When Your Dyslexic Child Wants to Play Sports: Understanding the Vocabulary Challenge That Changes Everything

As the fall sports season ends and the winter season begins, my phone lights up with calls from parents who sound both hopeful and worried. “My daughter made the basketball team, but I’m concerned,” one mom told me last week. “She’s so excited, but I’ve watched her struggle to follow instructions in school. Will sports be different? Or am I setting her up for another place where she feels behind?”

If you’re reading this, you might be asking similar questions. Your dyslexic child wants to play sports—maybe they’re bursting with enthusiasm, or maybe they’re cautiously optimistic after difficult experiences elsewhere. You want to support them, but you’re not sure how to help them succeed in an environment that moves fast, uses unfamiliar terminology, and requires quick processing of verbal instructions.

Here’s what I want you to know: Sports can be transformative for dyslexic children. But success depends on one critical factor that most coaches and parents don’t realize is the issue—vocabulary comprehension.

Why Vocabulary Is the Hidden Barrier

Let me start with what’s really happening when your dyslexic child stands on the field or court, looking engaged but somehow not executing what the coach just explained.

The coach calls out: “Okay, we’re running a pick and roll! Set up at the top of the key, wait for the screen, then drive to the post!”

Your child nods. They look focused. But moments later, they’re in the wrong position, and the coach is frustrated. “Weren’t you listening?”

Here’s the truth: They were listening. But listening isn’t the problem.

Dyslexia is a specific way of thinking that requires being able to visualize the meaning of a word to understand it fully and to think or perform with that word. Without a clear mental picture, a dyslexic individual might have only a fuzzy idea of the word or concept, which causes confusion and doubt.

Think about what just happened in that coaching moment. The coach used terms like “pick and roll,” “top of the key,” “screen,” “drive,” and “post.” For a neurotypical athlete picturing this doesn’t matter as much, they are following and will ask for clarification if needed and for a neurodivergent athlete who has been playing for awhile they probably already have the vocabulary and experienece that allows them to follow the coach. They see the play unfold in their mind before their body moves.

But for your dyslexic child, if they don’t have a precise visual understanding of what “post” means in basketball, their brain is scrambling. Is it a physical post? A position? Where exactly? By the time they’re trying to decode “post,” the coach has moved on to the next instruction, and they’ve lost the thread entirely.

This isn’t about intelligence. It’s not about effort or motivation. It’s about how information is being delivered versus how their brain naturally processes it.

I’ve seen this play out hundreds of times. The child who can visualize complex spatial relationships struggles because they’re stuck trying to translate abstract sports vocabulary into something their brain can use. And because this happens in real-time during practice or games, there’s no opportunity to pause, clarify, and build that mental picture.

The Confusion Multiplies Across Sports

The vocabulary challenge becomes even more complex for children who play multiple sports—and many dyslexic children do, because they’re searching for the right fit or because they genuinely love athletics.

Consider how the same words mean completely different things depending on the sport:

In hockey, you move the puck up the ice toward the offensive zone. In baseball, a player is next up to bat. In football, you might run up the middle. Each “up” creates a different mental image, a different direction, a different action.

Or take the word post. In basketball, the post refers to specific areas on the court near the basket. In football, a post is a route a receiver runs toward the goal post. In soccer, the post is the physical upright bar of the goal. In gymnastics, you might post your hands on the vault.

Splits in gymnastics are positions with one leg forward and one back. In swimming, splits are the times of individual segments of a longer race. In bowling, a split is when pins are left standing with a gap between them.

For a dyslexic athlete playing basketball in winter and baseball in spring, their brain has to constantly recalibrate what these words mean. While their neurotypical teammates seamlessly switch contexts, your child might experience a moment of hesitation—”Wait, which ‘up’ do they mean?”—that looks like confusion or slow processing.

This is exhausting. And it’s invisible to most coaches, who interpret the hesitation as lack of focus or athletic ability rather than what it actually is: a vocabulary comprehension challenge.

