Demigods!

My friend has both Dyslexia and ADHD. Is he a Demigod by any chance?

I came across a question on Quora that inspired me to write this post.

The question was: "My friend has both Dyslexia and ADHD. Is he a Demigod by any chance?" This question made me think about how Percy Jackson's story is woven (character created by novelist Rick Riordan), he has dyslexia and ADHD and his struggles and victories.  The way this child is shown fighting against all odds, but owing to his scared gifts and support angels he was constantly guarded by, he achieved extraordinary.

In real life too, I consider each of these individuals who are blessed with Dyslexia/ ADHD to be no less than such 'Demigods'. The initial years of struggles which as a child they face in school: a daily embarrassment of incomplete assignments, not getting the project material that the teacher asked for, fear of getting their turn to read aloud in the class, the humiliation of getting most spellings wrong, all the Sisyphean efforts to achieve a small reading or writing assignment only to find out how it lacked in many aspects; might be lacking in structure, spelling errors, or was illegible! Name-calling, bullying, being ridiculed... At home; worrying and sometimes frustrated parents... Despite all this, my 'Demigod' knows how to wonder about the small marvel of nature, and knows how to entertain themself, so what if it is pure daydreaming... he/she is empathic to others though he has not always received empathy that he needs, caring in his way... when left carefree and nurtured with a non-judgemental environment their creativity blossom.

Though it may also happen, some of them turn bitter due to all the hardships they suffer each day. That is where the support angels play a positive role. Angel can be a teacher, friend, and parent. Parent has a major role here.  Angels recognize the talent this child has, how he can draw analogies, how he comes up with the aspects which generally people wouldn't think of, their empathy, their creativity, out-of-the-box thinking, creative problem solving, interpersonal skills,  all this when it comes to the practical world. Angel's encouragement and support help the child maintain their self-esteem and bloom fully.

If they get the right support and tools for learning and dealing with life aspects, surely they show up as something beyond ordinary. Once the initial somewhat thorny journey is taken with the right support and zeal, the talent in real life blooms. The initial journey struggle can be minimized with the right support and help.  

The skills they lack can be acquired but the potential and the creative abilities they possess cannot be cultivated. 

I am saying this not only because we keep reading about all the famous dyslexics but also because of my personal experiences with my clients. I see each of the clients that I coach showing up with such marvelous thinking. The only thing they need to believe is that they are blessed! It is a loss of society if they fail to bloom...

click here to see the working model demonstrated by the child)

One such example is an eight-year-old boy rejected from various schools that fail to teach him and fail to recognize his talent. See the picture on the right, which shows a working model of a spacecraft he created all by himself. This he created as part of the exercise we do during the Dyslexia Correction Program that I provide. I am sure you will agree, that it is a pity on the school that rejected such beyond-the-ordinary talent. Why should he be deprived of the joy of learning? He has his angels in his mom and dad who believe in his abilities and support him with utmost care and love. I am sure he will pass the test and achieve something exclusive in life just like a 'Demigod'.

Another example is a child who was once told not to take up extended subjects and not to take up computers though he was interested in computers and science. Today he has secured admission in one of the top 10 technology universities in Computer science in the US and that too with a handsome scholarship. It's not a mean feat by any standards! His relentless belief in his abilities and his consistent use of his tools and techniques,  steadfast support from his angle (his parents, especially his mom) helped him nurture his learning. Set him on the path to conquer his dreams. This boy is a dedicated and consistent learner, though he finished the Dyslexia & Math Mastery program in 2016, and completed all the follow-up work diligently, Before his key exams he used to book a two-day refresher session with me and work on the issues that he is facing. 

Similarly, in my initial days, I provided a dysgraphia and dyslexia correction program to a 12-year-old girl. Mom was taking her for occupational therapy since she was 5 years old, she was prescribed to work on poor motor skills by strengthening her weak hand muscles and that was the reason assumed for his illegible handwriting. The paradox was the girl was a phenomenal artist. She fondly gifted me one of her freehand pencil sketches on completion of the program (see the picture above). How can one fail to notice that the act of such fine sketching art indeed needs finer motor skills? Needless to say in all these years her handwriting remained as is but confidence and self-esteem were affected. After this program when she went to school her teacher asked, 'What you did do?', 'How did your handwriting become so clear?' Thankfully, after the program, she was much more motivated by the positive changes she felt and her newfound abilities. Today, this girl is doing extremely well and represents her college in many events and seminars. 

Important is to BELIEVE in oneself, gain and maintain confidence, and NOT listen to naysayers be it school or anyone in the society...  

 https://qr.ae/TWTsbQ - Link to the Quora question.