How I learned to read

I’m new to this page. So I thought I would share my story on how I found out I was dyslexic and the ways I over came it.

I was 11 when my mother had concerns I was not doing well at school. She got me in to see a psychologist(? A doctor who specialises in learning disabilities). I went every Saturday for 3 months to have tests and strategies to help me learn. The doctor diagnosed me with dyslexia.This enabled me to apply for reader writers and extra time for school exams and also a government (New Zealand) help with tutors.

By 15 I had a reading age of a 8 year old. My school was not supportive and the teachers didn’t understand. I was the only diagnosed kid in the school. I had problems with bullying when I had to read out loud.

The tutors help me with my homework and studying but couldn’t really do much for my reading. My dad, who I think is dyslexic as well, gave me a book. The Magician by Raymond E Feist as my birthday (January) present. He told me to finish it by the end if the year. This is how I taught myself how to read. (disclosure: this is just how I did it myself, it’s not a scientifically proven way, but it help me I immensely).

Reread, reread and reread

When I just turned 15, I started The Magician. I got a pencil and a ruler. I put the ruler under each sentence, and used the pencil to mark the word I was reading. Ruler, read the work, finish the sentence, reread the sentence to sense of it. Do that for a paragraph. Reread the paragraph. Then do that for a page. Reread the page. It took hours. I did that for the whole book. It took me a year to finish.

The next book took me 6 months, the next 3 months. I got rid of the ruler and pencil and used my finger to follow the words I was reading. I’m now 26 and I invested in a kindle a few years ago. I made the font large. Got the dyslexic font. This was the point where I found I could read so much easier.

Last year my dad challenged me to a read-off over a year. We share a kindle account and we each read 100 books. What I found was that you can have all the help you can get, and it does help with studying and exams. But the only way I found to help me read was to just do it.

I hope this helps people. Get amongst books that make you imagine. I love when reading g you it feels like your watching a movie in your head.

Cheers, hope this helps.
/Churtothechur