Dyslexia, Alzheimer’s, Dementia, or Just Plain Slow?

As a young kid, I always struggled with detailed thinking and expression, whether in writing or speaking. My schoolwork was consistently below average in those early years because I often misspelled or mispronounced basic words, terms, and names. I clearly remember my best friend asking why I always pronounced the name of the Detroit baseball team as “Tagers” instead of “Tigers.” Even as a college professor, my best friend and colleague, when reviewing the first draft of one of my early scholarly papers, politely pointed out, “I don’t think there is an ‘e’ on the end of ‘metaphor’.” Once, while reading aloud the sports page in my eighth-grade class, I misread and mispronounced the term “National League Pennant” as “National League ‘Peanut’.”

This particular pattern persisted throughout my school years, not only making it difficult for me to learn and pass words on spelling tests but also affecting my ability to do mathematics, especially algebra. Geometry was easier, perhaps because it seemed more “visual” to me rather than auditory. Although basic logic seemed relatively simple, symbolic logic, with all its symbolism and shorthand versions of transactions, completely baffled me. The same difficulties have followed me when I tried to learn foreign languages. For example, I just misspelled “foreign” the first time. Correct spelling has always been a significant challenge, mainly because I have spent so many years writing abstract manuscripts.

Indeed, when my third-grade teacher introduced us to script writing as an alternative to printing, I found it very difficult and frustrating. So, I announced that I would not bother with script writing but would stick with printing. My teacher assured me that when I found it necessary, I would switch to script. I was in a very progressive, John Dewey-inspired school. I continued printing through high school, and when I asked my college English preparatory teacher if my printing would hold me back in college, she simply, and enigmatically, replied: “Not to worry, eventually you will have secretaries to take care of that sort of thing for you.

Now, at the age of 92, I face yet another related issue. I’ve noticed that what is commonly referred to as “short-term memory loss” is starting to occur. Throughout my life, I’ve found that remembering things has become increasingly difficult. Strangely enough, the farther back I go in my memory—like to grade school and high school—the clearer my memory seems. I can easily recall the names of many, if not most, of my classmates, teachers, sports stars, and towns I’ve visited. However, when it comes to the day of the week or the names of my good friends and current neighbors, I often draw a blank. Usually, I forget what I was going to do by the time I get to the other room. Fortunately, most of these “short-term” difficulties tend to clear up quickly, but they are becoming a bit bothersome.

I suppose I’m not entirely sure that most of these difficulties are truly connected, but I do manage to keep an eye on them as the days and months pass. Being able to think through and write about these kinds of things seems to be helpful. At least it keeps me out of other types of trouble. I’ll try to keep you posted, assuming you’re at least somewhat interested. Thanks for being faithful readers!

 🙂 Paz, Jerry