Why do I have to? - By Kyle

I have to take medicine. I hate to take it. If I don’t take my medicine I cannot play with my X Box. So I take it. Yuck!  Mom says it helps me focus. Why do I have to focus? Oh yeah, school.

I remember when I didn’t take medicine for school. I decided to try going for a while without it. I thought I could do it. I told my parents and doctor that I could do it. I decided I just couldn’t keep up with everything.  My grades were going down and my parents were no happy with me.  So they told me that I had to start back on my medicine. I was happy to start back. I got tired of everyone asking me if I finished something or if I did my homework. Usually I didn’t because I would forget to bring my books home.

It’s not so bad I guess. At least no one is asking me if I finished something and I can keep up with my own stuff. Having ADHD can be a pain, but it can be fun too. I have found out that several famous people have ADHD, that’s cool.  One day I just may be famous too! Just watch me!

My Brother - By Zach

Having a sibling with a disability definitely has it's ups and downs.  You have to give them a lot of extra attention and help them with more things than you would a regular person.  The main thing a "special" person needs is lots and lots of tender loving care.  Sometimes it's really hard to live with someone of such status.

My brother is autistic. One of the hardest things to do is to go out in public with them.  If everything isn't just right for them or one little thing is out of place they could have a huge meltdown right there.  When this happens it puts lots of stress on you and them.  It makes you want to just go home.

My Life With Dysgraphia - by Caroline

Learning to write was a challenge for me. It was hard to make it readable for the teachers. I was trying but I always was messing up. One summer, I had a special teacher that helped me with writing the letters. It helped, but I still had problems. It made me feel like I was different. I felt like it was a bad thing that I was different. I started using a computer at school but the one they gave me didn't work so well. I didn't like having to sit away from my friends to use the computer. The teachers made me use it but I didn't like it. I didn't feel like it helped me very much.

In 6th grade, we looked at different schools I could go to that would help me. We found one that seemed like a good fit. I started using a Macintosh at school which was what I had at home. I didn't have to go to a desk in the way back of the room and I could stay with the rest of the class and do my work. Other kids had similar problems so it made me feel better about myself as a learner. I learned that I am unique and there is no one else in the world who is like me. I learned that typing actually did help me to learn better. Handwriting is still an option but I can type things easier. I learned that there are many strategies I can use to learn better and make things easier to do. I can ask questions and get more attention because the classes are smaller. Not everyone is perfect. Being different from everyone is not such a big deal for me anymore. 

 Does anyone know what this is called? Its called dysgraphia.It means having problems with writing/spelling and it does not mean problems with reading. People with dysgraphia may also have dyslexia or attention deficit disorder. We are just as smart as everyone else, we just have problems showing it. Famous people with dsylexic dysgraphia include Pres. George Washington, Gen. George Patton, scientist Albert Einstein, and mystery writer Agatha Christie.

Caro :)

I Wish I Could Sleep - By J

I don’t sleep well. I hate not being able to fall asleep. My mind won’t stop thinking, so I can’t fall asleep. I am tired and my body is tired, but my brain is not. This is when I get upset and angry. I have stayed awake all night long before, ever since I was 3 years old it happens. I used to be able to fall asleep if my mom or dad sat in my room with me. They decided I was too old and needed to learn how to fall asleep by my self. That really made me mad, like I really wanted to stay awake all night. The time clicks by and sleep is still not with me. If I have school the next day I worry that I wont be able to sleep.

My mom has found a few things that help me sleep. My weighted blanket is great, but hot in the summer. I have a routine, no games, computer or texting after 9:30. I can watch some TV though. I make sure I take my melatonin by 7:30 so I can fall asleep by 10. That’s what really helps me sleep.

Sometimes, nothing helps and I lay there waiting for it to happen. It is very annoying to not be able to fall asleep. I get angry and yell because no one understands that I am tired, but my brain has other ideas for the night. I wish I had a switch to turn it off. Click…

Frighting For Freedom - By Ryan

It was not fun at my high school. It was the school my big brother went to so I thought it would be fun, but I had teacher trouble.  My teacher yelled and screamed at me a lot because I wasn’t doing my work right. Sometimes I didn’t want to do the work because I was being lazy.  Other times I really didn’t understand what I was supposed to be doing.  It didn’t matter if I was lazy or didn’t understand, she would still yell.   Being yelled at made me feel sad. I didn’t like anything about going to school.  I wanted to drop out of the 11^th grade.  Mom said if I wasn’t in school, that I would have to start working.  Things were so bad that would rather work than go to school. Then I had an idea. I decided to fight to go to another high school. 

During the summer I told my mom and dad over and over again that I did not want to go back to that high school. I was serious. They didn’t believe me at first. They thought I just didn’t like school. I told them to get me out because it was the teacher that was mean. Every day I told mom that I wanted to go to another high school. I wanted to go to the high school that my friends from middle school went to because I really missed them. Most of the friends I liked from middle school went to another high school that was only a few miles away. 

After telling mom every day, she finally believed me.  She talked to the school so I could transfer. We had a meeting with the old high school then another meeting with the good high school. I liked my new teacher right away.  We even studied Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  I thought it was a scary and interesting story.  I love my real friends. I love football games on Fridays and talking to all the people.  My favorite is lunch.  The food is great and I like to sit by myself. It’s my time to think. I really like not having to ride the bus. There are two friends who drive me there once a day. Mom takes me Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

I’m so glad I got my freedom. I would have been tortured for the rest of my life if mom never believed me that it was the teacher. I’m glad I worked so hard to get where I belong and feel safe. That’s it. That’s my story. Have a nice day.