For some people school is easy but, for others, it might be harder. The important thing we want everybody to understand is that the way you learn has nothing to do with how smart you are.

Around six children in each class have learning challenges which means that their brains work in a different way. But that doesn’t mean that they won’t be fantastically successful in whatever they choose to do.

Molly, 11, is a First News reader with dyspraxia and here she tells you what that means for her…

I’ve just started subscribing to First News and I really enjoy the newspaper as normally I don’t like reading but it all changed when I saw First News. 

In the “My Way” articles I have read so far, you have written about children who are dyslexic and I thought it might be interesting for children to find out a little bit more about my learning challenge which is called dyspraxia. I think it would be particularly interesting as, like dyslexia, you can’t see anything is wrong and, in my experience, people don’t even know what it is.

Dyspraxia is where one part of my brain “the Cerebellum” does not talk to the rest of my brain. I was struggling with reading, writing, like putting things in the right order, maths and physical things like PE. My coordination was very poor and when I went to see an Occupational Therapist, I couldn’t even walk in a straight line on the floor! 

When I found out I had dyspraxia, I felt okay but I was worried about what might happen when I got up to secondary school. My teacher at the time took me out of the class to do extra work with a Teaching Assistant and this helped a little bit with my skills and confidence.

When I was in Year 4, I went to a place called Dore.  When I was there I was assessed on a funny machine where I had to keep still with a harness on when I was standing on a moving board.  I found this very funny and couldn’t help laughing.  I used to sing myself High School Musical songs, which I liked at the time, in my head to help me to concentrate! They also tested how my eyes followed coloured lights while I had wires attached to sticky pads on my head.  They gave me lots of special exercises to do at home morning and night, including balancing on a funny board, and throwing and catching a ball while I was balancing on a mini exercising ball with one foot off the floor. The exercises were very hard and my mum had to nag me every time to get me to do them. 

Then we had to move to Jersey with my dad’s work and I couldn’t go to Dore any more.  Now I’m in Year 6, I’m getting extra help at school with maths and comprehension from two lovely ladies called Mrs Jones and Mrs Chaniah. 

Looking back, I know that my reading has got an awful lot better (I’ve just finished reading The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole age 13 ³/₄ by Sue Townsend).  I still don’t really like reading, but I force myself to do it to get better. Last night, my mum was reading to me and I really wanted to do it myself so I took over.  That would never have happened before!  Furthermore, my physical skills have got a lot better. Over the years I have done a lot of dancing and now do gymnastics. I find I take longer to learn than other people but my helper says that I am getting better.

I still don’t really like writing stories and I do need help to organise my thoughts for homework. But, recently, I wrote a story called Bathroom Dilemma at school with no help at all. So this goes to show that if you try your hardest and face what you’re not good at you WILL get better, whether you like it or not!