Saturday, August 13, 2016

Actually Reading A Book

My long lost Brother which I have only known a year or so can read and read well. His passion if you can believe it is detailed manuals. I asked him about it and he said that he could never get into books that much and was really not interested in them and would never finish one.

I myself, love a good book and I wanted to share some of my favorites I knew that he would like. I challenged him to use only his phone, download the kindle app, increase the font to where there were only 3 word or no more than 4 words per line and give it a try.

Guess what! He is reading books! And, likes it!

So, if you are struggling and have this weird thing that we call Dyslexia try it. I did not start reading until my late 20's and wish that something or someone had told me about this sooner. What a life changer.  

Getting there and directions

After all these years I have not put 2 and 2 together until my wife asked me how I knew the way to a new place, without ever being there. I told her it was simple I looked it up on a Map.

Now that does not sound like much and really it isn't. The problem always seemed to stem when I would be given directions to a place that I could not visualize first. Go this way turn onto "" then left on "" and so on. I would go off knowing that I had gotten the directions and end up frustrated and confused in the end. I always made it in the end, but most times it was a fight and a struggle with a lot of stress in between.

If given a choice I will pull it up on a map online or get out the old printed map book and give it a look before I go. I view it for a few minutes, make mental notes and can just about drive there without so much as 1 curse word the whole way.

I am an avid hunter and have been dropped off in some God knows where regions and have never been stressed out as much as I am driving in the metro area with written directions. And, again I have never thought about it. But before a trip I have looked at a map (several perhaps including road and topo maps) and knew what was all around it, roads, clear cuts, lakes, streams, ponds. I knew where I was without even realizing it.

So, keep a map handy ad plan before you go to keep your Dyslexia at bay and your stress level down.
Sunday, October 19, 2014

Descriptive Writing



I am an avid reader, I love to read. However, I want a book that moves, without too many details. Details slow me down! But why? This hit me this week and as I stated when I started this blog I will try to recognize the difference in a dyslexic's mind and that of you normal people. So, I thought this was a good topic. 

I have a friend who actually loves the detail of that snowflake, saddle, uniform or other object. It helps him see what the author is painting to make it more real. Ok, I get it, I don't like it. But, I do get it. and here is why. When I read or talk, I am instantaneously forming pictures, some say up to 10K per minute. When I read, I am actually seeing a movie more than I am reading a story. As I read the words do come to life and when the author goes into a very long drawn out explanation of what they want you to see it stops me cold. 

Now think about this, If someone shows you a photo, you look at it and acknowledge what is being shown, right? 

Now, say someone is showing me a picture - "Hey look at this!" So, I do. As soon as my eyes hit the picture the person who is showing it to me says, "No, wait." 

He takes out a marker and adds something to the photo, then immediately turns it back to me and says "There!" 

I look again. Only this time my eyes don't focus on the new picture because I have to back up and acknowledge that it is a different picture. By that time (When my mind actually catches up) the author has shown me 20 or more photos of the image I drew myself in seconds. It kills me, does it you?
Sunday, May 18, 2014

Phone Crazy





Have you ever had the experience of walking into the office, phones ringing, customers at the counter, questions being thrown from one end to the other? I am sure most of you have had that experience, right.

Ok, now the fun part; things settle down just a bit and you have some phone calls to make, you reach for the phone….What the Heck!?! They have switched my phone! My numbers are backwards or descending the wrong way.

Now I do not know if you have ever experienced this, but let me tell you that it is quite a shock to the system. Not to mention, it makes me stop….really think about what I am looking at…and sometimes, having to ask someone to come look at my keys.

It will take me a little while to get used to the new format and it goes really slow for a while, until I re-learn this new phone.

Ok, I have to admit it, no one changed my phone. My brain did though, and luckily it does not do it often, or at least I can recognize what I am seeing and make the mental adjustment before it gets too far down my brain stem to convince me that it’s real and I literally do have to re-learn the phone pattern.

Now I was around during the rotary type phone and while I have not used these for the whole part of my 47 years, I have managed it most of my life. It does sound crazy, but it happens more than I want. That’s Dyslexia for you.

