Neurodivergent Kids Aren’t The Problem In Schools

The real issue is that students with special needs aren’t getting the support they need to succeed. And I was one of them.

A picture of my childhood self around 10 years old. Photo taken by my parents and used with permission.

I was ten years old when the cracks started to show. School felt like a race I couldn’t run. My handwriting was often a jumble of squiggly lines, and I was always trailing behind on worksheets. My teacher thought I was lazy, bored, or unmotivated. Often, a combination of the three.

It wasn’t just school that was becoming harder. My mom noticed it around the house, as well. So, she took me to see a pediatrician, hoping to get some answers.

I didn’t catch most of what the pediatrician said. Much of the conversation went in one ear and out the other as I was too busy staring at a shiny paperclip on the floor. However, I do remember him mentioning something about a condition called dyspraxia not affecting my intellect.

“There isn’t a problem with Matthew’s intelligence,” the pediatrician said. “Dyspraxia is developmental and he’s a pretty bright kid.”

I kept staring at the paperclip and dangled my feet under the chair. My mom had one hand on my back, the way she always did when I was nervous, as if her touch could somehow mend the broken pieces of me, and hold…