What’s Really Happening in Your Child’s Brain

Let me explain this more deeply, because understanding the mechanism helps you advocate effectively.

When a dyslexic person encounters a word without a clear mental picture attached to it, their brain doesn’t just move forward with partial understanding. It creates doubt, confusion, and sometimes a kind of mental static. They might hear the word, but they can’t think with it or act on it because there’s no concrete image to guide their body.

Imagine trying to follow directions to a house, but instead of an address, someone gives you abstract descriptions: “Go toward the feeling of warmth, turn at the concept of transition, and stop when you sense arrival.” You’d be lost, right? That’s similar to what happens when a dyslexic athlete hears sport-specific vocabulary without having built clear visual definitions first.

For younger athletes just starting a sport, this processing delay is significant. While they’re trying to decode what “transition defense” or “weak side” or “through ball” means, the play has already moved on. They fall behind, not because they’re slow athletes, but because they’re working with incomplete information.

For older, more experienced athletes who’ve been playing their sport for years, this becomes less of an issue—but only for that specific sport. They’ve built up a library of visual definitions through repeated exposure and context. The word “post” in basketball now instantly creates a clear mental image because they’ve seen it, done it, and experienced it hundreds of times. The processing delay disappears.

But introduce them to a new sport with new vocabulary, and they’re back to square one.

The Hidden Strengths Your Dyslexic Athlete Possesses

Before we dive into solutions, I need you to understand something crucial: Your dyslexic child isn’t at a disadvantage in sports. They’re at a vocabulary disadvantage. And once that’s addressed, they often have significant athletic advantages.

I’ve seen it over and over again. The child who struggles with reading comprehension demonstrates remarkable spatial awareness on the soccer field. The student who can’t seem to sequence letters in spelling shows incredible ability to read patterns of play and anticipate what’s coming next.

Here’s what many dyslexic athletes naturally bring to sports:

Exceptional spatial reasoning. Many dyslexic individuals have superior ability to understand space, distance, angles, and positioning. They can “see” the geometry of the game in ways that give them a competitive edge. They know where they are in relation to teammates, opponents, and boundaries without having to think about it consciously.

Intuitive pattern recognition. While they might struggle with verbal play calls, dyslexic athletes often excel at reading what’s happening in real-time. They notice patterns in how opponents move, anticipate plays before they develop, and make split-second decisions based on what they observe rather than what they’ve memorized from a playbook.

Creative problem-solving. Dyslexic athletes frequently find unconventional solutions. They might not execute the play exactly as the coach drew it up, but they achieve the objective through innovative adaptation. They see possibilities that more linear thinkers miss.

Strong kinesthetic learning. Once they feel a movement in their body—once they’ve physically experienced what “post up” or “transition” means—they often master it quickly and retain it deeply. They learn by doing, not by hearing about doing.

Big-picture strategic thinking. Many dyslexic athletes naturally understand game flow and strategy. They see how all the pieces fit together, even if they struggle with the individual verbal labels for each piece.

These aren’t consolation prizes. These are genuine athletic advantages that can make your child an exceptional player—once the vocabulary barrier is removed.

How to Help Your Dyslexic Athlete Succeed

So what do you actually do with this information? How do you help your child build the vocabulary foundation they need while advocating for them with coaches?

Start the Season with Vocabulary Building

The most important thing you can do is ensure your dyslexic athlete begins their season with a thorough, visual understanding of the sport’s specific vocabulary. This isn’t something that can happen on the fly during practice. It needs to be intentional and proactive.

Before the season starts, sit down with your child and identify the key terms they’ll need to know. If you’re not sure what those are, ask the coach for a list of common terminology, or look up beginner guides for the sport online.

Then, build visual definitions together. For each term, create a clear mental picture:

• Watch video clips that show the concept in action
• Draw simple diagrams together – or better yet, create it in clay!
• Act it out physically in your living room or backyard
• Take photos or screenshots they can reference
• Create flashcards with the term on one side and a visual representation on the other

The goal isn’t just recognition—it’s creating a mental image so clear and specific that when they hear the word, they instantly see what it means and what they need to do.

