The power of the dyslexia story

I've just completed the Dyslexia Coaching Skills course at NLP Scotland.  It was, as usual, a fantastic training experience (the dull days of corporate training courses a distant memory now).  The highlight of the course for me was the chance to listen to the stories of some of the clients who are currently working with the Dyslexia Treatment Centre. 

A little boy who proudly showed us his school jotter marked with a big 'well done' from his teacher.  The parents who told us about the transformation that had taken place in their child as a result of going through the programme - from someone who wouldn't go out to play to "a different wee boy".  And then there was the man in his 40s, a successful businessman and entrepreneur who had only recently realised why he had 'switched off' from education at the age of 10, and had had a miserable, excruciating humiliating experience at school: he was dyslexic.  Their stories were powerful: about what can be done, about the huge potential that lies within people who are 'labelled' by the system, about the determination of individuals to fight obstacles and create a good life for themselves and their families. 

I felt inspired and humbled to hear these stories, but also frustrated and angry at how we as a society and our institutions create the circumstances for so much unhappiness and struggle, rather than adapting the way we teach and work and learn so that everyone can fulfil their potential, regardless of their learning style.

Still, it's great to see how interventions like this dyslexia coaching programme can transform the experience of individuals and their families.  If you'd like to find out more about the potential of dyslexia coaching to help someone in your family do just drop me an e-mail at joanna@coachingwizardry.com