A letter from Andrea - Retired special education (autism) teacher and mother of Mike Townson

Let me tell you a little about my son. Michael was diagnosed with Dyslexia in third grade.  Up until that time he had struggled, even before he entered school.  He had trouble mixing up words like, left and right, hot and cold.  He could not seem to get the timing right when he played kickball.  He invariably missed.  His teachers blamed his lack of attention for his poor performance.  He was usually in some kind of trouble with one teacher or another.  Once the diagnoses was confirmed, they were at a loss as to how to teach him.

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word. It may also be characterized by audio processing difficulties and poor motor skills.

Michael was still floundering until we found a Dyslexia specialist, who just happened to be our neighbor She helped him to begin to compensate for his deficiencies, improved his audio processing and gave him ideas of sports that would help him with his motor skills.  We also found an unconventional school which believed in a different type of learning environment.  Here he learned computer skills, public speaking, persuasive arguing, team projects and expectations of a well thought out portfolio  It was not a walk in the park, but Michael persevered and ended his high school years with an exceptional portfolio presentation.  During those years, he taught himself to play the guitar.  Unable to read music, he would play the type of music he liked over and over until he was able to replicate the chords. He had a studio where he taught students to play electric guitar, during his first couple of years of college, in order to earn money.  He also worked 40 hour weeks doing web design and marketing for several companies, while working on his BA in Interactive Media Design.

So, why have I told you all this?  Dyslexia does not go away.  One must learn to compensate and sometimes just the effort of doing that, causes extreme fatigue.  But through all that, Michael became stubbornly determined to be the best he could be.  Dealing with a learning disability has made him an excellent leader, a patient teacher, a good listener.  He has the ability to think outside the box, find creative ways to problem solve and excel at team building.  

I have to say, in all honesty, that I never really understood what he actually does.  I have seen the results of his and his team’s collaborations though, and found myself quite impressed.  I know I am very biased, but I can’t help being proud of the way Michael has taken a disability and turned it into a gift. I am excited to watch the rest of his journey unfold.