For example, if “transition defense” is a key concept in basketball, don’t just define it verbally. Show them video of teams transitioning from offense to defense. Pause it. Point out what each player is doing. Have them describe what they see. Then go outside and practice it physically—”Okay, we just lost the ball, now we’re transitioning to defense. Show me what that looks like.”

This pre-teaching makes an enormous difference. When the coach uses these terms in practice, your child isn’t hearing them for the first time and trying to decode meaning under pressure. They’re hearing familiar words that already have clear pictures attached.

Opening the Conversation with Coaches

At the beginning of the season, have a brief, positive conversation with the coach. You might say something like:

“My child is really excited about playing this season. I wanted to share that they learn best through demonstration and visual explanation rather than verbal instructions alone. They’re a strong kinesthetic learner, so hands-on practice really helps concepts stick. If you could take a few minutes early in the season to demonstrate and explain key terminology, that would help them tremendously. I’m also happy to work on vocabulary at home if you can share the terms you’ll be using most often.”

Notice what this does: It frames your child’s learning style as information, not a problem. It offers partnership, not demands. It gives the coach a specific, actionable way to help without requiring major changes to their coaching style.

Most coaches respond positively to this approach, especially when they understand that a small investment of time upfront will result in an athlete who processes instructions more quickly and performs more confidently throughout the season.

What to Look for in a Coach

Not all coaching styles work equally well for dyslexic athletes. As you navigate sports programs, here’s what to look for:

• Coaches who show, don’t just tell.
• Coaches who break down instructions.
• Coaches who check for understanding differently.
• Coaches who use consistent terminology.
• Coaches who provide positive, specific feedback.

If your child’s current coach isn’t naturally inclined toward these approaches, that doesn’t mean it’s a lost cause. Many coaches are willing to adapt when they understand why it matters. But if you encounter a coach who is rigid, dismissive of your child’s learning needs, or unwilling to make small adjustments, it might be worth exploring other programs or teams.

Supporting Vocabulary Learning at Home

Beyond pre-teaching at the start of the season, you can support ongoing vocabulary development throughout:

• Create a visual glossary.
• Watch games together.
• Process after practice.
• Use the correct terminology at home.
• Celebrate vocabulary victories.

When Context-Dependent Words Cause Confusion

If your child plays multiple sports, pay special attention to words that shift meaning across contexts. These are the ones that cause the most confusion and processing delays.

Make it explicit: “In basketball, ‘post’ means this position near the basket. In soccer, ‘post’ means the physical bar of the goal. They’re different things with the same word. Let’s make sure you have a clear picture of each one.”

You might even create comparison charts: “Words That Mean Different Things in Different Sports” with visual examples for each context. This helps their brain categorize and file the information correctly rather than creating interference between sports.

The Bigger Picture: What This Means for Your Child

Here’s what I’ve witnessed over years of working with dyslexic athletes: When these young people have coaches who understand how they learn, when vocabulary is taught explicitly and visually, when their unique strengths are recognized and leveraged—something remarkable happens.

Sports becomes more than physical activity. It becomes proof that they can excel. That they can be valued team members. That their different way of thinking is an asset, not a deficit.

The confidence they build on the field or court transfers to other areas of life. They approach academic challenges with more resilience because they have evidence that they can master hard things. They advocate for themselves more effectively because they understand their learning needs and can articulate them. They develop a growth mindset rooted in real experience: “I’ve learned complex things before. I can learn this too.”

Your dyslexic child’s brain isn’t a barrier to athletic success—it’s simply a different operating system that requires compatible input. The vocabulary challenge is real, but it’s solvable. And once it’s solved, you might be amazed at what your child can do.

As you navigate this journey, remember: You are your child’s most important advocate. Your willingness to understand how their brain works, your proactive approach to building vocabulary foundations, and your partnership with coaches will shape not just their athletic experience, but their understanding of themselves.

Sports can be where your dyslexic child discovers they’re not just capable—they’re exceptional. With the right support, the field becomes a place of belonging, growth, and joy.

Looking for Additional Help for Your Child?

At Learning Tools for Life, I work with families to support dyslexic learners in all areas of life, including athletics. The Davis Dyslexia program is a fantastic resource for children and adults that helps them understand how they best learn, provides self-regulation tools, and clears up 218 common trigger words that cause disorientation—many of which are the directional and positional words that create confusion in sports.

If you’re looking for more personalized support in helping your dyslexic athlete succeed, or if you want to explore the Davis program, contact me. Because every child deserves to experience the joy and confidence that comes from athletic success.

Tags: ahtletics and dyslexia, baseball dyslexia, basketball dyslexia, Dyslexia Bothell, dyslexic athlete, football dyslexia, gymnastics dysleixa, hockey dyslexia, seattle, soccer dyslexia, softball dyslexia

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Several years ago, I published a comprehensive blog post addressing coaching strategies for dyslexic athletes. This work attracted the attention of Darius Namdaran, founder of Bullet Proof Academy and host of the Dyslexia Explored podcast. Darius subsequently invited me to serve as a guest speaker on his landmark 100th episode. The resulting conversation provided valuable insights that I am pleased to share with you here: Dyslexia Explored #100 with Sophia Gomma

The following summary outlines key recommendations discussed during that episode, organized by audience: coaching professionals, parents, and student-athletes.

Tips

Coaches:

• Dyslexic athletes are non-verbal conceptualization thinkers who process information through visual and emotional frameworks rather than sequential verbal instructions.
• Verify that athletes understand the meaning of sport-specific terminology rather than assuming comprehension of standard coaching vocabulary.
• Carefully consider directional communication, recognizing that spatial orientation challenges may arise when coaches communicate from the sidelines to athletes on the field.
• Recognize that athletes who do not maintain eye contact while listening are actively engaged in visualization and mental processing, not disengaged or disrespectful.
• Allow additional processing time for athletes new to the sport or unfamiliar with your coaching approach before providing verbal corrections or redirects. This processing delay typically diminishes with familiarity and experience.
• Provide meaningful context and explanation of the reasoning (“why”) behind new information to facilitate integration into long-term memory, as abstract instruction without context is ineffective.
• Familiarize athletes with clipboard diagrams and visual play representations before high-pressure competitions, as flat visual representations can be disorienting without prior exposure.
• Utilize field-based visual markers and demonstrations when providing directional guidance. Abstract directional language such as “left,” “right,” “east,” or “up court” can create significant confusion for visual-spatial thinkers.
• Recognize that dyslexic athletes typically demonstrate strong intrinsic motivation and desire to learn, though they may experience diminished self-esteem due to academic challenges. Motivate through effort-based feedback rather than generic praise or criticism. For example, “I observed you really tried hard at that—your effort was evident” proves more effective than statements such as “you are already good at that” or “you are not skilled at this.”

Parents:

• Secure your child’s agreement and buy-in before initiating conversations with coaches regarding accommodations or interventions.
• Recognize that most coaches lack formal educational training in dyslexia and may not understand dyslexic cognition and learning needs.
• Communicate to coaches that your child thinks in pictures and learns most effectively when provided with the “why” and big-picture context before exploring specific details.

Student-Athletes:

• Advocate for yourself:
  • If you experience difficulty maintaining eye contact during explanations, communicate to your coach that looking away enables you to visualize and mentally construct the concepts being presented.
  • If you require additional processing time, inform your coach of this need.
  • If you are uncertain about assigned plays, request clarification or verbally describe your understanding to your coach—articulate the mental images you have formed to verify comprehension.
• Conduct independent research: Develop familiarity with your sport through video resources, study relevant terminology, and build foundational knowledge to reinforce understanding and build confidence.
• Engage in mental training:
  • Identify your focused or grounded mental state and develop strategies to access this zone consistently.
  • Engage in self-reflection regarding your responses to challenging emotions: How do you respond when angry, confused, or nervous? What strategies can you employ to support yourself during these situations?

