Dys Disorders

‘I have trouble reading texts in class. When I’m asked to read a passage aloud, I stumble over words and reverse the order of the letters. I feel frustrated and confused, and as a result, I don’t always understand the overall meaning of the text.

It’s the same with grammar rules: I often confuse agreement and verb conjugation.

I make a lot of mistakes in my essays despite my best efforts. It’s really discouraging!’

‘I have trouble coordinating my movements in class. I feel clumsy and can knock over my school equipment, such as books and pens. Writing is particularly difficult for me, my arm is very tense and my wrist often hurts. I concentrate so much on writing that I can’t think about spelling or grammar at the same time, so I make lots of mistakes.

In geometry, handling the compass or square is a real ordeal, and my drawings are rarely clean and precise. When we’re doing manual tasks, it’s not easy to do them accurately.

During activities, I find it hard to coordinate my movements. Spatial and temporal organization is really complicated for me, visualizing and understanding concepts and instructions involving movements in space are not obvious to me

I can also have trouble assessing distances and finding my way around in space, often getting easily lost in corridors.’

Motor skills

• Fine motor coordination (writing, art, object manipulation)
• Gross motor coordination (sports)

Space organization

• Perception and understanding of space
• Recognition of shapes, patterns and spatial relationships
• Spatial orientation and visio-motor coordination

‘In class, during discussions, I have trouble finding the right words to express myself.

I’m frustrated because I understand other people’s ideas perfectly, but when I want to share my own thoughts, my sentences can be rambling and difficult for my classmates to understand.

This can also happen when I have to ask questions or express my needs to the teacher.

This difficulty in finding the right words prevents me from expressing myself fully and interacting fluidly with my classmates.’

‘I often make spelling mistakes, forget grammatical rules and have trouble constructing coherent sentences.

I feel frustrated and discouraged when I see errors in my essays. I try to proofread and correct my mistakes, but it takes a lot of effort and sometimes I feel overwhelmed.

I’d love to be able to write without making so many mistakes, but for now it’s a challenge I have to face every day in class.’

Writing essays

• Spelling and word memorization
• Use of grammatical rules
• Text organization and coherence

‘When I have to write in class, I struggle to hold my pen correctly and make even strokes. My letters are often badly formed and difficult to read. I have trouble following the lines and my words can be unevenly spaced on the page.

My fingers, wrist and even my arm are very tense and I’m often in pain.

I concentrate so much on writing that I can’t think about spelling or grammar at the same time, so I make lots of mistakes. I get frustrated because I’m trying really hard to write well, but my poor fine motor coordination make it difficult.

Sometimes I’m slower than the others to finish my written homework, which makes me late for class exercises.

In geometry, handling the compass or square is a real ordeal, and my drawings are rarely clean and precise.
Despite this, I try not to get discouraged and to keep improving my handwriting.’

Fine motor skills

• Producing legible, fluid handwriting
• Layout and organization of handwriting

‘Mathematics is a real challenge for me. I have trouble understanding numbers and their relationships. Basic mathematical operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division are often confusing.

I feel lost when trying to solve mathematical problems and can easily make mistakes.

It’s not easy to visualize geometric concepts and understand spatial relationships.

I wish I could master mathematics like my peers, but it’s a constant struggle for me.’