Comment

Comment by Shauna Steadman on February 21, 2012 at 7:58pm

Dear Dr. Alvarex,   

     I will look forward to your successful communication with the pathologist.

     One of the very nice things about the Dyslexic Advantage is that it such a positive message.   I can see why talking about a brain difference can be upsetting, especially for those who are dealing directly with it.   I have seen my son re-coil slightly as of late.  I think it is primarily "fear of the unknown".   However, I know him!  I know that he will want to work harder, research when he can find time and 'mull' this over in his head.   He will find a way through this, because he is made of such 'good stuff'.  

       On a recent trip to Vegas, I met with some family members and discussed a very recent diagnosis.  My husband's brother's family has a grandchild with Aspergers!  - new diagnosis.   My s-i-l preempted my findings with a declaration: she felt that" three of my son's paternal uncles had/were battling Aspergers".   She is a Master's degree Social Clinician.  Now I wonder if Aspergers is the correct diagnosis - could it be Dyslexia?  My reading leads me to believe that these two brain diseases are quite different.  There is no incidence of 'stimming with my son or my deceased husband and they are/were both avid and good readers.  

      I feel like a great weight is lifted - it is too early to know what my son is feeling.   There is so much on his mind just now.   Sometimes I don't know how he finds the courage to put one foot in front of the other.   He is lucky to have an amazing woman by his side - his wife.   She gets him!

      I am thrilled that you are on this site.   That there is such a site - thx Drs. Eide.     Shauna mom

Comment by Dr. S on February 21, 2012 at 8:39am

Hello Shauna,

 

I have not spoken to him yet.  His sister, brings her son to see me. I want to get acquainted with him first.  Once we have established a rapport, and if he seems interested in this,I would ask his permission then. I will keep you posted.

Be Well, Sandra

 

PS. as you have read the book- you should start to think of Dyslexia  as a Gift, as an Advantage-- and when you are ready- start to tell others. We need to educate people on this-and every person- no matter who they are -can teach others. You certainly have a good reason- to help change the perception of what Dyslexia is. Do not get disheartened though, I have had a hard time getting some of my own family members to agree. But, with patients whose lives are touched by this--even if they do not know it until I tell them---it is like a weight has been lifted off of their shoulders.

It is a great feeling!

Comment by Shauna Steadman on February 20, 2012 at 2:27pm

Hello Dr 'Dear Heart',

      You are an angel.   I will pass this correspondence along.   I don't know how/when Troy will choose/find time to respond.   As I said, he is really good at compensating.   I will continue to quiz, ask, study, read, etc. - I am a mother bird.   I hope that others will see this site and add their 2 cents worth. Your insights (along with the Drs. Eide) turn out to fall into the ' too great to place a value on it' category.   Would you mind asking permission for sending the name of the pathologist you will be contacting?  Thanks again, Shauna

Comment by Dr. S on February 20, 2012 at 10:04am

Shauna, you do not have to be brief. You can contact me anytime. I will give what information I can. He will have to see if it fits his situation or not.

Recently a new patient came in for behavior issues. It turns out he is dyslexic, very bright , athletic--in the 4th grade.  It also turns out his uncle, was dyslexic, he became a Pathologist. The medical school he went to, forget where, tried to fail him -- because of poor spelling and issues with completing things for timed tests. He was apparently very stubborn, fought the system, and won. He is now the head of on of the big labs in this country. I plan to contact him soon.

You or your son may contact me anytime. Dr S

Comment by Shauna Steadman on February 20, 2012 at 8:38am

Dear Dr. Alvarez,

Thank you for your insights, i.e. your 2 cents worth.   So helpful, your thoughts make tears come to my eyes.   Especially the   .  .   work hard, he can do this!   His self-esteem has been brutalized in this situation: something so unknown to him - he was always the smartest, the Merit Scholar, the Eagle Scout - now this.    

I think you may have found one of the problems.   Organization.  

I have noticed that he does what I call 'leaping'.   His mind skips over what it sees as irrelevant or redundant.   For example, in some of his first rotations he felt that taking the same notes (H and P's ?) that every other student was taking was useless, busy work.   Why not have a central bank of data that could be added to?   I think this is now being addressed with computer input.

His strengths seem to be his willingness to really ' listen' to patients and then put his diagnostic (see the whole picture) processes to work.  His patients like him.

He wants to do research.   His strong background in statistics and engineering will be such an advantage - if he can just get through this hurdle.   I believe he upset the egos of some attending physicians when he used those skills to make suggestions.   He has learned that he has to 'play it their way'.   Looking back, I believe that he has always been able to compensate for the way his brain cells work, which makes it appear that he is non-dyslexic.   This is why for some forty something years, we never even thought about his dyslexic diagnosis in the first grade.   That diagnosis happened because he was enrolled in the campus school of education at the U of Minnesota where his father was getting his PhD in Engineering.   I believe his father (now deceased) was also dyslexic - undiagnosed.

I will forward your insights on to him.  He has been looking for a mentor which is difficult because he has been shot down so often in this environment, it is hard to know who to trust.   He has decided not to disclose his dyslexia for now in favor of trying to figure out what his associates need to have from him.  Which of course, seems so silly, when he often see that 'whole picture'

I am trying to be brief, considering your time.   Tearfully, I am just so grateful for your ideas.   Shauna    

 

Comment by Dr. S on February 20, 2012 at 7:27am

Hello Mrs. Steadman, Hello Dr. Fernette and Dr Brock,

Just thought I would throw my 2 cents in .

