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    • ava

    Why we love our brains

    Ava, Blake and young people from Arduthie school share why finding out they are dyslexic changed things for the better

    Ava

    Hi I am Ava, and I am ten years old. I am the eldest of three girls, my sisters are Bess and Cettia and my mum and dad are Alice and Jack. I go to school in Edinburgh.

    Ava

    I have different interests that I like to do. Art because it is very relaxing, and I like to be creative. I love sport because it is a way to get active and have a good time by yourself and with other people. I like spending time with my sisters because we laugh a lot, and I love when we watch movies all together. I like being with my two best friends because they are really funny and kind and we all love sport. My favourite sports are netball, sprinting, running cross country and cycling.

    Something I really like is pizza because I love cheese and dough but I also like noodles with fish and broth.
    When I was in early primary I struggled a bit with maths, writing and spelling. Everyone else seemed to “get it” better than me and sometimes I felt upset. So, in primary five we all decided (me, mum and dad) that I should get tested for dyslexia. The test was ok and I got breaks and a snack. Then three weeks later my mum told me I was dyslexic. After that I got a lot of support and then I started “getting” things, I started to understand things better. I was happy to know I was dyslexic because for most of my childhood I felt I was falling behind even though I enjoyed school. It was good to have a reason and to know that my brain was working differently. I like having an interesting brain!

    When my teacher writes things on the board I work it out for myself and organise my thoughts. I like this because I think I get much more detail in things than other people who rush in to something. I’m happy with my dyslexic brain!

    Una

    Una says, “At first it made me sad but when I did my presentation at Cubs I felt better about it and proud. I looked on the internet and found out Tom Holland the Spiderman actor and Dave Pilkey who wrote Dogman books are also dyslexic.”

    Grace

    Grace says, “It made me feel a little bit like I wasn’t going to be myself. When I get my letters mixed up I realised it was ok and people can help me and I’m still myself.”

    Blake

    Blake says, “Being dyslexic for me means I gets more help in school, I get to use other devices to do my work like the laptop and a c-pen for reading. I can find it hard to concentrate when it’s the stuff I find hard but I love doing arts and crafts and making stuff. I like being dyslexic as it means I’m different to others and my brain works in a special way.”