A Life of Learning Differently (Part 1)
A 3-part series by Christina Potter, COTA
My disability does not define me but makes me who I am today. Without the challenges I faced at a young age, my adult victories would not feel as grand. At age 10 I was diagnosed with Dyslexia through the school system and Irlen Syndrome through a testing center. These conditions are considered learning disabilities and they affect the way my brain processes written language and other visual information. As a child this impacted my ability to learn in school, made it difficult to gain life skills, and hurt my self-confidence. Everyday learning felt like running a marathon with 10-pound shoes. I felt like I couldn’t keep up with my peers and that I had to work so much harder to catch up with them. Today I am an occupational therapy practitioner, where I can use my personal journey and professional knowledge to help others in similar situations to successfully navigate their own challenges.
It is difficult to watch a child struggle through something, and as a parent all we want to do is help. Some children, like myself, show clear signs of academic difficulty from a very young age: struggling to follow simple directions and recall facts, getting easily distracted, difficulty connecting letters to their sounds, and trouble with spelling or reading words. In my life, the school system saw these early warning signs first, and modified my work in hopes that I would “catch up.” As I continued to fall behind, the school pulled me out of classes for one-on-one help with an aide. School felt hard and became a negative place to be. I felt singled out, frustrated by my challenges, and needed help. I acted out at home and at school which impacted my family dynamic, peer interactions, and personal growth.
By 4th grade I had fallen so far behind that my parents started pushing for answers. In an act of desperation my mother reached out to anyone who would listen to search for answers to my struggles, warning signs, and ways to get help. A small conversation with a family friend, who was also a high school counselor, is what it took to get the ball rolling for obtaining the support I needed. As my mother gained more knowledge about different learning disabilities we found avenues for answers, which soon led to a diagnosis of two learning disabilities, Dyslexia and Irlen syndrome.
My struggles now had a name, but a new question arose: What do we do next?
What is a Learning Disability?
Reading & Dyslexia | LD OnLine
Christina Potter graduated from St. Philip’s College in 2019. She has worked at Pediatric Therapy Specialists (PTS) ever since obtaining her license to become a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA) in July 2019. She is passionate about using the power of music as an effective tool to improve brain function, emotional control and sensory processing. She is certified in Safe & Sound Protocol (SSP), Remote Facilitation of SSP, and The Focus System through Unyte and Integrated Listening System. The SSP is a music based tool to help improve emotional control, behavioral organization, hearing sensitivity and listening skills. The Focus System is the core product for improving brain function through the implementation of Unyte-iLs’ methodology: Brain and body integration through multisensory input.
