Let's Start at the Very Beginning

Now that you know the “ending” of our story – Wilson is settling into Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois – it only makes sense to start at the very beginning. I have to admit, this has been a hard blog to write because I don’t know how much of the beginning is important. 

Everything was pretty “normal” for the first child of working parents living in suburban Boston. I think we shared many of the same hopes and dreams for that teeny baby that most parents do. You want the best for your child. You see that perfect little face and are full of hope.  

There’s so much you don’t know when you see your baby for the first time. Will he be smart, funny, athletic, artistic? Will he struggle with the same things I did? Will he be an introvert or an extrovert? Which pieces of which parent will show up in him? Who will he look like? Wilson is my maiden name, and as the oldest of three girls born to an only son, it made sense to name my son Wilson. When he was born, he looked like me, so it seemed extra right. We had no idea how perfect his name would be; he’s very much a “Wilson,” and sometimes I forget there is other DNA mixed in.    

 

Like many working parents, we made the hard decision to put him in daycare when he was tiny. It was crazy to be reviewing places before he was even born! I still remember the first day, and it’s actually a lot like dropping him off at college. He was a mess the night before, probably sensing my apprehension, so part of me was happy to drop him off. But I thought about him all day and was relieved to pick up that smiling monkey face. Man, do I miss that face right now. 

All the reports from daycare were pretty average. He seemed smart and eager to learn, so we never had any concerns. We didn’t really receive any behavioral warnings in preschool either. Wilson seemed like a pretty “normal” kid. And we did all the things you were supposed to do at home: we bought the right developmental toys, listened to BabyMozart, and read a lot. We read all kinds of books: baby board books, Boynton books, my old “I Can Read” books, and Eric Carle books…it was always part of our daily routine.   

We did not notice any indication of Wilson's dyslexia when he was little. You might think, “Of course not, he wasn’t reading yet,” but there were signs that you notice once you are aware of them. Some of the cute mispronunciations and mixing up words that we thought were nothing are on the list. Once he was diagnosed at seven and I started reading everything about dyslexia, the signs were there. 

Here are a couple of things we remember:

• hop-sital for hospital 

• Hannaburger 

• Hurnicane 

• Slipippy ice

• He had trouble rapidly naming things. I remember he could not quickly tell you the color of four balls (yellow, blue, green, red) but would easily pick out the right color if you asked him to bring it to you. 

• I’m not sure he could tell you the months of the year in order today. 

• Bs and Ds are classic, but it actually has more to do with sound than sight. 

• The alphabet would be “t, u, b, w, x” because b and v sound the same.

Like most kids with learning differences, it took Wilson failing something before he was identified. As you will read next time, once Wilson was in kindergarten, my sweet boy began to change. Luckily for most kids in the US today, groups of parents and educators worked hard to pass dyslexia/literacy screening for incoming kindergartners. 

If you are concerned that any of the kids in your life might be dyslexic, review the checklist at Understood.org, one of my favorite, straightforward resources. https://www.understood.org/articles/checklist-signs-of-dyslexia-at-different-ages. Early identification is critical for future success.