Living with a dyslexic person -- what's it like?

[tamawrite]

In the interest of full disclosure, I'll begin by saying that I'm asking this because one of the secondary characters in the novel I'm writing is dyslexic. I'm researching. :D

I'm looking for details regarding what it's like to living with someone who suffers from dyslexia. Specifically, my dyslexic character is the live-in fiance of my POV (point of view) character. He's a law student (I know, he's going to have a hard time...but trust me, he deserves it!)

Can you help me out?

[jmarie]

DH told me he was dyslexic. Living with my DH was no different than living with one of my children. It took him a really long time to read anything, so there was no such thing as reading over his shoulder. Basically I read the newspapers and gave him a synopsis of what was going on in the world.

I would read magazine articles and if it was something I thought he would be interested in, then I would either mark it and lay it aside for him or again, give him a synopsis.

He would get easily frustrated when he was trying to read something.

Other than that, there was really no difference. What he lacked in his reading abilities he made up in other ways, he was the talker....he had a keen mind.

(I know, he's going to have a hard time...but trust me, he deserves it!)
We can only hope......


Wish I could be of more help.

[cumulus]

DBF is dyslexic. He chooses not to read books in bed when I do, otherwise I've seen no difference between him and anyone else!

[mlynn]

My dad has an undiagnosed reading disability. He usually watches the news as opposed to reading the newspaper and feels uncomfortable driving in unfamiliar places where he would need to read road signs or follow written directions. He isn't big on email, either. When he does email me it is brief and often hard to understand.

To compensate for his disability he has an amazing memory and he's very mechanical--he often invents gadgets in his workshop and can fix almost anything. He has a business repairing power tools and can easily follow the schematics--something I could never do. :)

Edited to add: I just saw the law school angle. Having a j.d. myself, I would think that a dyslexic student would audio tape lectures and get the textbooks on audio cassette as well. During lectures a dyslexic person could do quite well, since the Socratic method is designed to make one think, rather than regurgitate the previous night's reading.

[muriel3002]

Until we figured out DH was dyslexic, it was frustrating. He could not read quickly. At church, he would be asked to read the announcements from the pulpit. Each time he said yes (good hearted man), but it was pretty bad each time. He could read the stuff beforehand, but when he got up there the words would all start swimming around again, and he struggled... a lot. I did ask him why he just didn't say "no thank you" - but he said they must need someone to do it, so he would always say yes. And the same people would ask DH over and over again to read the announcements.

When there was something in writing that was complex and really needed to be understood, I would read it out loud for him (at home, in private, of course).

He is also very mechanically inclined, and can come up with the most creative solutions to problems - not just mechanical problems. He is also like Joyce's H, a good talker and very good at relationship building. I don't know if that is because he is naturally that way, or if it is a compensation as result of dyslexia.

[LakeMartinGal]

We have a friend who is seriously dyslexic, and he has the same mechanical abilities as mlynn's dad. His sense of humor is biting, and (to me) somewhat obnoxious, but that doesn't take away from his spatial talents. He drives a bulldozer, and can level a field to withing an inch! He also builds and flies radio control model airplanes and helicopters, and is excellent at that! Anything that doesn't require reading, but does use manual dexterity is his forte!

I have always said that I'm left/right dyslexic -- I almost always say left when I mean right. DH says that it just means he has to ask 'which left?' when I give directions! :o :rolleyes: