After graduating from college I knew I wanted to keep learning. I was for sure that there was a way for me to work full time but also keep learning in the areas I want to learn. A few months went by after graduation and I could mentally feel my dyslexia getting worse. It is hard to explain but I was experiencing a lot of brain fog, stumbling all over my words and forgetting names and numbers faster than normal.
I was so fed up with not knowing how my dyslexic brain worked and how I can best embrace it so I scheduled an appointment with my doctor to beg him to help me. I had already looked for dyslexia exports in Georgia and Florida and came up empty handed. I knew that my doctor would not have a magic answer for me right away but I was just so positive that I needed someone else to help me dive into being dyslexic.
My doctor was very patient and kind with me and all the things I was telling him. After I explained my situation I simply asked for help to find someone who could help me on a deeper level. He printed off some info for me, gave me his cell number and told me he would do some digging and get back with me!
I left with little hope because after my own personal research I had no luck. But three days after my doctor’s appointment, I got a text! My doctor reached out to his buddy who is a psychiatrist who has a patient that is a dyslexia mentor! I called her right away to see if she could help. Within a week from my doctors appointment I was sitting at a dyslexia tutors dining room table doing a quick assessment to see where I could use the most help.
Even though I had successfully graduated college and got a great job working full time, I knew I could continue to grow and learn more about my dyslexic brain! I have been taking dyslexia tutoring using the Susan Barton curriculum since July 2019. This requires me to set aside at least two hours a week for tutoring and budget money to pay for it.
I have learned so much more than I ever thought I would be able to learn! I have felt my brain wake up and a huge improvement in my spelling, reading, writing and overall brain function. The tutoring has improved my confidence so much and I am not even finished with the course yet. Even though this course is designed for school age kids, I have had no problems starting from the very bases of learning to read! It has been hard work but every lesson has taught me something that I was not aware off where a non dyslexic could easily process and understand.
I am so thankful that I did not have a closed off mind after graduating college. Getting my degree gave me a springboard to continue to learn something new and challenge myself. I will never cure my dyslexia but I will never stop working on myself! As I plan to wrap up my Susan Barton training at the end of this year or start of next year I would highly recommend it for anyone who struggles with reading and writing.
My tutor is amazing and so incredibly flexible with my schedule! We started the training with me going to her house and sitting at her dining room table. I can not even put into words the anxiety that I felt sitting at a dining room table and having to read. It instantly took me back to grade school where I spent so many hours crying over spelling words at my childhood dining room table. She coached me through so many great lessons in person and then online when COVID prevented face-to-face and I moved cities for work!
Please know that it is okay to ask for help! There is a big dyslexic population and now there are more tutors to help and programs that work now more than ever before. I so badly wish I had this program when I was in grade school but I didn’t, so I am making the very most of it while I can! I can honestly and proudly say that I have learned some of my favorite lessons after getting my degree!
Much love, your favorite dyslexic blogger, Colleen Howard
