I love knowing our family isn’t the only one with a story.  A story worth sharing.  I am thrilled to introduce you to Price.  The story below was written by his mother who wanted to share their journey.

“Wow! Where do I begin? First, let me tell you all about my son, Price.  He is wide open!  He loves jumping on the trampoline and riding his bike.  He is a Weblo scout.  He is a soccer player.  He is a hunter.  He has no fear.  He taught himself how to do a back handspring, no instructions, no guidance; just threw himself backwards in the air.  If we had access to a course, I think he would be a true Ninja Warrior.  He is a super hard worker, very friendly and kind and the cutest little 10 year old red headed boy you’ve ever seen.

Here is a short summary of where our dyslexia journey all got started.  When Price started preschool I always felt like there wasn’t something quite right as he started spelling his name backwards.  In first grade, Price met all of his math goals, but was falling behind in reading. He was prepared for the second grade with the exception of his reading ability. We started getting him tutored in reading which allowed him to keep his head above water.  He made progress, but always fell short of grade level.   The summer before 3rd grade his tutor expressed concerns about Price omitting words all together when he was reading and not being phased by it.  With my husband being dyslexic and my father swearing he is dyslexic, although undiagnosed, we felt it was time to have him tested.  Immediately before 3rd grade started, we had Price tested and sure enough; an easy diagnosis of dyslexia and ADD.

Since then it has been a journey of highs and lows.  Tears of defeat, frustration, self-doubt, statements of feeling “stupid” and “why do I have to have dyslexia?”.  We think we finally get the hang of something and then he moves to the next grade and there is a new set of challenges because the work gets harder.  There have been tears of frustration and sadness from Price and from my husband and me.  With dyslexia, I think you expect school to be difficult, but what you don’t expect is the anxiety and potential low self-esteem that comes along with it.  Price has had testing anxiety, anxiety of what his peers will think if he is pulled out of class; anxiety if he thinks he will have extra homework because of classwork he hasn’t yet finished, anxiety that he will fail his grade.  The first year was the toughest, but having a supportive teacher, principal and Speech Language Pathologist (who worked with Price for six months teaching Price to break down reading from the very basics) has made a huge difference.

Price is now over half way through his fourth grade year and has another amazing teacher that is extremely supportive in helping Price succeed.  If anything I think this has been the biggest issue; making sure Price feels successful and confidant.  I actually think making sure that Price is involved in all of the modifications and accommodations, teaching him what dyslexia is and all those that have come before him who have had dyslexia and are hugely successful (a grandfather and dad who are college graduates, an uncle who is a dentist and let’s not forget Albert Einstein, Walt Disney and so many others), making sure he knows he has cheerleaders and that there is nothing to be ashamed of, has made all the difference.  We have made sure that through modifications and accommodations that he is successful in the class.  We have also learned to take it one day at a time.

Good gracious….I feel like there is so much more I could share, but I guess this is it in a summary.  Price continues to get outside help for dyslexia to improve his reading skills, but a support system that makes him feel successful is key. “