I’M A PHD student, an avid reader, I’m bilingual in Welsh and English, and also dyslexic. Growing up, I was aware of dyslexia. My sister, dad, and several of my cousins have it. I also knew that it is hereditary, but I’d never been tested, so was more of a Schrodinger’s dyslexic at this point.

Growing up I loved reading; I was the child with a torch hidden under the pillow so that even after bedtime I could keep reading whatever book I was stuck into. I didn’t always understand everything, and I frequently had to re-read passages and chapters, not once but several times, in order to get the gist of what was happening.

The fact that I loved reading and books was one factor that kept me hidden under the radar and undiagnosed for so long. When it came to school tests, there was always a pattern to what would be asked and how the questions were structured. There were very few changes to this year on year, so learning how these were put together and the pattern was just one example of how I adapted without realising it.

How dyslexia manifested

Dyslexia (not to be confused with dyscalculia) is a learning disorder. It doesn’t affect intelligence, but it does impact how we process information. There are several categorised variations of dyslexia symptoms (although this is still a commonly debated topic) and most people have a combination of these symptoms.

Common symptoms of dyslexia include, but aren’t limited to; a difficulty with phonological awareness, that is, difficulty in breaking words down into sounds and associating these sounds with the written symbols or letters; remembering words by sight; pronunciation; and reading speed.

Repeatedly spelling words incorrectly, joining several words in a sentence together and being unable to keep up with teachers in class was something I thought was normal. I didn’t score poorly in school, I was one of the highest-scoring in some subjects.

But the clue of possibly having dyslexia came after sitting my AS level exams at 17 and losing over half my marks in the biology paper due to spelling errors. Que my horror and confusion; I had known the answers when sitting the paper.

After finishing my A levels I went on to university. It was here that I went for my first dyslexia test after a suggestion from my aunt. Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long as the University’s access learning department organised the whole thing and the test was free. When my younger sister was assessed she had to do so privately and my parents had to pay for the test. This is another hurdle in the way of getting a diagnosis, as without a formal diagnosis, in Wales and the UK you aren’t entitled to supports during exams.

An education psychologist assessed me and conducted a variety of tests. For a dyslexia test, they looked at my reading, writing and typing speeds, my ability to break down words into sounds and their corresponding symbols, and conducted a variety of intelligence-based tests looking at the pattern and number recognition.

Life after diagnosis

The diagnosis was a relief in many ways. It explained so much about why I just couldn’t understand things straight away or remember what words looked like or what a word was at a glance.

Seeing myself as limited either before or after my diagnosis was never an option. My younger sister Leah has far more complex dyslexia than I do. She was diagnosed at eight years old and is the hardest working and most adaptive person I know. She has a Master’s degree in mechanical engineering with product design and now works for a world-leading company’s global sustainability team.

Leah is my idol and my role model. She is fierce and tenacious, and won’t let a little thing like dyslexia stand in the way of achieving her goals. This was enough for me to keep pushing myself and strive to achieve. We’ve talked a lot about our dyslexia and how it has affected us, and little tricks we’ve learned on the way.

Science and animals were my passion from a young age. After completing my BSc in BioVeterinary Science at Harper Adams University I worked as a research technician. One encounter, in particular, sparked my drive to want to show how talented those of us with dyslexia are. I was showing a nine-year-old and her Mam around the lambing shed and as we got talking the Mam mentioned that her daughter had been having a hard time at school being bullied for having dyslexia.

I launched into talking about my family; what my cousins, my sister, my dad, and I had achieved, reassuring this young dyslexic that it was nothing to be ashamed of, our brains just work differently, and we tend to be really good at some things whether it’s patterns, numbers, or being creative. The following week I got an email from the Mam thanking me for everything I’d said to her daughter and how much happier and more confident her daughter was in seeing that she wasn’t limited in what she could achieve.

It was at this point I decided to pursue a PhD. The opportunity to study a subject I enjoyed in two countries was too good to miss, and I also wanted to show young students with dyslexia that they are not limited.

During my PhD studies, I’ve discovered a passion for talking about science and highlighting my personal struggle with dyslexia is an important part of this for me, hence part of the reason I signed up to compete in the FameLab science communication competition. I thought it would be a fun challenge and hopefully, I’d reach a few people with dyslexia.

Getting tested early is the most important factor. Enjoying reading doesn’t mean that dyslexia isn’t also present, it just means there isn’t the stereotypical display of an aversion to reading (my sister fit this stereotype so well if she’s reading a book it must have really grabbed her). Many people with dyslexia can and do enjoy reading for pleasure.

Early testing just means that supports can be put in place to ensure that a person doesn’t fall behind due to no fault of their own. There is no shame in being dyslexic and getting the support for success!

For anyone who feels they may be dyslexic getting tested is always an option, there are many people who aren’t diagnosed with dyslexia until later in life. Trying out different techniques for reading, writing and remembering things is always an option. Since being diagnosed I’ve learned to be kinder to myself and not get so frustrated with not understanding things the first time I read or hear something.

For parents worried that their child is dyslexic, I would advise them to set aside any pride and opinions they may have and get their child tested. Go through the school, ask the school board, see if there is any financial support for getting your child tested. Being tested for dyslexia will not only give confirmation (one way or another) but it also means your child has the documentation as a reason for extra support that will help them succeed.

The colour purple

Reading can cause a lot of eye strain, especially for people whose dyslexia shows letters on a page as moving targets or simply a bit jumbled, and the stark contrast between black letters and white background can sometimes make it impossible to read. Reducing the contrast between letters and the background may seem counterintuitive, but for some people with dyslexia, a change in colour and/or brightness can mean a vast improvement in their ability to read.

When I’m reading something I find purple overlays or changing the screen colour to purple helps to stop the letter soup I see otherwise! Different colours help different people, but purple, the colour of royalty, is the one for me.

Highlighters have saved me more times than I can count. I always remember seeing big masses of text and getting overwhelmed by the thought of having to detangle the moving mess I would see, so I use highlighters to either mark important bits or to split paragraphs into sections.

There’s a group I’m part of that says “it’s important not to stay stuck on Expert Island”. What that means is if you’re filling a talk, presentation, or lesson with big cumbersome words without offering an alternative simple explanation of the same scenario then you’ve already lost the audience. Offering an alternative explanation doesn’t remove any importance from the subject, if anything it makes it more impactful as it will reach more members of the intended audience.

For society in general, I think an increased awareness around dyslexia needs to be more than just “dyslexics aren’t slowor stupid”, as this is more common knowledge. What needs to be emphasised is that we learn differently. Because the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach is what excludes and demoralises so many students, we’ll see our friends succeed at something we’ve also spent countless hours studying for, and we fail/do poorly.

Having a supportive network – people who are non-judgemental of the quality of our writing, reading, and understanding is wholly important. I’m lucky that my family has always been supportive of my sister and me, never letting us think we were less able than others. I also have a wonderful partner who is always happy to read things for me, explain the context, and proofread anything I write.

It’s not all doom and gloom, the world is changing for the better, and has done so since I was younger. It’s much more accepting, there is a more general understanding about learning disabilities, and with information being far more accessible I think it will only continue to get better.

Kyra Menai Hamilton is a researcher. She has dyslexia and is a finalist in this year’s FameLab science communication competition which takes place tomorrow, Thursday 30 September and is organised by British Council and Science Foundation Ireland. Dyslexia Awareness Week runs 4-10 October. Kyra is a finalist in this year’s FameLab science competition. The Ireland final can be viewed on the British Council Ireland’s Facebook page. Details here and on Twitter.