Inside the Dyslexic Mind: A Resource for Parents, Teachers and Dyslexics Themselves - Paperback

by Laughton King (Author)

Laughton King shares his understanding of the dyslexic mind from his own lived experience as a dyslexic child, an angry adolescent, a therapist and eventually an author When describing what it is like to be dyslexic, he is includes himself. We think in pictures, we chase words around the pages of books, and we have trouble finding any sensible connection between squiggles on paper and real things they are meant to refer to. And this all happens in perpetual reverse gear. You guessed it, for us, school is not cool, and for most of us this makes life tough

At the heart of this book is a ground-breaking conceptthe diesel/petrol analogy. As Laughton describes it, a dyslexic person is like a diesel vehicle. They run perfectly if you give them the right fuel, but if you put petrol in the tank (i.e. expect them to learn like every normal child in our current education system) they break down. This book helps dyslexic (diesel) thinkers make sense of their lives, and provides valuable guidance for parents and teachers There is nothing wrong with the dyslexic childs brain. They do not need medication and do not need to be rewired nor recalibrated. Laughtons message to parents and educators is that once they accept this processing difference and understand the dyslexic style of thinking they can readily work with these children and help them achieve their own success

Author Biography

Laughton King is a retired psychologist whose contribution to
the progressive dismantling of what is commonly called 'dyslexia' comes from his
70+ years as a 'dyslexic' person, and from 35 years as a psychologist working
with children experiencing learning difficulties. Laughton's difficulties with
reading meant that he did not rely on the insights and conclusions of academics
and scholars. Instead, through observation of his own and other's learning
processes, he established his own understanding of this unfortunately common
difficulty.

School was a nightmare for Laughton. He could
not decipher the language of the teacher and was confused that other kids
could. His classroom failings led to social and behavioural failings, and for
these he was labelled and blamed. In turn, his acceptance of the blame led
directly to deep, prolonged depression.

Laughton describes his eventual self-diagnosis
of dyslexia at age 45 years as like emerging from a dark cloud but lacking any
sense or understanding of its causes or functional dynamics. Subsequent
observations of thousands of children, their families and their teachers
eventually led to practical insights regarding dyslexia as a daily life issue
in a person's interfaces with society through the various stage of life.

Alongside his long career as a psychologist,
educational psychologist and mediator, Laughton is the author of three
self-published works that represent the evolution of his understanding of the
dyslexic mind: Reaching the Reluctant Learner: A Manual of Strategies for
Teachers and Parents (2006), With, Not Against: A Compendium of Positive
Parenting Strategies (2008), and Dyslexia Dismantled (2010).