Showing posts with label Dyslexic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dyslexic. Show all posts
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?
Labels:
Descriptive Writing,
Dyslexia,
Dyslexic
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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?
Labels:
Backward Numbers,
Dyslexia,
Dyslexic,
Numbers Switch,
Phones
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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?
Labels:
Dyslexia,
Dyslexic,
How a Dyslexic See's
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Wednesday, May 7, 2014
A Begining
I have just recently after 47 years have discovered that I am dyslexic, and in saying that I have found it fascinating in the differences that my mind travels as opposed to the so called “Normal” way of thinking. I have been looking further into the what’s, how’s and why’s for an admittedly brief time, but enough reading has confirmed the day to day issues I have faced all my life has a name, and its called Dyslexia.
It has also pointed out some of the shortcuts; actually unknown to me; that I have used day to day and over the years. Some of which I am still recognizing and others I have not found yet.
“What This Blog Is Not”
This Blog is not meant to be “A Pity Party”; in fact I love my life, I have been very successful and have embraced what it is to be me. I can create on the fly, find solutions that will leave a lot of folks scratching their head, I can create or give step by step instructions in an easy format that anyone can follow, I can speak to hundreds of people on stage with few or without notes at all, you can give me the end result of what you need or want and I can create it or find a way to produce it…and a zillion other things that I cannot remotely think of at the moment but all of which makes me…Me.
This Blog is also not meant to be a Scientific Research Assignment, Assessment, Study or Clinical anything.
There are many degrees of Dyslexia and this Blog is not meant to be an answer to your questions on Dyslexia.
I am not having these posts edited other than MS Word, so this Blog is not going to have everything perfect, spelling and grammar has never been my strong point and now I know it never will, so “Grammar Police” stay home and silent…you may be able to process 250 words per minute but I can process about 10,000 images in that same time frame. So, if you are one of “those”, take a deep breath and relax and you may learn something. We are different.
“What This Blog Is”
A curious look at the mind-set and what I see and if possible why.
A way people around me can understand what I am thinking while interacting with them; and, for me to gain insight on how to become a better communicator with the other half of the brain people.
Have you ever heard, “I thought everyone saw it this way.(?)”
No they don’t!
In turn, I will try and seek out non-dyslexics and find their take on the same instance, not just to give you and myself examples but to explore the opposite side of the coin.
I will be referring mostly to my own views on the subjects we cover, however I hope that you will join in, not just in comments but also day to day experiences.
Send me an email on an instance you have encountered and I may publish it as its own post. I am not the only one out there. As I said I am curious and I love to dig into things, let’s get started.
Labels:
Dyslexia,
Dyslexic
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If you are interested in contributing to this blog, have comments or questions email me: andergraph@gmail.com