The post Coaching Dyslexic Athletes, Dyslexia Explored Podcast appeared first on Learning Tools.

Spring News Letter 2020.

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My domain name has changed from Learning Tools Dyslexia to Learning Tools For Life.

I made this change for a number of reasons:

• The first reason is that I’m adding on the Davis Autism Programs and a Parenting Skills program to my services.  The “For life” addition to Learning Tools is broader and encompasses the new programs instead of just being known for Dyslexia services.
• I also feel that once you learn the “tools” in all of the programs I offer, you or your child will use them in everyday life, all the time.. and I’m going to imagine I will keep using them my whole life. 
• Lastly, one of the Davis programs for autism is called “Concepts for Life” so the “for Life” just seemed like the perfect fit. 

My email has changed as well, I am now using info@learningtoolsforlife.com, so please update your contacts/address book as needed. 

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Why do a Dyslexia Program?

A parent recently asked me, “Why should I pay for a program for my son?” She noted that she navigated school and life without such support despite being dyslexic herself, and emphasized that grades matter less than recognizing her child’s intelligence.

Here is my response.

Concrete Methods for Improvement

If your son wants help and wants to improve, a structured program offers concrete strategies to achieve that goal—moving beyond general understanding to actionable skill development.

Restoring Self-Esteem

For many families, self-esteem is the primary concern. I pursued a program for my son because it pained me to hear him call himself “stupid” or compare himself negatively to peers. After completing the program, this behavior diminished significantly. My son began recognizing his strengths and took pride in them—a pattern I consistently observe in follow-up conversations with other parents.

Empowering Student Control

When students understand their own learning process, they gain genuine control over their education. They learn to recognize when they are disoriented or confused and can adjust their approach accordingly.

Many dyslexic students excel at concentration, yet heavy concentration without proper focus often creates confusion, increases effort, and can be frustrating. Understanding the distinction between focused learning and unfocused concentration is transformative—when students learn to focus effectively rather than simply concentrating harder, learning becomes more efficient and less painful.

Recognizing Strengths and Potential

When students grasp how their brain works, they often become energized by new possibilities. They may discover excitement in their creative abilities, their capacity to see problems from different angles, or their talent for noticing patterns others miss. This shift—from viewing themselves as slow or challenged to recognizing their unique strengths—is profound and lasting.

Efficiency and Long-Term Value

A Davis® program works with an individual’s natural learning and thinking style, teaching students to leverage this style to their advantage. Traditional tutoring, by contrast, typically reteaches school material using the same verbal, repetition-based methods employed in classrooms, often at a slower pace.

While some tutors employ multi-sensory approaches, these methods frequently require years of ongoing sessions, ultimately costing equal to or more than a comprehensive program. A structured program aligned with how your child actually thinks delivers faster results and better long-term value.

Tags:Alaska, Davis Dyslexia, Davis Methods, dyscalculia help, dysgraphia help, dyslexia program, dyslexia tutoing, Reading help, seattle, stop the struggle

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Fall 2019 NewsLetter

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English class has always been a nightmare for me, I was hopeless at writing text, or at least coherent paragraphs.  In grade school, it was spelling and grammar that I hated. Then middle school we were writing about books we read, and while that wasn’t quite as bad (because I could use sentences from books) it was the sequence and organization of what I wrote that challenged me. In high school, I soon had to formulate words to express my own feelings about what we were reading. Writing spilled over into other subjects and whenever I had to write an essay I felt sick. In college, we are supposed to be experts and remember all those things from English class to write intelligent thought-provoking papers for all classes.

For me writing was excruciating, it was also a barrier to my goal, graduating from college. I was at a small liberal arts college and I don’t’ know if we didn’t have tutors, or if I was just too humiliated to find out. But, because I was determined, I faced the humiliation of asking friends to help me correct my papers. Wow, what a blow to one’s self-esteem after you have rewritten a paper two, something three, times before you show it to someone and then have it come back to you a red marked up mess. I remember fearing what my classmates me thought of me, I had only a trusted few I would ask for help. Now that I am well into my 40’s, I am not quite so vulnerable, my skin has been thickened over the years.   Now it is easier to tell my stories and explain what a nightmare writing can before some, just like reading late can be for others.

