Lysdexia

Well, the cat's out of the bag. I'm dyslexic. I've known it since elementary school and I hate it. I've tried to keep it secret...well who wants to announce to the world or loved ones that they have a mental disorder? Nobody.

I've noticed it from time to time when a word I've written (or typed) that just didn't look right or someone has pointed it out to me. I've also noticed it when a word I've only read and written was spoken by someone else and I realized that for years I had a letter reversed.

Recent examples: I spelled Giuliani "Guiliani" for weeks on B4B before noticing my mistake when I did a web search. I promptly went back through the archives and corrected my many (and consistent) mistakes.

I also noticed it today after a commenter noticed my mistake in Terri Schaivo's [sic] Brother Joins Sam Brownback. I spelled Schiavo "Schaivo." Now that I look at it, I'm not sure which is right. That's the thing about dyslexia. It's like looking at words through a hall of mirrors. It's not an amusement park, not a funhouse; it's a frustrating puzzle that often doesn't seem to make any sense. I hate it.

It's incredibly embarrassing and humiliating. It makes you feel like you're stupid. But you're not. You simply, well, I simply have some sketchy connections in my brain that have nothing to do with intelligence.

One place you can find information about dyslexia is wikipedia.

I really encourage others with dyslexia to share their own stories in the comments. Use as much detail as you like. I plan on doing another more detailed post on "lysdexia" and my own experiences with it in the near future, should anyone be remotely interested.

Somehow I doubt it.

Update: Since dyslexia is a part of my life, and always will be, and is doubtlessly the part of many other people's lives, I have created a new experimental group blog to discuss the subject. If this concept is of interest to you, please check out Lysdexia and consider joining in a discussion. Thanks.

G-d bless you,
-- Psycheout