---
title: 'Video: How art helped a struggling student better understand himself'
description: Watch as Marcos, a young man with dyslexia and ADHD, talks about the benefits of art in his life, including how discovering his talent improved his self-esteem.
slug: video-how-art-helped-a-struggling-student-better-understand-himself
author: The Understood Team
published: '2019-08-05T15:33:36.073Z'
thumbnail: https://cdn-images.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/13A2101F260944B89E088C1A6207A325/20831e75f01d6fc5b37825554fa7a65f/100517_Video_How_Art_Helped_a_Struggling_Student_Better_Understand_Himself.jpg
source_url: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/video-how-art-helped-a-struggling-student-better-understand-himself
lang: en
---

# Video: How art helped a struggling student better understand himself

Many kids with learning and thinking differences build self-esteem through their strengths and talents. For some, that’s sports. For others, it’s science. For Marcos Allen, the winner of the [2017 Anne Ford Scholarship](https://www.ncld.org/archives/blog/2017-anne-ford-scholarship-winner) from the National Center for Learning Disabilities, it was art.

Watch this inspiring story as he talks about when he discovered this talent, and how art helped build his confidence while he was struggling academically with dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and ADHD. Then watch Marcos and his mom discussing [their homeschooling experience](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/video-a-mom-and-son-on-their-homeschooling-experience) together.

---

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