Thursday Connectors: Difficulties Writing

By Jilly Henderson-Long

2026 is The National Year of Reading, so it seems quite ironic for me to open today’s page by mentioning dyslexia. Most writers love to read, but imagine being a writer who struggles to do so. My younger brother Paul, who died a couple of years ago after a brave fight against cancer, was described by his teachers back in the late 60s as being a “lazy and disruptive child.” He learned many years later that he was, in fact, dyslexic. Once called ‘word-blindness,’ dyslexia can be defined as the processing in the brain of letters and words in such a way that they make little sense to others.

After he died, we found pages and pages of stories, poems and even a diary he’d written over the years. We’d always known he had an active imagination. He was incredibly talented in art and building miniature models that were to scale right down to the minutest detail – but none of us had realised what a truly prolific writer and poet he was!

Here’s an extract from an article he wrote which he entitled My Problams With Wards:

I am 46 years old and as far back as I can rember I’ve had a problm with reeding and wrighting. I used to be imbarist of it. Many pepple thort I was dislecek. All thow I have this problam it dus not stop me wrighting powims or short storris.

The rest of our family had learned very early on how to decipher Paul’s writing, so this is how the extract should read for those having trouble understanding it:

I am 46 years old and as far back as I can remember I’ve had a problem with reading and writing. I used to be embarrassed of it. Many people thought I was dyslexic. Although I have this problem it does not stop me writing poems and short stories.

My brother wrote some wonderful poetry. Here’s one to give you a taster, but I will spare you his spelling this time – just enjoy his words.

I’m Trying

I’m writing letters and words,
making a sentence.
I’m working on a story
or a poem.
I’m trying
but it’s hard
making words come together.
I’m writing numbers and figures,
I’m working to make something worth reading.
It’s tricky but
I’m trying,
trying to do something – something
that’s worth keeping
and believing in.

© P E Henderson

Despite the difficulties he faced, he never stopped trying, or believing in his abilities. Here’s one final poem to show the level of his spirit.

United We Are

United we stand and
united we fall,
Uniting the world.
Holding hand in hand
so we can be a family.
Just to be there
for each other’s company,
for helping and sharing,
sharing that love for all.
That’s what I mean
by family.

© P E Henderson

One day, I’d like to compile a collection of his work – with each poem in all its dyslexic originality on the facing page, and a ‘translation’ on the page’s reverse. He deserves that, as does anyone who feels held back by their dyslexia. Many famous people throughout history, including the likes of Albert Einstein, Richard Branson, Holly Willoughby, Steve Jobs and Tom Cruise have overcome dyslexia to realise their dreams. The British Dyslexia Association was formed in 1972 to give a voice to those living with dyslexia, their mission being to promote a dyslexia-friendly society that enables those with the problem to reach their full potential, removing barriers in education, employment and everyday life.

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Next up, Kirsty Hood, writing about her own experiences of ‘being different’ in this insightful piece.

Writing, Dyspraxia And Me

My name is Kirsty and I’m a writer with Dyspraxia, otherwise known as Developmental Co-ordination Disorder, or DCD. It’s a neurological condition affecting muscles, hand-to-eye co-ordination and perception.  There’s not a great deal of awareness of Dyspraxia. I hadn’t heard of it myself until I was in my thirties. It often comes hand-in-hand with other neurodiverse conditions, such as ADHD, Autism and Dyslexia.

Growing up, I didn’t know what was wrong with me, but I knew I was different because I felt it. I didn’t fit in anywhere. I struggled terribly at school behaviourally, but never academically, unless it was PE, since my lack of co-ordination made me clumsy. Because I never struggled academically, nobody considered neurodiversity, so I was resigned to being labelled a naughty, clumsy child.

As soon as I could read, I became an avid reader, using books as an escapism, spending so much time at the library that I knew the librarians by name. I dreamed about writing but never imagined it possible after leaving school at 14 with no GCSEs, due to the negative mental impact the school environment had on me.

It wasn’t until I was a single mum, struggling with my first year studying Law at university, that I heard the term Dyspraxia. A friend mentioned a nephew with the condition, so I asked what it was and realised I recognised a lot of the struggles he faced: time management, brain working faster than hands or vice versa, etc, all leading led to numerous mistakes in my work. Prioritisation was also difficult because everything felt urgent and I had to write out whole lectures just to remember the content. I was incredibly slow, too; it all took considerable time and that, in turn, affected my studies considerably, so when I asked the university for an assessment, they agreed.

When I was tested and diagnosed, the doctor advised I should also be tested for ADHD and autism separately, but I never got round to it. I will eventually, as I suspect he was right. It was only after my diagnosis I began to truly understand myself. Instead of scolding myself for being different, I began to embrace my differences. I learnt coping mechanisms and found positives in my diagnosis as well, such as viewing things from a different perspective. I came to realise that my younger behavioural problems stemmed from frustration at the lack of understanding of both myself and that of everyone around me.

I received reasonable adjustments to assist with the difficulties caused by Dyspraxia and graduated with a 2.1 in Law. However, after working in the legal sector, I realised it wasn’t what I wanted to do forever. What I wanted was to write, just as my younger self had dreamed. No longer tied down with insecurities stemming from my differences, I started writing and here I am today, writing to you now, living childhood dreams, Dyspraxia and all.  Because these days I understand my differences, I know I’m capable, despite them!

© K L Hood, 2026

You can connect with Kirsty on Instagram @K.l.Hooderites and on X: @KLhoodwrites

Reading Kirsty’s piece made me realise how the educational environment of today is so different to how it was back then. Both my brother and Kirsty were labelled  naughty and disruptive. There appeared to be very little support or structure for children displaying challenging behaviour. Instead, they were labelled which, in retrospect, often denied them the help and understanding they so obviously needed. At this point, I can bring up my own experiences as a Reading Assistant at a local school, where once a week I help children with their reading. Even at this level, I can see which of my Year 2 children are coming on in leaps and bounds, and which need a bit more help with building their confidence, thus enabling them to thrive throughout their educational career.

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Finally, it gives me enormous pleasure to feature a poem by Isabelle Audiger from France. Her unique optimism is beautifully illustrated below.

The List

Should I say thank you?
Should I make a list of all the things
I’m grateful for?
I’d rather make a list of all the people I’m grateful for.
It’s always about people.
Who they are
What they do.
What they know.
What they share.
What they teach –
and leave behind for you to feed on
during hard times,
when life’s ways
are shaking your certitudes.
It’s not a bad thing.
But it’s tough.
Thank you wonderful people whom I put on my gratitude list.
It’s getting longer with the years.
Thank you for that.

© Isabelle Audiger, 2026

Connect with Isabelle on Instagram: @isabelleaudiger and on Facebook: @isaudiger

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So that draws the February Thursday Connectors page to its inevitable close. Compiling it has been a real journey of discovery for me, particularly learning about Kirsty’s experiences and seeing things – as she puts it herself – from a different perspective. It’s also been a wonderful opportunity for me to introduce some of the amazing work of my late brother. It all just goes to prove that each and every one of us has something positive to give, regardless of our ‘differences.’ We can learn from one another by sharing things and trying harder to understand each other. And that’s worth carrying forward. See you next month!