What to do if Someone Tells You that You are not Dyslexic, even though You are!

Recently, a kid at school told me that I was not dyslexic.  Their reason for this was because the letters do not flip around or march of the page for me.

Unfortunately for this kid, my diagnosis is not based off of their opinion.  I have been tested twice and diagnosed with sever dyslexia both times. 

This kid is not even in the ball park when it comes to the definition of dyslexia.  According to U.S. National Institutes of Health, dyslexia is defined as a learning disorder.  It does not make a ruling on whether or not words or letter move around.

So yes, I am dyslexic.  And many of you reading this probably are as well.  If so, you have probably had a similar experience or will have one later in life.

There is a right way and a wrong way to handle situations where people do not believe you are dyslexic.  The right way is to ignore them.  This is clearly a problem on their end.  Their ignorance is showing and they do not understand the dyslexic experience.

The wrong way to handle this is to pick a fight and try to insist upon your way.  Basically, that gets you nowhere because now you are forcing them to see it your way and not bringing them around through kindness and explanation.

However, there is a situation where you do need to stand up for your rights – when there are teachers involved.

If a teacher insists that you are not dyslexic, you probably need to make sure they understand that you really are dyslexic.  As a dyslexic, you have acquired a certain set of skills that allows you to function and operate within an education system that is not designed for your learning style!  It is important for teachers to understand that you have been diagnosed and will required support based upon your learning plan.  This is worth fighting for.