Dyslexia help and advice, information, contacts, research and articles about dyslexia; dyslexia in the workplace and at college; books amd software; and assessment for adults who may be dyslexic or have difficulties with spelling.

DYSLEXIA ADULTS
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Tell us about ways in which you manage.

This page is your page, so please send us methods, little tricks you have developed, and other ideas you find helpful in dealing with the difficulties that accompany dyslexia. (You may choose to be anonymous.)

Miscellaneous.

Say your thoughts out loud - Instead of always writing things down, say your thoughts out loud, and if you can to a friend, it helps you to remember,organize and comfirm your ideas. (Vicki, Manchester, England).

My little trick - My little trick is that I always carry a pen and paper everywhere I go. When someone tells me something that I need to rememeber, I just right it down and therefore I won't forget. (Lindsay, Australia).

Get the lighting just right - I have found that I can read better if the lighting is just right. Bright light tends to slow my reading down. A soft white light helps me focus- just make sure you are not sleepy. . . (J.J., Chicago).

Keeping appointments - I have trouble telling the time and keeping appointments. I therefore use the 24 hour clock so I don't confuse morning with evening appointments. If I have a dental appointment months ahead I always write the date in full, with the year too, if necessary. Every day I make a list of things 'to do' and most I get right! (H.M.N., UK).

Colored paper - I only have a mild form of dyslexia, but enough to make life difficult. Using coloured sheets of paper really helps me to read . (Tracy, UK).

Trouble tracking - I have trouble tracking, so I place a piece of straight-edged paper under the line I'm reading to keep me on track and block out the other lines below. (T.R., Philadelphia).

Trouble with 'scanning' - I have serious trouble with "scanning" either for a product on a store shelf or some obscure landmark that someone gave me with directions to where I am going. My most hated nightmare is losing someone in a crowd in a mall or other public place. I have found that letting people know the kind of clarification that I need is the best way.. avoid the problem..
In the store I ask a clerk to find something that I can't see or I purposely buy brands that have a special color or easily identifiable label.
When I am writing directions out I only write the information I need in a three-column format.. direction R or L, then Street name.. distance.. (so I know if I passed it) I more or less use notetaking techniques for everything I do.. take keywords, let the rest mash into a concept or mental picture..(GC, Wisconsin, USA).

Using a cash register - I worked in a store using a cash registor.When counting money, I would say aloud the amount, then count to my self two times the amount going back, then again out loud to the customer.Hope this helps someone.(Tony, Florida, USA).

Giving directions - I get lost so easily, and reading a map is very hard for me. I never know if I am going north or what. I make written directions like 'Go left on Blah Street', and never let people tell me 'Go along, or up, or down'. Instead I like it if they write 'Go to Mary street' and then say 'It's one past John Street, and if you see Rob Street, turn around.' Also I need a full set of instuctions to make it home again. I can't just remember how to do it . (SL, Canada).

How many days in the month? - I still use elementary school tricks for remembering everyday things such as 'Thirty days have September, April, June and November. All the rest have thirty-one, except for February which has twenty-eight. (ST from NY).

How many days in the month? - If I can't remember the poem to remember how many days are in the month, I simply use my knuckles. Starting with my left hand, counting from the first knuckle after the thumb, which is January, so 31 days, then you have the place between the two knucles, which is Febuary, therefoe low, ie 28 days, then you have a high knuckle which is March, so 31 days, then you have another crevice between knuckles of your middle and ring finger, which is April, low, so 30 days.. and so on and so on, until you reach July on your last high knuckle and have to start on your right hand, with index finger knuckle, high, therfore August...31 days and so on. (Suzanne, Edinburgh).

I use a colored report cover over pages in a book. I use blue and therefore the words are black and the background is blue. It's so helpful when I read. (Courtney, New York).
(Editor's note: Courtney, if you are experiencing a glare from words printed on a white page, or seeing the words go fuzzy without your blue transparent plastic cover, you may have Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome (Irlen Syndrome) and could benefit from tinted lenses. There's further information at Using colored lenses, and a list of certified Irlen practitioners at The Irlen Institute (This page is a bit slow to load).

I say to myself each morning "I have strengths as well as weaknesses! This helps me to be more positive, and be more aware of my abilities in creative areas and physical co-ordination, as well as my empathy with other people and their problems. (G.H., Los Angeles, Calif.)

I find that when numbers and letters get all scrambled up on the page, especially ones that cause visual overload, I use cut-outs - bright pieces of paper with squares cut out - and I frame areas as I go along. This helps me read a little more comfortably. (G.S., USA)

I am careful to avoid eating too much sugar or sweeteners, as I find it affects my reading and spelling. I always try to eat a healthy diet - fruit, vegetables and vitamin pills each day! (S.D., Warwick, U.K.)

I find I can read better indoors with sunglasses on. It makes the page have less of a glare. (Y.L., (Tampa, Florida.)

When I space out when I'm trying to do a simple task like getting a book from my study: I count 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 out loud. This almost always knocks out what distracted me and brings back to my original task. (D.G., NY, NY)

Self-adhesive address labels - I always carry lots of small self-adhesive address labels. It saves time and prevents me handing out scribbled, difficult to read notes. This can happen if I get flustered trying to hurry as people are waiting. Instead of signing my name on forms I use these and I have plenty for carbon copies. They are also useful for providing a ‘return address’ on parcels and for handing out instead of laboriously writing down your address. It’s very cheap to buy heaps of them [Able-Label in the UK] and people seem to respond well to receiving them. (Lynn, Edinburgh, UK).

Math and blue paper - A teacher told my niece that was having difficulty with math due to not always reading the numbers correctly to use blue mylar to place over the text and to work on blue paper. After this her math improved 100%. (Al N). Reading Through Colored Filters.

Reading aloud - When reading aloud, the words on the page get mixed up. I use a finger to follow the text I'm reading and force myself to slow down. It appears to others that I am putting more meaning into what I am reading. (Roger, Highland, UT, USA).

Remembering what I read - I have a hard time remembering what I read when I study. So when I get to the end of a page in my textbook I write down everything I can remember before moving on. It takes time but helps in the long run. (T.W., Mt. Pleasant, Michigan).

Always read out loud - I'm a college student so, as many of you have mentioned, I use a tape recorder religiously. One thing I find really helpful in improving reading is to always read out loud and have a "spotter" read over my shoulder silently. If I make a mistake the "spotter" catches me on it and this way I improve my reading skills. It programs the words which are confused often in reading into the mind, so less mistakes are made. Hope that helps! (Rachel, Worcester, Mass., USA).

Models with plasticene - I'm a science major and I have a hard time remembering some of the difficult concepts, especially about microscopic or theoretical concepts.  For example, the composition of a membrane, I make models out of plasticene (not play doh...too soft), which helps me see the membrane as a 3D object that I can manipulate with my hands.  Go to a craft store and pick out a substance that works for you.  There's this foamy stuff that works great because you can let it dry and it hardens into a styrofoam type object.  I use different colors for different components of the membrane.  I also tend to avoid store-bought models because making it myself bit by bit really helps more than anything.  It also gives me the ability to remember what my model looks like during an exam. 
In addition to this, to help me remember the concept, instead of simply remembering the bare essentials, I learn the "how and why" behind each concept.  For example, the phospholipid bilayer that makes up the membrane has the lipids sandwiched between the two phosphorus layers...but why?  And once I have that done, I can cement the concept into my head by pretending to teach the concept to someone else from memory.  This is done out loud and my models are often used.  This is usually done in privacy as to not disrupt others. (Jeanine, Canada).