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The Joe Finnegan Show

Listen : Dyslexia awareness week

Oct 11, 2017 11:04 By Denise Canavan
Listen : Dyslexia awareness week
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Melissa Holden is mother of two young boys living in Clonee on the Meath/Dublin border.

She says that despite the school saying otherwise, in her own words she knew ‘’there was something wrong’’ with her nine-year-old son James.

He was unable to carry out tasks at home that involved instruction and struggled with spellings and some writing tasks.

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The school however assured her that everything was fine and that educationally they didn’t see any problems – because of her own concerns Melissa decided to get in contact with dyslexia Ireland and get him privately assessed.

He was diagnosed with dyslexia, and just last weekend she joined a workshop in Cavan to meet with other families and get more support and information about the condition.

Take a listen to Melissa's story

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‘’Freak’’ ‘’stupid’’ and ‘’weirdo’’

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Believe it or not - these are some of the words used to describe children living in our region with educational needs.

Our next guests got in touch following our chat with mother of three Melissa Holden on Wednesday.

She told us about her nine-year old son James and their decision to get him privately assessed for dyslexia, as the school had not picked up on any issues and indeed had assured her that he was progressing as normal.

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During that interview she revealed how, at a support meeting in Cavan for the dyslexia association of Ireland, she and other parents talked about their ‘’shared fear’’ for their children growing up in Ireland – would they have the support to achieve everything they set their minds to, and would they get encouragement from their peers and society.

There was lots of support and praise for Melissa sharing her story so honestly but one text we read out highlighted the more ignorant side of people when it comes to special needs.

Take a listen to what Cathleen from Laragh and Catherine from Leegan had to say - broadcast 5/10/17

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