Dyslexia, welcome to my world

I was so excited last week to ask Emman, my nephew, if he is excited to be in Grade 1 since enrollment is near and we wanted to make sure that he is ready. Emman smiled eagerly. We were both in front of the PC (our favorite spot) so I decided to ask him some questions. I presume that since he is an exceptionally bright kid, he could answer my simple questions. Emman learns English easily and already got the "slang" or the accent when he is speaking. He is a visual learner that's why he likes to watch TV shows and play PC games more often. He doesn't want to watch Tagalog shows. He started using the laptop at age 3 that's why he easily learns about techy stuff and his photographic memory is better than mine. We all perceive that his intellect is higher than the ordinary child despite of his flaws...

This one afternoon though made us rethink about everything.

Me: What's your name?
Emman: Emmanuelle Jasper

Me: What's the first letter of your name?
Emman: Hmmm... (then he shrugged)

Me: What's the first letter of your name?
Emman: Hmmm... I don't know...
(I thought he is just jerking around...)

Me: Let's use the keyboard, where is A?
Emman: this one? hmmm... this one?
(He is pointing to other letters....tsktsk)

I ask Emman to show me where is ABC using the keyboard but he kept on pointing to different letters. I showed him A-D but he still can't remember them and just got confused and interchanged B to D. We settled to the Alphabet song instead so that Emman can easily remember it by singing but to no avail, he still can't. I confronted his Mom about his behavior and she said that Emman is acting a bit weird. His teacher from Kindergarden also noticed peculiar behavior from him and already informed his Mom. My sis thought that it's just a phase that kids are usually going through. She believes that his son has ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). ADHD is a medical condition that affects how well someone can sit still, focus, and pay attention. People with ADHD have differences in the parts of their brains that control attention and activity. (kidshealth.org)

I slept so worried and carried it to work. I confided this to my boss and she said that perhaps Emman has Dyslexia. She explained everything to me and gave me future insights about the condition. I was so worried.

Dyslexia is often referred to as a 'specific learning difficulty', usually with symptoms such as difficulty with writing and spelling, and sometimes with reading and working with numbers. A dyslexic child or adult may have problems spelling, reading, putting things in order, following instructions, and may confuse left and right and reverse letters and numbers. (dyslexia-parent.com)

When I got home today, my sister informed me that Emman took the admission test for Grade 1. He answered it all incorrectly. The teacher also noticed that Emman stutters and has difficulty with simple instructions. Emman needs to see his Pedia to have an assessment about children's behavior. From there, the school would decide if they will admit Emman. It's a public school but the quality of education there is high.

Tomorow, my sister will go to the Pedia and have Emman take the necessary tests. If Emman will be studying in a special school, he might feel abnormal but then again if he will be studying in a normal school, the more he would feel that he is different from the rest.

I am extemely heart-broken...