My Dyslexia Story: Romy
Tuesday 12 March 2024
I was diagnosed when I was 13. None of my teachers noticed because I was not massively behind my peers, but I was putting in far more work to attain the same grades. After realising my spelling was still not improving and I was taking longer to do everything I started researching. I came across dyslexia. I spoke to my mum who was extremely supportive and got in touch with school and from there I was diagnosed.
Managing mental health
While the direct symptoms of dyslexia have been challenging, I have found the low self-esteem and frustration that comes with it very difficult. I get very anxious that I am going to make a mistake and I still to this day believe that I am wrong and always question myself. I have had mental health issues and had to find a way to try and cope with these feelings.
However, dyslexia has made me extremely determined and I have an incredible work ethic. My determination has allowed me to not give up on myself and try to recover. I also feel that I am very creative.
Understanding makes all the difference.
Apart from extra time and a reader in school exams. I received no formal support. However, in sixth form I had a chemistry teacher who was also dyslexic, I think he saw that I was working really hard and understood that when I made a mistake it wasn’t because I was stupid or lazy, he gave me a lot of confidence and I ended up not giving up on chemistry and actually really enjoying it.
I am most proud of….
Getting into university and studying chemistry. Taking control of my anorexia recovery. But my biggest achievement so far is simply… not giving up on myself!
My advice for someone who has recently been diagnosed with dyslexia:
Don’t feel like you are not worthy of support, take support where you can and try to work out what works best for you. Make sure that you learn to accept the different parts of your brain and focus on the areas you are good at and enjoy. Remind yourself that you are not alone because many people have dyslexia.
Remember, we are not stupid and lazy in fact quite the opposite, we have had to work harder than most to fit into a system that’s not made for our brains