Actor Maya Hawke on struggles with dyslexia: “I was kicked out of school for notbeing able to read”

Dyslexia is much more than just a common learning difficulty associated with writing, reading and spelling and can affect people in many different ways. It is generally accepted that underlying neurological aspects, such as slight differences in brain structure, can change the way that dyslexic people process information, and this affects the behaviour they might display. In addition to literacy difficulties, people with dyslexia may also have trouble expressing themselves, even though they are very knowledgeable about a topic. People with dyslexia also have many strengths, such as being able to visualise things differently, thinking outside of the box and being creative.

Even today many people lack a complete understanding of dyslexia and their misconceptions cause a lot of suffering for a dyslexic person. A dyslexic child who finds the acquisition of these literacy skills difficult can also suffer from a lot of anguish and trauma when they may feel mentally abused by their peers within the school environment, because they have a learning difficulty. These children may feel very different from their peers simply because they may be unable to follow simple instructions, which for others seem easy. They may cover up their problem by acting up in class or being the class clown. Teachers may be particularly confused by the student whose consistent underachievement seems due to what may look like carelessness or lack of effort. The dyslexics in most cases fail to cope up in a normal school and have to be admitted to special schools.

These factors may affect the emotional growth of the dyslexics such as:

Anger— Many of the emotional problems caused by dyslexia occur out of frustration with school or social situations. Social scientists have frequently observed that frustration produces anger. This can be clearly seen in many dyslexics.

The obvious target of the dyslexic's anger would be schools and teachers.

Also, as youngsters reach adolescence, society expects them to become independent. The tension between the expectation of independence and the child's learned dependence causes great internal conflicts. The adolescent dyslexic uses his anger to break away from those people on which he feels so dependent.

Self-Image: The dyslexic's self–image appears to be extremely vulnerable to frustration and anxiety. If children meet failure and frustration, they learn that they are inferior to others, and that their effort makes very little difference. Instead of feeling powerful and productive, they learn that their environment controls them. They feel powerless and incompetent. when the dyslexic succeeds, he is likely to attribute his success to luck. When he fails, he simply sees himself as stupid.

Depression: Depression is also a frequent complication in dyslexia. Although most dyslexics are not depressed, children with this kind of learning disability are at higher risk to intense feelings of sorrow and pain. Perhaps because of their low self–esteem, dyslexics are afraid to turn their anger towards their environment and instead turn it toward themselves.

In a few cases these may lead to suicide.

For dealing with dyslexia emotional support is very important

Family and friends can help people with dyslexia by understanding that they aren't stupid or lazy, and that they are trying as hard as they can. It's important to recognize and appreciate each person's strengths, whether they're in sports, drama, art, creative problem solving, or something else. People with dyslexia shouldn't feel limited in their academic or career choices.

Many famous personalities, both in India and abroad ,with dyslexia have come with flying colours and have accomplished very successful careers in these and other fields, despite having had reading struggles in school.

Some of them are—

Hrithik Roshan: Hrithik Roshan suffered from dyslexia and did not have the smooth communication skills that we see today. He had to undergo an intense speech therapy session since the age of 6 to speak clearly and properly. With persistence, hard work, and determination, he gradually overcame dyslexia and went on to become one of the biggest Bollywood actors of India.

Tom Cruise: The famous Hollywood actor who started off his career with films like “Top Gun” and “Risky Business”, was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of 7. Since then he has struggled with academics until he joined the movie industry and went on to become a top star.

Abhishek Bachchan: The fact that Abhishek Bachchan suffered from dyslexia was not known to anyone until Taare Zameen Par cited him as an example. He successfully overcame the condition and went on to gain stardom later in his life.

Steve Jobs: The fact that dyslexia, a reading and learning disability did not deter Steve Jobs from founding Apple with Steve Wozniak is truly inspiring. Together, the partners built a computer in their dorm room and went on to found Apple in 1976 with a small seed capital of $1,300.

Maya Hawk: Maya Hawke, who is now a rising star has said that she was once sent away from school when she was a child because she couldn't read. She was then taken to a special school for children who had learning disabilities.