Today is the day I start a positive change. From time to time, you need to reset and move forward. For anyone that is neurodiverse, burnout is always close, but you also have to keep things progressing. Today is that day for me. Personalised blogging is something I particularly enjoy and I recognise its value. Some people will read it; some people won’t. However, you never know—there may be some content here that will be useful for someone going through a similar experience.
I am a severely dyslexic adult. I have a number of neurodiverse tendencies, including ADHD, autism, and dyspraxia. You could say I’m a very neurospicy human.
Dyslexia affects me every single day. Is it because of the world we live in? That’s a very good question. Over the past 20 years that I've worked in the dyslexia and neurodiverse space, I’ve used the phrase "me and my dyslexia" on many occasions. Hopefully, I will continue writing about this for a number of months, creating a variety of articles, TikToks, and other social posts to share related to it.
When I was diagnosed with dyslexia at age nine, I remember feeling excited at first. But then I realised what dyslexia was. This is why I have difficulties with reading. This is why I can’t spell anything. This is why I find things difficult. This is why I’m being picked on at school for not knowing 1 x 1. This is why I don’t understand jokes. I often use the analogy that dyslexia is like going to the dentist—stress and anxiety are always there. But over the past 29 years, I’ve come to understand that dyslexia is just a part of me. I’m definitely not neurotypical, and my neurodiversity makes me who I am.
I left school with five GCSEs and two A-levels. I’ve worked as a youth worker, a labourer, in retail, for the British Dyslexia Association, and then as a dyslexic entrepreneur. I’ve run companies like the SEND Group, worked for companies like Nessy, Scanning Pens, and Microsoft, developed the national exhibition called the Dyslexia Show, and embarked on the journey of rebranding it to the Neurodiversity Show.
Life throws curveballs at you. Let me frame this now: life is never easy. We have to keep moving forward, maintain a positive outlook, support each other, and help as many people as we can. I will continue writing these blogs, sharing more about my life, what has happened, and how things affect me. For now, I thank you for reading.