Inside the Dyslexic Mind - by Laughton King (Paperback)

About the Book

In Laughton Kings formulation, a dyslexic person is like a diesel vehicle. They run perfectly if you give them the right fuel, but if you put petrol in the tank (i.e. expect them to learn like every normal child in our current education system) they break down. This book is designed to help dyslexic (diesel) thinkers make sense of their lives

Book Synopsis

In Laughton Kings formulation, a dyslexic person is like a diesel vehicle. They run perfectly if you give them the right fuel, but if you put petrol in the tank (i.e. expect them to learn like every normal child in our current education system) they break down. This book is designed to help dyslexic (diesel) thinkers make sense of their lives.

Laughton King shares his understanding of the dyslexic mind from his own lived experience as a dyslexic child, an angry adolescent, a therapist and eventually an author When describing what it is like to be dyslexic, he is includes himself. We think in pictures, we chase words around the pages of books, and we have trouble finding any sensible connection between squiggles on paper and real things they are meant to refer to. And this all happens in perpetual reverse gear. You guessed it, for us, school is not cool, and for most of us this makes life tough

At the heart of this book is a ground-breaking conceptthe diesel/petrol analogy. As Laughton describes it, a dyslexic person is like a diesel vehicle. They run perfectly if you give them the right fuel, but if you put petrol in the tank (i.e. expect them to learn like every normal child in our current education system) they break down. This book helps dyslexic (diesel) thinkers make sense of their lives, and provides valuable guidance for parents and teachers

There is nothing wrong with the dyslexic childs brain. They do not need medication and do not need to be rewired nor recalibrated. Laughton's message to parents and educators is that once they accept this processing difference and understand the dyslexic style of thinking they can readily work with these children and help them achieve their own success.

Review Quotes

"brilliant book that resonated with me ... (and) connected me even more to my children and how they think."
-Busy City Kids

"A helpful and thorough look at what makes many people tick and how to manage their differences"
-Stratford Press

"Child psychologist Laughton King helps parents gain insight into dyslexic thinking, make sense of it in their life and how it can be a strength "

-Woman's Day

"I have been overwhelmed by his book, my copy now highlighted, underlined and with notes and comments in the margins... It is indeed a resource, as the subtitle tells us, and it should be used as such. Keep it to hand, and re-savour the images and explanations that just jump off the page."
-Dr Vin Arthey, Dyslexic and former teacher and teacher educator

"I highly recommend picking up a copy of Inside the Dyslexic Mind in whichever format works best for yourself, from one picture thinker to another, this book puts into words, what life can be like and offers guidance for those in our lives to best support and understand our thinking."
-Roisin McCusker

For any teacher [or parent] who truly wishes to fully comprehend each and every child who stands before them Laughton's book [or title ] is a must read. Filled with case studies that surely will resonate, and appropriate questions to ask oneself, this book will guide the teacher or parent in any such investigation. [Today] It is too easy for teachers to simply pass children on to 'experts' for diagnosis and at times, damaging, labelling . It is the challenge for each and every teacher or parent to undertake this task and Laughton's book surely and clearly provides guidance to help with this process. While the issue of dyslexia provides the main thrust of this book Laughton also provides valuable insight into the many other labels that are prevalent today . I would have found this book invaluable at the beginning and during my more than 40 years of teaching and mentoring of teachers .
-David Simpson, 40 years involvement in Waldorf/Rudolf Steiner Schools Internationally

About the Author

Laughton King is a retired psychologist whose contribution to
the progressive dismantling of what is commonly called 'dyslexia' comes from his
70+ years as a 'dyslexic' person, and from 35 years as a psychologist working
with children experiencing learning difficulties. Laughton's difficulties with
reading meant that he did not rely on the insights and conclusions of academics
and scholars. Instead, through observation of his own and other's learning
processes, he established his own understanding of this unfortunately common
difficulty.

School was a nightmare for Laughton. He could
not decipher the language of the teacher and was confused that other kids
could. His classroom failings led to social and behavioural failings, and for
these he was labelled and blamed. In turn, his acceptance of the blame led
directly to deep, prolonged depression.

Laughton describes his eventual self-diagnosis
of dyslexia at age 45 years as like emerging from a dark cloud but lacking any
sense or understanding of its causes or functional dynamics. Subsequent
observations of thousands of children, their families and their teachers
eventually led to practical insights regarding dyslexia as a daily life issue
in a person's interfaces with society through the various stage of life.

Alongside his long career as a psychologist,
educational psychologist and mediator, Laughton is the author of three
self-published works that represent the evolution of his understanding of the
dyslexic mind: Reaching the Reluctant Learner: A Manual of Strategies for
Teachers and Parents (2006), With, Not Against: A Compendium of Positive
Parenting Strategies (2008), and Dyslexia Dismantled (2010).