I remember waking up in the middle of the night from a panic attack because I was worried my son would never be able to learn how to read. He was in Grade 1 and was failing miserably. We knew he was bright – his ability to synthesize information, draw analogies and understand the relationships between very disparate information sources was off-scale. He loved any kind of documentary show – a love he maintains to this day. My nocturnal waking was generated by worry about my child’s future… that if he could not read, he could not be successful in school. If he was unsuccessful in school, he would be unable to get or keep a job and become self-sufficient. And I knew that we would not be around forever. He would ultimately grow up, no longer be a “little boy” and with that growth would emerge expectations consistent with adulthood.
When 5 years old and in kindergarten, he asked his father, a molecular biologist by training, what the relationship was between genetic mutation and evolution. The question, in part, was generated by his interest in the television program, “Transformers.” But, it still floored me. It was a question I remember having had on a biology exam as an undergraduate student. We were in a family restaurant having supper, and his father proceeded to draw the double helix on a napkin and demonstrate some basic principles of genetic mutation. The sophistication of the question and subsequent dialogue was evidence enough that our child was smart. His later inability to read was at odds with what we deemed to be his potential.
There is a common misperception that if parents expose their children to books, read them stories, and include reading as part of family time, that a child will be successful in learning how to read. Our family could have served as a poster example for that particular scenario. Our son’s first tome was a plastic book that floated in the bathtub and doubled as a teething toy. And, constrained only by the selection at the local bookstore, Costco, and the library, books were a part of our son’s life from the earliest possible moment. This exposure to the world of books likely has engendered in him an enduring love of reading. But, exposure to books alone is not enough to ensure a child learns the technical skills necessary to decode language and read and write successfully.
In the blogs to come, my plan is to share with you some of the experiences that we have had in identifying and advocating for our son. We now know he has learning disabilities. He is receiving the support he needs. We are at a stage in our journey where we can look back and clearly identify the early indicators of his learning challenges. Perhaps in sharing our continuing journey, some readers may gain insight into their own youth, their children, grandchildren, or the people around them.
More to come soon…thanks for reading. Kathryn
