--- title: 'Our community weighs in: 18 things parents wish people knew about dyslexia' description: We asked our Understood Facebook community what one thing people should know about their child with dyslexia. Here are their insightful responses. slug: our-community-weighs-in-18-things-parents-wish-people-knew-about-dyslexia author: Lexi Walters Wright published: '2019-10-16T12:10:44.055Z' thumbnail: https://cdn-images.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/F2232B6CF77B45588DFA5B7AC9055E2E/533b84d433b0e2080031084c120145a2/i546439710.jpg source_url: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/our-community-weighs-in-18-things-parents-wish-people-knew-about-dyslexia lang: en --- # Our community weighs in: 18 things parents wish people knew about dyslexia If your child has [dyslexia](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/what-is-dyslexia), you know that there are many misconceptions about it. We asked our [Facebook community](https://www.facebook.com/Understood/), “What one thing should people know about your child with dyslexia?” Here are their insightful responses. 1. “Just because my daughter is [dyslexic doesn’t mean](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/dyslexia-in-children) she doesn’t love words—she does. It doesn’t mean that she can’t read, because she can. It doesn’t mean she doesn’t love books—she does. She just needs help and understanding of how dyslexia affects her, because she is an individual and has individual needs.” * — Tania E.* 2. “My children’s good grades are badges of achievement, requiring much more work and energy than most, all the while boosting their [confidence](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/how-to-boost-confidence-before-a-test) tenfold.” *— Lance F.* 3. “My son with dyslexia is far more intelligent and creative than any state test or classroom grade may show.” *— Nancy K.* 4. “My son’s large vocabulary, strong [reading comprehension](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/7-tips-to-help-kids-understand-what-they-read) and enjoyment of reading come IN SPITE of his dyslexia. They don’t make it less real. Dyslexia manifests in many different ways. Don’t just assume it means someone can’t read.” *— Jennifer R.* 5. “Many dyslexic students can be [twice-exceptional students](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/all-about-twice-exceptional-students), and we are so happy when teachers recognize that and can be [flexible with their approaches](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/personalized-learning-what-you-need-to-know) to teaching in response. These students actually like being in school and contributing to their classrooms.” *— Laura F.* 6. “I wish people knew that my daughter works hard for things that come easy to her peers.” *— Rachel S.* 7. “Let my son use the tools he needs to succeed and stop attaching ‘strings’ to his usage of assistive technology. I don’t care if it’s one word, one sentence, one paragraph: Let him type or use speech to text. It’s about *his* learning style, not yours.” *— Jessica M.* 8. “My daughter’s dyslexia *wasn’t* because I didn’t read to her enough!” *— Nicole M.* 9. “I wish people knew that my son’s dyslexia isn’t curable. I’ve been asked more than once if there is a cure. It’s not a disease.” *— Allison M.* 10. “My daughter has more personality, tenacity and courage in her little finger than the children who judge her at school will ever have.” *— Sam D.* 11. “When you say you can’t believe my son is dyslexic, it’s sweet. But it also minimizes all his hard work. The extra time it takes him to do everything, the restrictive diet changes that help him do his best, the [coping strategies](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/develop-child-coping-skills) he’s developed over many years.... There’s a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes that makes it surprising to you that he has dyslexia.” *— Scott and Missy M.* 12. “I wish people knew that my son held it together all day at school today but [lost it](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/signs-of-frustrated-child-at-school) when he got home. He’s gone to bed in tears again. But he’ll get up in the morning, finish that bloody homework and head to school with a smile on his face.” *— Leah S.* 13. “Children get their [self-worth](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/positive-self-esteem-kids-importance) from their success in school. Imagine going to work every day to a job you disliked and no matter how hard you worked, you never achieved the success of your coworkers. My son is [resilient](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/building-resilience-in-kids) and strong. I would like him to be taught with programs matched to his [strengths](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/types-of-strengths-in-kids) and learning style.” *— Kim J.* 14. “My son is probably one of the hardest working kids around. Just because he struggles [does not make him lazy](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/why-just-try-harder-is-a-myth).” *— Brandie P.* 15. “Just because my daughter can read and loves books doesn’t mean she doesn’t have dyslexia. We’ve had teachers doubt the diagnosis, but then criticize her for being lazy because she has trouble reading out loud from unseen material, and spells words phonetically—even really simple words, while getting [more complex and difficult words](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/9-ways-to-help-kids-with-dyslexia-remember-and-pronounce-long-words) correct.” *— Stephanie A.* 16. “My son is like a duck on water. He looks calm, collected and normal above water, but is paddling like mad to keep everything moving along. He’s trying so much harder than you could possibly imagine.” *— Melanie A.* 17. “Dyslexia complicates much more than reading and spelling. It’s invisible. [Be kind](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/9-ways-to-show-empathy-when-your-child-is-struggling).” *— Sharri N.* 18. “My daughter with dyslexia has amazing people skills and is a magnificent artist. But most of all, I want people to know that she is a brilliant little girl, and she will grow up to do amazing things.” *— Jennifer F.* *Any opinions, views, information and other content contained in blogs on Understood.org are the sole responsibility of the writer of the blog, and do not necessarily reflect the views, values, opinions or beliefs of, and are not endorsed by, Understood.* --- ## Explore related topics and articles - [Our community weighs in: 20 things parents wish people knew about ADHD](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/our-community-weighs-in-20-things-parents-wish-people-knew-about-adhd) - No one knows your child better than you do. And in our Facebook community, families were eager to offer what they wish other people knew about parenting a child with ADHD. Heres what they shared. - The hardest thing about ADHD is that its invisible to outsiders. Its not like other conditions that - [7 things I wish people knew about parenting kids with dyslexia](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/7-things-i-wish-people-knew-about-parenting-kids-with-dyslexia) - As a mom of two kids with dyslexia \(and other learning differences\) and as a person with dyslexia myself theres a lot Ive learned over the years. Ive learned how to advocate for my kids. I now understand how to best work with their teachers. And I sometimes even have answers for those tricky questio - [6 things I wish people knew about parenting a child with dyspraxia](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/6-things-i-wish-people-knew-about-parenting-a-child-with-dyspraxia) - Our daughter, Elizabeth, was 2 when she was first diagnosed with dyspraxia. I have to admit that at the time, I couldnt have told you very much about what that meant or even what dyspraxia is. But since then, weve lived 19 years with our beautiful daughter, and weve learned so much. Weve gone to the --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/our-community-weighs-in-18-things-parents-wish-people-knew-about-dyslexia#webpage","url":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/our-community-weighs-in-18-things-parents-wish-people-knew-about-dyslexia","description":"We asked our Understood Facebook community what one thing people should know about their child with dyslexia. Here are their insightful responses."},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/our-community-weighs-in-18-things-parents-wish-people-knew-about-dyslexia","name":"Our community weighs in: 18 things parents wish people knew about dyslexia"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","datePublished":"2019-10-16T12:10:44.055Z","description":"We asked our Understood Facebook community what one thing people should know about their child with dyslexia. Here are their insightful responses.","headline":"Our community weighs in: 18 things parents wish people knew about dyslexia","url":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/our-community-weighs-in-18-things-parents-wish-people-knew-about-dyslexia","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.understood.org/#organization","name":"Understood for All Inc","logo":"https://cdn-images.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/307jFAYQevghG8nQMCjh89/ccdbbec895765824db43f6d30b496e83/logo_lockup_navy.jpg"}}] ```