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Books for ADD & Special Needs Children

Sue:
As I read Ronald Davis' book The GIFT of Dyslexia I had one reoccurring image.

This event took place while I was a sixth grader in Miss Gluck's class.
A fellow student Kurt, dressed in his crisp white dress shirt and pants along with his Sunday best shoes ( this was his every day school wear) always seemed lost; disoriented.  So much so, Miss Gluck was constantly frustrated with him.   Incredibly, one day in complete and utter exasperation, that Kurt had not cleaned his desk "correctly" she dumped the entire desk in the middle of the classroom.   Kurt looked on in horror while half the class twittered in nervous giggles and the other half like me felt like something had died.

This was to be the pattern for Kurt's academic and I suspect social life. Because Kurt and I shared common letters in our last name we in the same homeroom and found ourselves in the same classes from time to time during our 4 years in high school.

It seemed that Kurt was never "on track."
Teacher after teacher alternately harassed, sputtered, punished, cajoled, and all at ridiculed Kurt for not "getting it", for not knowing the correct math answer, for not being like "everyone else".  This was painful to watch and I'd imagine even more painful to actually live, which Kurt had done.

In retrospect, I guess Kurt must have had a learning disability.

I remember our algebra teacher Mr. Rummel shouting at Kurt (who sat right in back of me) to tell the class his answer to a math question.  As I heard Kurt quietly sputter, stammer, and grimace in search of his homework, I felt his anxiety.  As quietly as I could, without turning around, I tried to give Kurt the answer.  I guess I wanted to spare him one moment of humiliation. It didn't work because Kurt just appeared more confused and Rummel pounded on him even more.

My story is not different
than what happens in classrooms all over the United States.   It's a staggering common reality when we start considering all the kids we may have known that were having "trouble in school, like Kurt.  Teachers, like Miss Gluck and Mr. Rummel, frustrated, strung out, and just plain angry with these kids.

• What happened to these kids, our  classmates?
• What can be done to make this stop?

Ronald Davis has written a book, The GIFT of Dyslexia, that goes into great detail about what these kids are going through and what they need to be happy and successful individuals.  Dyslexia, we learn in his book is more than having trouble with reading, it includes many learning difficulties.

Davis does not view dyslexia, which he has had his entire life, not as a disability, but as a different way of "looking at the world".  He offers hope and practical tools to help our kids, our Kurts, who are dyslexic.

The GIFT of Dyslexia is a very important book written for families and anyone involved with children to read.  It is a thorough guide to assist and empower dyslexic children and adults .  These people are not dumb, in fact most are brilliant.  They just see the world differently than the "average" person.

Davis has written a book that will help parents, educators, and babysitters to unlock the potential within each of our children- to help all of the Kurts out there.

Sue:
Thanks for joining me, Ron.
Glad you could take the time to talk about dyslexia and how we can help our friends and children with dyslexia.

Sue:
As I read the beginning of your book The Gift of Dyslexia I also noted your dedication. Who was Harold Joseph Anderson and how did he impact your life?

Ron:
He was my uncle, by marriage. Back when I was considered uneducatably mentally retarded he was the only adult that treated me with dignity and respect, like a real human being. The only person that I could count on to tell me the truth, even when it hurt me.

After my mother, he was the most influential person in my early life. Between the ages of 9 and 12, when I was waking up in the real world, I had a love - hate relationship with him. I loved him because he told me the truth, but I hated him because I didn't like the truth. He died when I was 12. Just before he died, he told me that if I worked hard at it I could make my life be whatever I wanted it to be. To do that I would have to decide for myself what was real and what wasn't, what was truth and what was only the opinions of others. In fact, even after he died his "spirit" guided me through some of the more difficult aspects of creating an identity for myself.

Sue:
Can you please tell us what is dyslexia and what are the most common signs of it?

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