Dyslexia & Prepositions

Dyslexia | notatrophywife

Prepositions of place and value. Most of us don’t even think about prepositions of place or directional prepositions: under, over, before, after, through, among, between, beside, below, down, across, above, towards. I haven’t thought too seriously about prepositions since 11th grade English. For most of us prepositions are ingrained in our brains: we know what they are and what they do and we use them over and over and don’t give it a second thought.

 

For a dyslexic, prepositions can be mind numbing, frustrating roadblocks to a thought or a sentence. Imagine, using “over” instead of “under” or “before” instead of “after.” Around our house, a sentence, question, or statement can end with 20 questions or fill in the blanks when trying to interpret our son’s thoughts or written words. As his mom, I think his creative, mixed up use of parts of speech are cute, endearing, creative, and screenplay worthy.. but, I’m his mom and teachers are looking for grammatically correct sentences and paragraphs.

It’s not that my son doesn’t know these words. He knows them, he can see them in his mind (his description) and he can spell them too. He just doesn’t always use the appropriate word for the sentence he is writing or the story he is sharing. A word can change the entire meaning.. and a grade.

As a the mother of a child with dyslexia, I never underestimate what my child can achieve. He just may need to go around the block, over the shrubs, through the trees, under the bridge and he may finish last (or first)? That’s okay with me.. I will always be next to, in front of, and behind my son.. supporting and cheering him on…. one preposition at a time. Now go rock that test on the Middle Ages, just proof read your answers that ask for “before and after” dates. Love, your mum “forever and always.”