A Resource for Adult Dyslexics: by Linda Tessler

The Language of Dyslexia by Linda Tessler, a Doctor and a Dyslexic

How college students with disabilities can advocate for themselves

Five Psychological Cues* to Manage Life with a Learning Disability

by Linda G. Tessler, Ph.D., Psychologist, Bryn Mawr, PA

2. Prioritize and Pace Yourself
Situation
Your learning difference slows you down; this is a fact of your life.

Yet life moves along at a very fast clip and you are expected to keep up. Teachers, parents, friends, employers and co-workers will have the same expectations of you as they do for everyone else.

How can you possibly get everything done? The simple answer is, you can't.

What are you going to do? Answer: Prioritize and Pace Yourself

• Once you accept that there is too much to do, it is important to stay calm. Prioritizing buys you a lot of time. Besides, life is long and the English language is finite. With practice and experience, you can improve at even the most challenging tasks. You'll never be the best speller or a great reader, but you can improve skills. It's a comfort to know there is no correlation between how long it takes to learn something and how well it is learned. The person who takes five or six years to earn a college degree can get as much from the education in the end as the person who does it in four.

• Sort out what you can do and what you need others to do for you or teach you how to do. This process is key for most learning disabled people to achieve their goals. Successful adults with learning differences frequently hire someone to do what they cannot do (i.e., typist, proof reader, etc.)

• Focus on what is most important. In doing this, you are just like everyone else. No one knows everything about a subject; that is impossible. Like everyone, you will have to learn to identify what is essential for you to study and absorb. A professional may be needed to help you figure out how to zero in on the essentials.

• Take as many breaks as you need to keep working toward your goals. Taking a break is as important an "action" as every forward step. Take time off when you start feeling bogged down or discouraged. Depending on the situation, a break may be an hour, a day or a year. The important thing is to regard it as "time off," not the end. You may be able to return to the task refreshed and ready to tackle problems, or you may need someone to help you over a hump. Whatever happens, make sure the break is part of your forward motion.

• Calm yourself inside and be willing to take your time. It makes a big difference. Accept your learning pace as your personal style. Allowing yourself to move slowly lets you be on your way. Every successful adult with a learning problem I have interviewed in my research realized this simple truth was essential to their achievements.

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