Dyslexia Being Dyslexic Is Like

Dyslexia

Being dyslexic is like trying to read and write in a foreign language: knowing what to say but not how to say it; knowing I could appreciate a book, article, or Web site if only I could make sense of the symbols scattered on the page. Thankfully, new technologies including audio books and software offer individuals with dyslexia alternate means of working with the written word. Persons with autism, however, have few options for translating their thoughts, for bridging the barriers between themselves and others. Growing up with three autistic cousins has put my disability into perspective, allowing me to become more helpful to others through education and compassion. Although I have struggled to overcome my difficulties, autistic children have access to fewer resources to help them cope with their disability. Autistic children like my cousins Christian, Lucas and Robey don't have special technology to help them; their parents can't rely on technology either. When I volunteered with the foundation for autistic children what I discovered were selfless professionals who, to their credit, worked within a framework that is yet underdeveloped. Believing that more can be done to assist the needs of individuals living with autism, I have largely moved beyond the setbacks associated with dyslexia and have shifted focus toward research on autism and emerging technologies and pharmaceuticals that may help autistic children.

Technology has made it possible for me to translate my own thoughts into words and to transfer other people's thoughts into my brain, occasionally bypassing the medium of written language. Viewing dyslexia not as a problem but as an opportunity to think differently about the nature of communication and language, I have also been able to view autism differently. The two conditions share much in common. For instance, both autism and dyslexia affect the ways individuals interpret other people's words. Autism especially impacts communication because of the autistic individual's sensitivity not only to verbal but also to nonverbal communication. Just as I have been able to take advantage of therapy, technology, and training, I expect that new developments will ease communications skills for autistic children.

In a culture that strongly emphasizes literacy as a primary, fundamental social skill, having either dyslexia or autism can make it difficult to cope in social situations. Dyslexia, however, does not come in the way of most social interactions whereas autism might. If more is understood about autism and the different ways autistic individuals perceive, perhaps we can devise new methods of communication similar to the way that sign language has become a complete lexicon for the hearing impaired.

Dyslexia and autism can therefore remind us to be more open-minded, and more willing to entertain different viewpoints and perspectives. The dyslexic or autistic child is not stupid; he or she simply possesses a different coding system, a different way of interpreting the signs and symbols of human communication. I intend to study the brain's construction of coding systems, including the neurophysiological origins of autism. By grasping the structural or organic etiology of the disorder, it may be possible to develop pharmaceutical solutions for autism in addition to therapeutic ones.