How to be a successful student if you are dyslexic

The reasons for dyslexia development have not been fully studied yet. It can be a problem of visual and visual-spatial perception, violation of motor and visual-motor coordination, unformed working memory and attention, violation of articulation, unformed auditory perception, etc. If at least one of these factors are violated, problems with learning might occur. It is not easy to identify which of these functions have weakened, so it is best to make an appointment with a doctor: speech therapists, psychoneurology. There are special techniques that help to understand the triggers of dyslexia, and then adjust these problems.

While studying in primary school, we use various speech games, a split or magnetic ABC for folding words. A child trains certain sounds with the pronunciation, learns to determine which letter corresponds to the sound, separates grammatical elements of the words. The specialists are also familiar with some secrets, many of which are completely unsophisticated. E.g., for hyperactive children, it is sometimes enough to apply a simple device – to put on a book page a strip with a movable “window” in which a single word is placed. Then all the child’s attention will be concentrated on this one word and will not be distracted by others.

Dyslexia is one of the forms of insufficient learning ability. It is not easy to get help and advice on how to cope with such problems and become a successful student in your group. This guide is based on alternative strategies and techniques on how to become a successful student.

Also read: Productivity Tips for Computer Science Students

1. A student who suffers from dyslexia may not know about his diagnosis at the university. If a child is not diagnosed early, an adult may not be aware of the presence of a violation. There is a possibility of the patient having never been diagnosed with dyslexia, and has no idea that communication and perception problems he/she faces actually are of health origin. 
2. People who are at risk of having this disorder or start feeling some symptoms of it, should start gathering information about dyslexia as soon as possible. The best option would be to talk to a physician, but if a person refuses to do it, his friends and family have to respect this choice. 
3. Start by changing your attitude towards the disease. You need to stop thinking about dyslexia as something you have to be ashamed of. The key point about dyslexia condition is that your nervous system including brain functions in a bit different way. 
4. Feeling disappointed after finding out your diagnosis is completely normal. Except for your health state, respect your body despite its flaws, and use this energy for your advantage. Self-love and dedication is the key to success and inner harmony. 
5. Understand, you are neither stupid nor ignorant. You are gifted and have plenty of possibilities to be creative and think outside the box. People with dyslexia have a very special attitude to the world around us due to their inner-oriented mindset. 
6. As the saying goes: “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Pictures and images are easier to understand than words. Use pictures instead of words. Forms and colors also work well. By assigning a word to the form or giving it a color, you can remember how it is written, spoken, or used. 
7. Be creative! Train your mind through playing. Develop your own terms for calling things you have trouble remembering or defining. That way, it would be easier to memorize big amount of information. When you get comfortable with this, you can learn anything. 
8. Do not be strict to yourself, if you cannot understand something immediately. You will find your way to deal with new info. It just might take slightly more time or a help of someone else. There is nothing wrong in reaching for help from time to time, especially if you are pursuing higher education. You can always google ‘help me write my paper’ and get the work done! 
9. Music is another useful tool because human mind recognizes sounds before words, so use sounds in teaching. Psychological studies have proved that our brain becomes proactive after listening to classical music. You can try to turn it on as a background while studying. 
10. Listen to your body and biorhythms. If learning during the day is ineffective, do not hesitate trying it at night. Just do not let it become a habit, a few hours per week would be enough. 
11. Repetition is meaningless. Dyslexics are taught in a holistic manner, they do not separate elements from the whole. You do not need to drive something into your head when you understand this. 
12. When you do not get something to understand, just breathe. Try to calm your mind, then focus on the sensations in the body and move this energy up the spine to the head. Look at the problem as an image, sort through it and you will find that you can easily cope with it. 
13. Never force the mind to work. If you are not in the mood – relax and wait. Sooner or later, you will get your motivation back. If you force yourself, it will only lead to unreasonable stress.
14. Help others (teachers, parents, colleagues, spouses) understand that you are thinking and learning differently. This will help them to understand you. This can also prevent conflicts caused by this disunion.
15. You can learn anything. Believe in yourself, and you’ll manage to mentally grow not only at the university but future career as well. 

Advice for dyslexic

Remember: you are not alone. There is a way to solve any problem, you just need to find a solution. Think outside the box. You are creative and special, not many people are as blessed as you are. You have a reason to be different. Do not be afraid to fail or differ. Do not be discouraged, meditation can help you. Realise that there is nothing wrong with you intellectually or psychologically.

However, people with dyslexia understand the general state of things better, and frequently they are better able to solve various problems. They have an instinctive understanding of how everything is arranged. They have better visual-spatial skills. Adults with dyslexia are more creative and curious people who tend to have non-standard thinking. If a person with dyslexia is attracted to a project, he can show greater concentration on work than an ordinary person.