Dyslexia and ATS

I suppose I should really be starting this by declaring that I am dyslexic, it has been diagnosed by 2 fully qualified educational psychologists, I have “Developmental dyslexia”. I have been told this means that due to some major short comings in my primary education (5-12 years old), I now have a difficulty with words, despite having a higher than average IQ and scoring “well above average” on general knowledge assessments. This is not me attempting to boast, just trying to convey that firstly my dyslexia is not my fault and that it does not mean I have any dismissed intellectual capabilities, also that it has been identified by two professionals at different points in my life.

I don’t really want to start a debate about what different people think of the origins of dyslexia are or whether it exists or not. For me it is very real, and I am sure that for the other dyslexics on ATS it is very real. I personally have never accepted any additional support in exams, no extra time, no reader, no scribe, no coloured paper and last year I finished top in my class of 30. When I started high school it was discovered that I had the spelling ability of a 7 year old and my reading age was not much better. Now I have no reading difficulties, it has been explained to me this is because I am an avid reader. My spelling has also drastically improved, at 14 I could not spell any word longer than a syllable, once I started to blog on other sites and I must say even on ATS I have noticed my spelling improve.

There are however particular difficulties I will always have, unfamiliar words are a nightmare, as is my grammar because I have basically never been taught how to do it correctly. For this reason there is something on ATS I find, and I am sure other dyslexics find incredibly infuriating, corrections.

There is nothing more annoying that writing a thread or post, only to have your post discredited because you have used “their” when you should have used “there” or missed out or substituted a letter or two. It is the content of the post or thread that is important, as long as you can read it and understand it, there should be no problem. I once read somebody who wrote something along the lines of “I cannot take what you say seriously because you are talking about a complex topic yet you haven’t yet grasped concepts of your own language that are a 8th grader has”. That makes me angry.

There is no need to correct somebody’s spelling or grammar other than to make them look stupid, discredit them and ultimately express your perceived intellectual dominance. The worst part of it is when the person who has made the error apologies with “sorry I am dyslexic”. You would not write “sorry I only have one arm so sometimes I hit the wrong keys” or “sorry I have just had a stroke”. We should not have to apologise to people who are ultimately ignorant and arrogant. We should all be judged by the content and quality of the information contain in our threads and posts and not our grammar. I have done a search and I have not found any threads on this subject on ATS, there are however quite allot calling for an ATS spell checker due to peoples spelling and grammar errors. This thread is really just asking people to be more forgiving when it comes to the spelling and grammatical errors of others, whether it be a genuine mistake, dyslexia or because English is not their native language.


PS. Please enjoy all ironic unintentional spelling and grammatical errors.

Mods: I was unsure whether to put this in the ATS issues thread on medical issues thread, I have gone for the latter but if you wish to move it feel free to move it to the ATS issues thread.

I think most of us recognize you as an articulate and intelligent poster,whether we agree or not, you express yourself very well.
I have found being dyslesic also confers ability through the developement of coping mechanisms that strengthen abilities the average person doesn't normally need to develope.
Speaking for my self...after the hard work it has taken to attempt to overcome the apparent short comings that come with the condition, I am happy to be what I am.

PS Spell NAZIs are generally recognized as being low on ammo anyhow,

[edit on 26-8-2010 by Danbones]

reply to post by kevinunknown


I agree with you on the spelling thing. It's stupid..why even bother replying to such post. Just ignore them.

reply to post by kevinunknown


don't let those over educated people convince you dyslexia is abnormal!

maybe the "regular" reading literate people who only see things from left to right are the dislexic ones?

boots [mirror] stood
*yes, boots have been known to have stood.

eden [reversed & spelled phonetically] nude
*yes, they were reportedly nude in the garden of eden.

trophy [reversed & spelled phonetically] effort
*yes, a trophy is nothing more than proof of an effort

shower [reversed & spelled phonetically] rewosh = rewash
*yes, i rewash the same parts as i did last time i took a shower

feed [mirror] beef
*yes, we have been known to feed on beef

anyone see a subliminal pattern? neuro-linguistical programming, influencing/manipulating, and controlling peoples' actions and behaviors anyone?

stay [reversed & spelled phonetically] ATS
*yes, we have been known to stay on ATS as long as we can

perhaps their is truth in the words when we look at them "the wrong way".

Definition of DYSLEXIA
: a variable often familial learning disability involving difficulties in acquiring and processing language that is typically manifested by a lack of proficiency in reading, spelling, and writing
www.merriam-webster.com...

if people don't know their english is more than just from left to right, they are by definition suffering from dyslexia

i'm guessing you are not alone kevinunknown.
i recently had a spelling error of mine corrected in this thread, where i used the term "Marshal Law" instead of "Martial Law":
www.abovetopsecret.com...

i thanked the member for correcting me, edited my post to reflect the change, and pressed on....

hope this helps,
et

p.s.
It is difficult for us to mean what we say, if we cannot say what we mean, but more often than not, english words have more than just dual meanings.


[edit on 26-8-2010 by Esoteric Teacher]

reply to post by kevinunknown


I have never had any bother reading your thoughts here on ATS Kevin.


I don`t mind the means by which people express themselves, as long as it does not interfere with the flow of thought.

Personal disclosure :

I overuse ellipses - but if you knew me you would realise that i have a tendency to trail off when i ........

I agree that people with medical conditions that make typing or spelling difficult shouldn't be hounded for their mistakes. They also shouldn't be forced to identify themselves. That goes for ESL folks as well.

