If you have a child with dyslexia, consider this: Last month the Nobel Prize for Medicine was awarded to molecular biologist Carol Greider, age 48. Greider is dyslexic.
Greider told a New York Times reporter in a recent interview that as a child she was often assigned to remedial classes and considered herself to be “stupid.” She says that she relied on memorization to get her through school, because, she told the Times, “I just couldn’t spell words.” It turned out that this served her well in the sciences, where memorization is critical. She thrived in chemistry and biology in high school. Now a Nobel Prize winner, she is one of just eight women to be awarded the sought-after honor in the sciences.
Greider’s success – as well as the list of famous people noted in the sidebar on this page – is proof that children suffering with dyslexia can overcome the challenge and go on to become very successful adults.
Carol Clark, executive director of the Prentice School in Santa Ana, says that if diagnosed early, children can indeed thrive academically. So what should parents be aware of?
“The late talker,” says Clark, “as well as those with difficulty learning new vocabulary or with pronunciation issues.” Clarks adds that a family history is another indicator. “The big one,” she says, “is when children don’t have an interest in nursery rhymes or they struggle with the sounds of our language when they’re little.
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