True confession 1: When my son’s schoolwork didn’t seem to match the intelligence of the kid I knew and loved, I thought he was being lazy. Homework was such a battle. Excuses. Tears. He’s just not applying himself, I thought. He was so bright and clever, yet his homework reflected none of that.  I would look at the quality of his work and utter, “Son, you need to try harder.”

True confession 2: If I could take back every single time I said it, I would. I still shudder at the thought of uttering it.

For some reason, however, when I heard a teacher at conferences say it about my then 12-year-old son, I knew there was something awry. That conversation and the one directly following – another teacher who expressed how bright and engaged our son was – led us to discover that dyslexia was at the root of our dear boy’s learning challenges.

Since then, I’ve heard it at least a dozen more times – in reference to my own child and others. I cringe every time.

Many folks don’t seem to understand the energy it takes for a dyslexic kid to spend seven hours a day in a words-on-the-page centric environment. Add the hours of homework – welcome to your nightmare.

Based on the responses I’ve gotten with this Heard at School series – the “try harder” sentiment is ringing in the ears of many students and their parents. Oh, and then there’s the executive functioning challenge that likes to ride the coattails of dyslexia (and other LDs), adding another element of perceived laziness. But that’s another post for another day.

Whether it’s a teacher, parent, in-law, grandparent, neighbor, friend or Facebook follower – jumping to blaming a dyslexic child for lack of effort or laziness demonstrates a misunderstanding of what dyslexia is and how it affects a person’s educational experience. You want to get to them before they give up and have no hope – as seen in these insightful words of my own boy, “If I don’t try, I just look lazy. If I try and can’t do it, I look stupid. At this point, I’ll take lazy.”

Even the most thoroughly remediated dyslexic spends a different level of energy on reading. First in learning to read then reading to learn. Dyslexia is neurological – it doesn’t go away – but with remediation, strategies, accommodations and the right kind of educational and emotional support, the sky is the limit with regard to what a dyslexic student can learn to do.

For a little inspiration – check this out from Richard Branson …