I'll admit though, I'm one of those people who get turned off by bad spelling, internet spelling (thx, wat, u, etc) and things like that. I don't mind a few mistakes, but if it's a consistent thing in a post where someone is claiming to have super-secret, divine or unearthly knowledge or that they are a super-secret official, divine or unearthly entity then it makes me roll my eyes and discount what they're saying.

Maybe it's wrong, kind of like intellectual profiling, but this place is an exchange of ideas. If you want someone to take your idea seriously you should present it well.

I agree with what you're saying, but at the same time I think those without extenuating circumstances for their mistakes shouldn't be coddled. Again, I'm not talking about one or two typos, but quite a few.

Guys,

Thanks for all your responses, its strange for me not to have any hate mail from a thread lol.

Makes a nice change.

Originally posted by Danbones

PS Spell NAZIs are generally recognized as being low on ammo anyhow,

[edit on 26-8-2010 by Danbones] [/quote)]

Couldnt agee with you more!

I am dyslexic (actually lysdexic), but I have learned how to increase my ability to concentrate, and that helps a lot. I don't always do as well as I think I should on IQ tests, particularly on the parts where you have to predict the next sequence in diagrams. Time limits also give me problems, but I don't really care. I've been measured anywhere from 110 to 160. I'm a good speller, but usually get Is and Es turned around and have learned to check my text often. I don't care if anyone makes fun of me because I know the truth of my own intelligence. It has been a blessing of a kind for me, and I wonder if it has something to do with my creativity and imagination. I think it does. It takes work to rise above your weaknesses, but it can be done.

I'm not dyslexic (as far as I know) but I have always had major problems with spelling and grammar and I tend to insert commas and full stops with a complete scattergun approach.
I usually read my posts over at least 3 times and even then I tend to have to edit them when I see a glaring spelling mistake after I have clicked on the reply button.
I have tried and tried to correct these problems but it's like trying to swallow balls of cotton wool for me, it just doesn't go in.

It's even more annoying because creative writing forms part of my job sometimes and I always have to get my girlfriend to read through things before I will submit them to anyone.

reply to post by deadred


That’s quite interesting, there is a book out about some guy who argues dyslexia being a gift other than a disability. He basically argues that the educational institutions need to change the way people with dyslexia are taught to focus more on their (or rather our) creativity.

Kev, it would seem to me that dyslexics might have the potential to think in somewhat of a hybridized non-linear fashion. It may be pure misperceptions that our brains are "miswired". We can think things through as well as anyone else can, but we may be able to think inside of the box as well as outside the box simultaneously. Others might see us as quirky, and they might be right, but only in the traditional sense. The unknown and novel seems strange to most orthodox thinkers, and it may be little more than differences in our language centers, but wouldn't meta-logical analysis be part of this? It may be an understatement that an increase in testosterone in utero causes left-handedness, ambidexterousness, and dyslexia. I kind of see it as as a function of extra-logical thought, hence inside and outside of the box at the same time.

reply to post by kevinunknown


Hi Kevin,
I am personally grateful for spellchecker as it helps me immensely in my posts and wards off the grammar nazi's who usually have nothing to contribute to a thread anyway.
For all Dyslexics i have composed a small list of names to contemplate when you are feeling the pressure from society to be grammatically perfect and maybe thinking that you are not able to compete or succeed.
Suck it in like a millionaire, you are in good company.

George Washington.
Thomas Jefferson.
Andrew Jackson.
John F Kennedy.
Woodrow Wilson.
Winston Churchill.
Albert Einstein.
Alexander Graham Bell.
Michael Faraday.
Thomas A Edison.
James Lovelock.
Pierre Curie.
Leonardo da Vinci.
Pablo Picasso.
Andy Warhol.
John Lennon.
Gen. George Patton.
Ted Turner.
Richard Branson.
Agatha Christie.
W.B. Yeats.
Muhammad Ali.
Steve Redgrave.
Jackie Stewart.

Now that's quite a list and is far from complete.

My two pence.

Cosmic...

reply to post by kevinunknown


Well, god bless you kevin, I understand completely, some of us may not be rocket scientist, but we have common sense, some of us may not have gone to college but we went to the school of hard knocks,

I feel your pain.

and i am tired.

reply to post by Cosmic4life

I am personally grateful for spellchecker as it helps me immensely

bad spellers are highly intelligent,

Originally posted by kevinunknown
reply to post by deadred

 

That’s quite interesting, there is a book out about some guy who argues dyslexia being a gift other than a disability. He basically argues that the educational institutions need to change the way people with dyslexia are taught to focus more on their (or rather our) creativity.

Well , exactly, school is a trap, and us non conformist individuals, that walk to the tune of a different drummer don't fit in with their agenda.

reply to post by kevinunknown


I too am dyslexic and have worked hard to overcome and live with my limitations. I use Word to write most of my long post because it has spell check. I also read and re-read before posting, but alas, many of my post have to be edited. I seem to have more of a problem with numbers than words though.

Originally posted by darkelf
reply to post by kevinunknown

 

I too am dyslexic and have worked hard to overcome and live with my limitations. I use Word to write most of my long post because it has spell check. I also read and re-read before posting, but alas, many of my post have to be edited. I seem to have more of a problem with numbers than words though.

So far the people who have posted on this topic seem pretty normal to me,

Hi all

I can see where you coming from Kevin, Ive seen a lot of poor coments from people on this forum regarding bad spelling. And I dont mean "txt" spelling, cause that can be very hard to read sometimes

Im altso dyslectic, and have been messured to have a IQ of 130
And Im highly creative to

I must say, I cant remember people in here have ever made comments on my spelling...(and that is simply amazing )

Love and light
Sat Nam

reply to post by kevinunknown


My husband has a mild form of dyslexia,he says
words backwards.
He has been a computer programmer for almost
50 years.