Dyslexia: not just a Reading Problem

For me, my dyslexia didn’t show up as much with my reading, I was able to get by, I was really good at asking others what they thought, for listening to others and discuss topics. Understanding what I read could be hidden. What I couldn’t hide was my struggle with writing coherent sentences. I still struggle at times when I feel rushed or do not have a clear picture of what I want to say. When I was young I would procrastinate on the writing portion of homework, but it was because I would not know how to begin. I don’t know how many times I was told by teachers and friends to just start writing and then go back and correct it and make it readable. So much easier said than done. I tried out this method, and since I didn’t have a better solution, I used it, but it was not an efficient method for me.

Writing down anything that came to me actually gave me too many words to deal with. The problem with just putting whatever down on paper is I can ramble and ramble. The sequence of thought and/or the organization of ideas can be all over the place, but beyond that was getting the right words. I have really struggled with getting the right words for what I want to say, I say it so many times and in so many different ways that I confuse myself and my thoughts become muddied OR I don’t’ say enough of the right things because it is too obvious to me and I assume the reader would see it as being obvious as well.

I remember in college struggling and telling a friend that the words are just in a jumbled up in the sky and I can’t seem to pull the ones I want to use down to explain something. I understand this better now, I wasn’t seeing the words jumbled up, I was seeing what I wanted to express as a picture. Ever heard the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words?” There can be so much to see in a picture, especially one that is evolving and complex. Without a good understanding of the meaning of prepositions, adjectives, and adverbs describing those pictures I felt stumped. I just told my teachers I was stymied, their suggestion was to just write everything I thought and then clean it up – stream of consciousness writing.

Now I understand what the issue was with this method — I am not a verbal conceptualizer, I am not thinking with the sound of words, and this method was trying to help me get the words out. The actual issue I was having was not knowing which word to use because I didn’t have the meaning of high-frequency sight words that make up 75% of the words we use.

Meaning Based Program

The Davis methods are meaning based programs, they use symbol mastery to give meaning to words that cause dyslexics trouble – exactly what I needed.   I remember a moment during the program seeing what made up the trigger words list. I had an “ah ha” moment, I remembered being in German class in high school, getting a test back that was of German prepositions. I was looking at the test where you match a word with a picture. I had done poorly on it and I was confused as to why I got so many of them wrong because I knew the English equivalent. Back then I couldn’t figure it out, now it is clear as day to me, I didn’t have the right meanings of the English preposition to match with the picture on the test.

The Davis Dyslexia Correction Program has helped me move beyond my fears of words. I now understand the meaning of words at a much deeper level. I also have the ability to be focused enough to see my errors. I can clean up my writing to a place where I can be pretty sure it is understandable to others. Before I really thought I was broken when it came to expressing myself, now I see it for what it is.

Writing Text: My Method

My method to write text is a combination of methods.  I use outlining, mind mapping, as well as stream of consciousness depending on what I am writing.  Email start with bullet points.   This writing I started with bullets as well, he is what I had down:

• English class nightmare- Writing hard
• Experience
• Method not helpful
• Why – picture thinker
• Trigger words
• What Davis did

I put this on my page and then wrote a bit under each bullet.   I tried a bit of stream of consciousness, but I am constantly coming back to my bullets to be sure that this is what I wanted to express.  For this writing, I ended up deleting quite a bit because it wasn’t relevant. I then reread it very slowly making sure that each sentence is the picture I want to present. I then put it away until the next day, look at it with fresh eyes.  I still like to have someone else look at it to find things I might have missed.

This method isn’t too different then what some teachers tell you to do, but what is different is me, the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding I have gained through mastering trigger words allows me to see it, reread it, and be present to words in a way that wasn’t possible for me before.

The post My Dyslexic Challenge: Writing Text appeared first on Learning Tools.

