My Mama understood my situation far better than most parents would have in the 1950s. She insisted that I be tested, and sure enough I was diagnosed with dyslexia. We both thought the diagnosis would be more than one small step on a long journey. In the next scene, though, Mama blows up with frustration.

Scene 4: Testing

Mama understood that Karen’s academic progress had stalled before it had even started. While many parents would have decided that their child couldn’t learn, and would have given up in discouragement, Mama understood that Karen could learn if she got the academic help and emotional support that she needed. Kitten needed special academic accommodation, and she needed to develop self-confidence. Learning as a chore was useless, but if Kitten developed self-confidence, then she would learn by herself. In the Fifties, there were few progressive parents like Mama who understood that the most important thing for all children to grasp was their own worth, which would sustain their wills through any challenge. Mama put her best effort into providing Kitten with the academic help and confidence building she needed.

She arranged for testing, which showed that Karen indeed had a learning disability. Dyslexia made reading, writing and arithmetic difficult. Regardless of how intelligent Kitten was, learning from text was taxing for her. Thereafter, with a better understanding of what her mother advocated, Karen completed the slightly modified homework that her teachers gave her. She did the best she could, while still wrestling with it. She kept her chin up and reminded herself of what she was accomplishing.

#cerebralpalsy #dyslexia #inspirational

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