Has this ever happened to you?



Friday, May 9, 2014

What did you say?




I had planned on telling you how about how someone had switched phones on me at work, but I will save that for another day. Tonight I want to relate a conversation I had tonight. Well, not the literal conversation but what I observed during it.



My wife had an interesting day at a great meeting, she was telling me about the speakers that gave speeches during it and some of the topics that were mentioned. The story she had to tell me, I got. I was attentive, got the imagery, felt the story…and it was a good one.



After the story she went on to describe some of the other things that she felt was interesting. On 1 instance I found that I finished the story for her; it was not right or even close to what happened. I then understood that I created it, I saw it, and felt compelled to insert my version. Which by the way is very frustrating for her. After the quizzical look and starting over I did my best to follow along. A short time later she stated a word which I now do not remember at all, and it was as if everything shut down. I could see her talking, I could hear not words but noise (that is not meant to be in a mean way). But, I completely lost track. My mind went into outer space, starting with that “trigger word” and progressing to who knows where.



It took me a little while to come back, and when reality did set in, I had missed part of the conversation. In reality it was just a few seconds, but enough for her to say, Are you even listening to me?”



Well, yes and no. I heard up to the part…..and then….



I do not have to tell you that most people do not like to tell the same story twice, and some stories do not need to be told twice. While this was not one of those, I felt guilty for not being more focused on our conversation.



I do this it seems at random times and for no apparent reason. A word or phrase will hit me and off I go. It can be with anyone or on anything. Sometimes it hurts the situation or some ones feelings, sometimes it helps. I see a different world, which is fine. Recognizing it may benefit both parties. I had never put it together before.
Thursday, May 8, 2014

Words in Pictures



Recently, we were to attend a Graduation at the University of GA for my Niece. I was speaking with my Nephew he and he told me, “I am pretty sure it will be crowded, so I will meet you inside the Auditorium.” He went on to say, “If it’s not crowded I will meet outside near the front door, in front of the steps.”

Let’s stop right there. In the previous text, how did you dissimulate that information?

Did you just understand those instructions? Or, did you see the whole picture?

No, it is not a trick question, and it was a topic of discussion with my wife and I.

Let me explain, while researching Dyslexia I ran across this post http://www.happydyslexic.com/node/9. The post/article under the heading “Dyslexics think in pictures instead of words” hit me like a ton of bricks. I had read this many times but it was not until I was reading this in conjunction with the phone call did I understand what I was seeing and what I was hearing.

As he was telling me that he would be inside if it was crowded, I saw him, I saw the auditorium, I saw carpet, walls, hallways and crowds of faceless people milling about. I actually saw it, I did not just leave it with the words.

In the next breath he stated that he may be outside next to the steps. Well, again I saw the whole picture…him standing there in a jacket hands in pockets, the building, glass, trees, steps, concrete…everything.

I exclaimed “That’s it!”

I turned to my wife and told her the same thing that our Nephew had just told me. I asked her if she saw anything or did she just understand the words/instructions? Answer: She just understood and did not need to draw a picture or go into detail.

What amazed me is that I saw the colorized version in remarkable detail in seconds, and if given a few more seconds I would have drawn in more details.

My wife asked me why would I do that, I responded, “Heck, I thought everyone did that.”

The next question that followed was, “If you never have been there how do you know what it looks like?” Answer: I don’t, but that does not make any less real or change my thought process. I draw the image as I think it will be. It does not matter what it actually is, and when I do see it in person, there are usually enough similarities there. So, in essence it does not matter to me. I know that sounds strange, but that is how it is.

To confirm it was not a fluke, I tried a similar scenario with a colleague at work. The results were the same.

So, what can I draw from this and what can you take away? It is that while you are talking to me or someone else with Dyslexia, it may take a few more seconds for us to grasp than you, but understand that we are creating the word, instructions, phrase or story in Pictures or Hollywood Movies as you tell it. We see the pictures; we do not follow the word.

What are your thoughts? 

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