In school, I had “coping methods” that would at times get me to pass a spelling test. For me, the trick was, don’t study until 5-10 minutes before you walk into class, then cram like crazy.  I couldn’t think of anything before the test, couldn’t talk to anyone, just keep those letter in my head. One problem would be getting interrupted by friends or the teacher before the test; ignoring or pretending to daydream worked pretty well for that.

Another problem was when the teacher wanted you to write a sentence with the word, those teachers were so frustrating, and picky. The sentence piece always got me, I would end up losing the other words that I was trying to keep straight by concentrating on the sentence. I mean really, why can’t I write, “He was tantalized” for the word tantalize? Nope, that was never enough, teachers wanted something more.  For my sentences I would be lucky to get even partial credit.

If I tried to study the words well before the test like at home the night before, that made me more confused then ever. I remember my mom trying to get me to learn how to spell the word February. I would get the “ru” order messed up or forget the “r” altogether.   She would say remember the “r” is for your sister and she was born first, and then “u” came along. When that still didn’t work she added in “a ‘r’ is for right BUT it isn’t on the right side, it is in the same order as the alphabet, ‘r’ comes first before ‘u’”. Well… in theory that seems great, and now that I know how to spell February it seems like something I would remember. Yet, I remember, on numerous occasions being at school at my desk trying to remember what my mom told me. I wasn’t remembering the ‘r’ and ‘u’ in the order of the alphabet because I then thought of ‘r’ on the right. If I tried thinking of my sister, I would end up messing it up with thinking surely she said to think of me first and that is ‘u’. Why would I think of my sister first? I would second guess each thing, and then with my stress of taking to long on that word it would require me to sing the alphabet in order to figure out which was first. I had to sing it out loud, but that would get me in trouble so I would try to whisper it. As you can see from my retelling of the story, my inner dialog had me in much confusion and I would end up missing much of what was happening in the classroom.

Fast forward to being an adult. I stopped thinking of spelling, one of the joys of being out of school. But one day, I remember overhearing an employee talking about how annoying it was when she would get emails from her boss (me) that had words misspelled all the time, she couldn’t figure out how I became the head of the department she worked in. I suddenly felt shame and embarrassment.

I knew I was not a good speller. I thought about a few incidents when I had someone ask me what I meant in my email because they couldn’t understand it. I think I explained to them what I meant and then said, “I was typing so fast I made the errors” but really, I just hadn’t seen them. It was really at that moment, feeling shamed by my inability to spell that I started paying more attention to my emails. I would make sure my spell checker was on, and that helped, but it still didn’t fix the problem.

My training to become a Davis® dyslexia facilitator is what helped me overcome my greatest problems with spelling. When I was “the student” for a dyslexia correction program for a facilitator in training, I started to really see symbols and words for the first time. Wow, it was AMAZING, the focusing tools helped me to see my errors in spelling and then the method of writing the word in clay and taking a mental picture of it was profound. Before I honestly just didn’t know if something was spelled wrong at least half the time. I didn’t see it, sometimes I would have an inkling that it wasn’t right, but most of the time proofreading was a joke to me. I wasn’t focused enough to even find all the errors.

I know I now have the ability to learn how to spell any word I want to.   I have worked on the words that used to cause me so many issues, like character, definitely, and business. At times, I still have to think a moment about them, but if I look inside my mind’s eye and trust my gut, I get it right every time.

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The definition of focus when used as a verb means to direct one’s attention or efforts.  

How do you feel when you are unable to focus?

Have you ever felt that you were:

• all “in your head” or so fuzzy and dizzy you just were not able to say what you wanted to say?
• or maybe you just want to concentrate and read the book that you had in front of you because you were exhausted from a busy day? But there’s so much going on that you couldn’t read, instead you heard the birds outside and then the train passed and then kids are playing and screaming and your dog got upset and started barking so there was just no way you could read?
• or how about you have an important paper to write and you know the information but you just couldn’t write what you wanted to write?

