“I will tell my polytechnic teachers that I have dyslexia. No matter who we are, we need to understand when we need extra help. Everyone has a different learning style and there are certain subjects we may not know of. To fill up these gaps, we require the help of other people.”
Meldon, currently a Secondary 4 student, was diagnosed with dyslexia at Dyslexia Association of Singapore (DAS) when he was in Primary 1. He was advised by his school teacher to seek help from DAS as he could not recognise the A to Z alphabets and was not able to express himself very well.
After spending more than 5 years in the Main Literacy Programme at DAS, Meldon was able to discover and develop new skills, which helped him to inculcate a growth mindset believing that he too can excel. With his creativity, perseverance and guidance from teachers and parents, he has now received numerous awards and recognition academically.
Meldon works even harder so that he can catch up with his peers. To him, dyslexia is not a disability, but a stepping stone that helps him get over. He believes that through hard work, you will be able to achieve anything.
Besides hard work, Meldon is also able to explore ways to simplify hard concepts into digestible information that he can resonate to.
“You can break big topics down into pieces and see how it works later in a whole system. Write notes, think outside the box or find any other learning patterns to understand a topic. Having a rewards system and penning down your goals helps. If you have the will to learn, even if you do not like the subject, you should be able to find an interest in it and like it instead of giving up.’’ he adds.
It is not easy for Meldon to achieve. He reads slower than his peers and still needs extra time for exams, but this does not stop Meldon from moving forward, especially for someone with a positive mindset.
Meldon had just graduated from the iStudySmart programme at DAS a few months ago where he learned to manage time effectively, express confidently, display ideas through slides, write scripts and quote sources accurately. He says, “This programme prepared me for higher learning and for work in the future.”
Learning in polytechnic will be more challenging. However, he believes looking for help will make him feel confident, knowing that he is not alone.
“Dyslexic or not, continue to strive for what you live. Do not think teachers will look down on you – everyone has different learning needs.” Meldon adds, hoping to change lecturers’ mindset on people with dyslexia.
Meldon has set goals to explore industrial and product design courses in the future. Also a talented individual in music, he believes, ‘’Anyone can do great! A positive mindset can bring a lot of rewards.’’
Meldon will continue to develop new skills and reach greater heights, and so will other learners with dyslexia.
