you are, its just down to nature, and that her brain has just been made slighlty different
References :
http://www.dyslexia-test.com/famous.html
Tell her that everyone’s brain works differently. Some people are good at sports, others at math, others at reading, others at art or cooking. Some people’s brains have a more difficult time making sense of the signals that are a part of reading. Their eyes and their brains don’t communicate very well. The good news is, that once you understand how your brain works, there are ways to help you learn better.
References :
I think you should to to the library and find some books about dyslexia for kids. I found several on amazon that I think would help to explain the disability to your daughter. You could take her with you to help pick out the book that she likes best. Also, be honest with her. As you are reading the story if questions come up that you cannot answer just say so. You could make a list of all of the questions that you both come up with as you are reading and take it with you to the next meeting. Good Luck and keep in mind, now that you know what the problem is, now you will know some ways to fix it.
References :
I never knew how much information there was out there about Dyslexia and children’s health issues! Thank you for making it easy to get the picture!