The clinical years are when you take all the knowledge you have aqcuired and put it to use.

Organization is critical on many levels. If this is your son's problem he needs to find a method and stick to it.

 

For example.

The way a patient is presented to attending has to be done the same way every time. If your son has all the info, but starts with the chief complaint then jumps to social history then back to history of present illness-- it will make him seem like he does not know what is going on.

Attending Physicians do not want a long presentation unless they are worried about your knowledge-- he needs to present exactly the same " accepted format" and he will know what that is -- every time, even with interuptions.

 

The same organization problem can be an issue when you are rounding on patients on the floor- as the student- he is expected to have all the info on  his patients and organized in an orderly manner. It also looks good to have an article or brief talk about interesting cases--I don't know --if he is on the Peds floor-- and has a patient there with Sickle Cell and is there for a crisis--he could mention the important info about management-physical findings etc. It makes you look like a star--when you do the extra bit. Above all he should maintain his confidence, and work hard--he can do this.

If he as a mentor- then he should seek that person out, and find his allies in his program. He should tell his advisor, esp if that advisor likes him. Not everyone is a friend, but even a resident that likes him would be good--but I would not disclose these issues to others students as it gossip spreads like fire.

For some reason  you can reach medical school-- and if you have any slight problems-- they can find a way to kick you out. I know several friends that got on the bad side of an attending--not a good idea.

Also if your son, considering he might be the age of his attendings- disagrees openly with an attendings order-- not a good idea either. He will be in charge when he graduates. A friend of mine who nearly got kicked out, would openly argue with our attending and disregard his suggestions and orders.

I am not saying your son is doing that-- but if he is--he should stop. Once the attending has made up his mind, follow that.

Psychological tests are par for course-- it is a subtle way to kick people out, he should not sweat it, he is smart. They are looking for people with mental or psychological problems.He needs to know the due process rules for the medical school he is at, if they have skipped something or not followed their own rules--if they go so far as to try and kick him out-- they would have to keep him on a technicality if they do not follow their own rules--to the T---because he could sue them.  He should never mention that- unless  he has to , and then probably with an attorney.He should get a copy of the due process rules  and know them.

In general he has to demostrates his knowledge. Many dyslexics-- have trouble getting their words out. I had index card for each patient and if I stumbled- would glance at it if I got lost.  Nowadawy it might all be on his phone.

He just has to show it on rounds and get the info out in an organized , and brief manner.

Other thoughts if you has something specific. Be well.

PS- about paying for his own psych tests-- get the due process rules- that does not sound legal

P.S.S>--not sure if disclosing dyslexia will help-- not well known-- ADD on the other hand-- knew a student where they were very fair to him once he got that diagnosis. Wish I still could locate him--bet he is Dyslexic.

 

Ok--last thing for real this time. Many dyslexics have a narrative thinking style as the Drs. Eide explained in their book. This works very well

Comment by Drs. Fernette and Brock Eide on February 17, 2012 at 10:52am

It does sound as if your son and his family have undertaken many sacrifices (as well as you!) to pursue this path - but a doctors role does have responsibility for other peoples' lives. I would think it would be very important that he find out what he's been doing wrong on the wards. Is it his knowledge of his patients? Is it confusing numbers? Is it inadequate documentation for his reports?  Any of his attendings should be willing to meet with him and tell him what he was doing that was inadequate. Many students use assistive technology for writing reports. There are many handy apps that can make the writing of the process simpler.   And yes - if he has really been struggling, it might be also worth considering whether medicine is a good match for him. The second two years of medical school are a much better indicator of success in clinical practice. Although it may seem overwhelming to consider leaving medical school - it would be worse to harm someone because of mistakes. 

We do know dyslexic doctors who tell us their compulsive checking tendencies to make sure they aren't making mistakes etc. The medical profession is not for everyone - but certainly many adult dyslexics can succeed in these fields.  

Comment by Shauna Steadman on February 16, 2012 at 6:25pm

Thanks for your information, Drs. Eide.   I don't know what my son would say to a disclosure - he seems embarrassed.   He was notified that he would have to repeat his third and fourth years by an email - with no reasons why.   He was told to take a battery of psyche tests (at his expense).   No reason why.   Then he and his wife were asked to move 3 hours away to do the two years over, moving out of the house I was providing for them.   Your comment on the school not passing him into a residency scare the bejabers out of me.   He is not a young man and is now overcome with debt.   I am on his loans as a co-signer, so we will both go down.   YIKES, this is such a mess.   I will go to your legal site.   I can't thank you enough for your book.   I have bought it, taken the rental back to the library.   Will buy more when it comes out in paperback.   Thanks again

Comment by Drs. Fernette and Brock Eide on February 16, 2012 at 6:08pm

Congrats to your son for all of his accomplishments.

Perhaps he could consider talking to a faculty member or attending that he respects? It may be that he needs accommodations for testing (extended time, oral testing). 

Some dyslexic doctors have told us that they found the clinical years much easier than the pre-clinical years, but there can be important cautions on the wards - because of all the note and order writing and potential challenges with number etc. reversals. 

In general, we suggest full disclosure, but if you want to know what your protections are, you could consult legal counsel with experience in the ADA.

The faculty and schools will not want to pass someone they feel is unsafe - or puts patients at risk or school open to liability, but that being said there are many highly successful in the field of medicine...including many of the most innovating doctors and surgeons of all times.

Resources for finding out more about your legal protections include http://wrightslaw.com and JoanneSimon.com