You may not know Marc Jordan by name, but I bet you know him by song. He’s written hit tracks for Rod Stewart, Diana Ross, Cher, and others, and is still composing and touring today.
And he has severe dyslexia.
He struggled to show his natural intelligence as a child because his brain did not conform to the school standards of ability.
In a recent article, the struggles he endured as a child were described as painful and shaming.
“He had a guidance counsellor who told him he had the intelligence “of a spider monkey” and he was constantly streamed into programs for low achieving students.
‘It was embarrassing, shameful. I had to develop all of these strategies,’ he says, citing his ability to memorize his piano teachers’ movements and recreate the music without being able to read the notes on the page.”
It took until university for him to fall in love with music and follow his passion to California where he found fame.
But he didn’t find a name for his reading difficulties – which continue to the present day – until his daughter was diagnosed.
His take-away message? He believes that now the right help is available, and he encourages parents to see themselves as advocates for their children.
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Sarah Forrest is a Literacy Specialist for the Easyread System, an online course for children with reading difficulties, dyslexia, auditory processing weakness and more. Get a free 10-Lesson Trial at www.easyreadsystem.com
