Name: ‘Dyslexia isn’t just about having difficulty with reading and spelling’ | BBC Ideas
Uploaded: 2025-06-17T14:48:01.000Z
Duration: 8 min 28 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

Modal verbs - A2

Even when it comes to going to work, that can be completely confusing for me because there's so many small things that I need to remember.

And when I'm trying to schedule appointments, it can be quite terrifying honestly.

It might take me a lot longer than the average person to recall something.

For example, meeting up with friends and saying, oh I watched this great movie and what was it called?

I forgot, you know, that's another thing with dyslexia.

Sometimes you get an idea, someone's talking and you desperately want to interrupt because otherwise that thought will just disappear.

It's sort of like a slippery fish and you're trying to grab hold of it and you can't.

It feels like as much time as I spend with them, there's sort of not enough time to talk about dyslexia with them and how it affects me.

They see me as the strong one, but I think what's is always having that sort of mentality of you've got this and you can do it.

When I was 19 and when she was nine, our mum passed away and I've seen her overcome the emotional difficulties that comes with that and the tenacity that she's displayed in that.

We've had to put a brave face on things from a young age, so maybe because of that there were no real cries for help.

Yeah, you're putting a brave face on about the hardest thing that I've probably ever had to face in my life and it meant that when it comes to other conversations about the fact that I'm really struggling with my directions or what have you, we're not going to But I want them, especially Roy, I want him to see that sometimes it's not so straightforward.

There's some things that will be long lasting that I find Roy, you've always been more than a brother to me.

But when you look at me, I'm worried you only see the things I've achieved.

Not how much I've struggled along the way.

One moment they're there, then suddenly they're gone, slipping out of reach.

If someone asks me a question, even an easy one, like where we're supposed to be meeting, the answer could be on the tip of my tongue, but catching that thought and saying it out aloud is harder than you could know.

Even simple conversations can leave me exhausted.

Often, by the time I've ordered my thoughts, I've forgotten what I was thinking in the first place.

In every moment, in every conversation, I feel like dyslexia is there, waiting to catch me out.

I'm scared of what people must think of me.

That flaky friend, always forgetting things, letting everyone down.

I'm scared of what you might think of me.

But I also know that being dyslexic makes me the person I am.

It makes me creative, able to spot patterns and make connections.

I need you to know that dyslexia will always be a part of me.

It's not something we need to fix, but something we need to embrace.

There'll be times when I'll need your help, times when I need you to be patient.

But more than anything, I need you to accept me, just the way I am.

Personally, I thought it was a really good film.

But just to let you know that whatever happens in life, I'll never be disappointed in you.

Never, ever worry about how I perceive you.

We want to know, like, your struggle is part of you, innit?

And we're the least, the last people that will judge you on any struggles.

Like, we've been through literally hell and back.

I feel privileged about to kind of go inside your mind and see what it's like in your shoes.

Honestly, I was so nervous in showing you.

I was honestly so nervous, because there's just some things that are just difficult for me.

But I think now what might change is that it will be easier for me to say, oh, it's my dyslexia.

I think I've passed that on, where we save our vulnerabilities, our sadness for places where we can't be seen.

And maybe that might not be the best way to deal with things now.

Honestly, I'm really grateful that I've got all of you as my brothers and that you support me so much.

I think we'll have to seal it off with a group hug.