A Typical child with Dyslexia 
 

Adam was in grade one, he has trouble with language, with reading, with spelling, and occasionally with math. Sometimes he has trouble saying what he means and understanding what his parents and friends say to him. 
 Before he started school, he was happy and used to play and exercise some sports with joy and happiness.  He had many friends and interacts well with his peers.

However, it all changed when he started first grade.  He began to feel distress, agony and boredom, so he started to hate school.  He frequently complained of stomach aches whenever he thought that he was going to school.  He could not learn to read as quickly or as well as his classmates. 

If the teacher asked him a question, he could not get the words out, even when he knew the right answer.

The teacher becomes impatient and thought he was not trying enough, Adam began to feel frustrated and anxious, afraid from losing his friends.

Adam decided to become a class clown.  It was a lot easier to make friends laugh with him than to have them laugh at him.

Adam frequently wondered why he could not master language when he was smart enough to learn other skills such as sports and drawings.

Adam's teacher referred him as a "problem" in his class.  Adam was not a "problem child" but a "child having some problems". Adam was in an imperative need of a person who understands his problem in order to help him overcome it. 

Too often, we think of people who are like Adam as lazy, not caring, and may be even as dumb. In fact they are not like that at all, the fact will emerge gradually as we start our journey to view the rugged terrain and the strange landscape of the "Specific Reading Difficulty" i.e. the Dyslexia domain.

Our misunderstanding of those children makes them lose belief in themselves and confidence in their abilities.  If Adam is not provided with relevant education and guidance, his behaviors will become even more dangerous, and he may totally give up to his difficulties and sufferings.  Moreover, he may drop out of school, have difficulty with the law, and commits delinquent acts that convey him to prison.

Our clinics and jails are filled with "Adams" who are victims of misunderstandings.  They are misunderstood by parents, teachers and the community at Large.  As a result of this misunderstanding they end their journey through life in jails or clinics.  Nevertheless, with appropriate special and serious help and with proper education, Adam and the other dyslexics have an excellent chance to overcome such a suffering and to learn how to live a happy and fruitful life where they interact with peers and develop their abilities and special talents.

With such understanding, care and assistance, Adam will be able to pave his road across life The road of success and happiness .. hand in hand with his parents .. His peers .. His teachers .. And the whole society.