My Story

This is the story of my daughter Tami. It is how my journey to a New Solution began.

“Your child did not study her spelling words, please study her spelling words with her every day.” (I am!) Your child needs to read every day, please read with your child.” (I do!) “Your child did not turn in her homework. Please make sure your child returns her homework daily.” (I have!)  “Your child will not stop talking in class.  Please talk with your child about this.” (What?)

“I don’t want to go to school.” (Why not?) “I hate school!” (Why?) “My teacher hates me!” (No she doesn’t)  “I try mommy but I just don‘t understand.” (What don‘t you understand?) “I don‘t understand any of it. Everybody hates me!” (No they don’t)  “Yes they do, they hate me because I’m stupid!”  With these gut-wrenching words still echoing in my ears I began my journey to a new solution.

The school said they would test her for a learning disability next year.  Next year?  What about now? I watched in agony as my child’s self esteem went quickly into the gutter! After leaving the counselor’s office, with tears in my eyes and a determination in my heart to find help for my child, I began calling everyone I knew.  Asking if anyone ever heard of the learning difficulties my child had;  trouble with the alphabet, often confusing b and d, concentrating very hard trying to sound out each letter of a word, inconsistency with spelling,  no reading comprehension,  headaches, and even panic attacks. One of my friends happened to be a former teacher who worked with learning disabled children.  We agreed it sounded like dyslexia.

I called a learning center seeking to have my daughter tested for dyslexia.  “We don’t test for dyslexia. Sorry.”  I managed to ask who does before she hung up the phone.  “I don’t know bring her to your pediatrician.”  My pediatrician? She’s not sick!  Now what?

Undaunted, I turned to the internet.  I typed in dyslexia.   Up came 761,151 sites about dyslexia.  I began sifting through the mountains of information from one site after another until I thought my head would explode.  Then I typed in dyslexia.com and came upon a web site for Dyslexia the Gift.  It was unlike any other website I had ever seen.  It talked about the gifts and talents my daughter had and not just her learning disability.  I began to feel a glimmer of hope.  “Could this be the answer I was looking for?” 

Copyright 2012