The Dyslexia Struggle Was Real

Christian’s school days were a battleground. At six, he’d dodge reading aloud with excuses like “I’m tired,” while teachers branded him lazy, dishing out punishments instead of help. “I’d read two lines, and they’d say, ‘Okay, stop,’” he recalls. English as a second language? Torture—too slow for subtitles, he learned it from movies instead. Middle school locked him out of higher tracks because language skills lagged, despite his knack for concepts. Sound familiar, parents? That kid doodling in class might not be slacking—they could be wrestling a brain wired differently.