Each additional noise, or distraction increases the inability to focus and concentrate. Being able to focus is a skill; a skill that most of us take for granted.

Dyslexics have a low threshold for confusion, so they have a more difficult time focusing. To add to this low threshold of confusion thy have a unique ability of perception that allows them to see and experience things that aren’t common for those who use verbal conceptualization or “words” as their main means of thinking. A dyslexic’s perceptual ability actually creates what we call disorientation as in the senses are not aligned. When in disorientation, the ability to focus can feel unobtainable and usually takes removing oneself from the situation to refocus again.

For me, before I was given specific tools to get myself into a focused state, I needed to feel grounded and then I could focus, but without the feeling of being grounded, my ability to focus was severely handicapped. I would try to focus and remember my mind racing in class to find the words or answers I needed. I would make errors or be confused or was unsure of what I read and the harder I would try, the more frustrated and stupid I felt.

Without specific tools to get focused, one might have to get up and walk away from what they are doing, take a walk, try meditating, or listening to music.   It just depends on the person, but when they are a kid in school, they have to try to concentrate harder, which is exhausting and often doesn’t work. If they look out the window or start doodling on their page, they are given all sorts of labels, like lazy, unmotivated, or ADD/ADHD.

Not being able to focus means not being able to learn. So I believe good focusing tools are the key to success. The Davis® methods do a fabulous job of giving students a quick and easy way to focus. The intensive program is the perfect way to be in a safe place with a facilitator who is an expert on detecting disorientation. The facilitator can point out and help guide the student to times they need to use their focusing tool so they master their ability to focus quickly, easily, and at will.

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I have often referred to my clients and dyslexics as picture thinkers. But what exactly is a picture thinker? A picture thinker is someone who thinks primarily in pictures instead of the sound of words (verbal conceptualization). In the US it is estimated that 20% of the population think primarily in pictures (non-verbal conceptualization). Those with dyslexia, auditory processing, attentions issues like ADD/ADHD are people who are picture thinkers. Picture thinking is evolutionary, meaning it grows as the thought process adds more concepts. It is subliminal, and it is extremely fast, possibly thousands of times faster than verbal conceptualization.

For someone who is a picture thinker and has difficulty with reading, the challenge they face is that the word they are trying to read doesn’t have a natural picture for them, words such as: of, else, it’s, how, and sure. The picture thinker draws a blank and can’t “think” with that word. We call the words with no pictures “trigger words” and there are 217 common to dyslexics.

In this sentence: “The brown llama has gone over the stone fence and left the pasture.” The following words don’t have pictures that come to mind for most dyslexics: the, has, gone, over, and left. What they are then left with is brown, llama, stone, fence, and pasture. Using only these words, the meaning of the sentence is not clear.

With time, the dyslexic might learn how to read the word but the comprehension can become quite difficult. As they continue in school coping methods evolve where the dyslexic can pick up the gist of the meaning, but often really important information is lost. These coping methods might include: guessing or making something up, reading someone’s face and body language if they are reading with them, imagining by looking at the pictures, continuing reading to help with their guess, or giving up reading altogethLet’s

Lets take an example of how a picture thinker who struggles more with auditory processing might have challenges. These are those people who have a really difficult time following directions. Let’s say a mom is with her dyslexic son is at her office and he wants to help her out. She tells her son “Billy, please go get me the tape I was using earlier, it is on the desk in the other room down the hall. He hears: Billy please tape using desk room hall. There are a number of things that he could have thought she meant, but he heads off and comes back a few minutes later looking confused saying “mom, there is no desk in the hall.” He has completely forgotten he was looking for tape and instead searched for a desk in the hall.

As you can imagine, the best way to work with someone who is having a hard time following directions is to ensure you have “painted a picture” for them when asking for directions. But when it comes to reading and I mean reading for comprehension, another approach is needed. The dyslexic needs to first be focused and then they need start coming up with creative pictures for each of the words they do not know. In Davis® dyslexia programs the student “masters” words & symbols” by creating them with clay to make the words clear.

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