Guest speaker Angela Fraser gave a talk at Tacking Point Surf Club about her experience of dyslexia.

“Nothing I have achieved has been easy, but dyslexics are very clever. We have to think outside the box to come up with different solutions. Dyslexia isn’t a curse,” she said.

“I now look at it as a blessing. So find out what your children are good at. Stop looking at what they can’t do and look at what they can achieve. Give them the opportunity to believe in themselves and discover how brilliant they are.”

As night fell, the group walked along the beach to the lighthouse where the Light it Red for Dyslexia message shone brightly for the 1 in 5 people on the dyslexia continuum struggling to read, write and spell.

On Friday, October 20, Dyslexia Support Mid North Coast will be at the Tony Attwood Expo to wrap up a month of dyslexia awareness.

Professor Tony Attwood is a clinical psychologist who specialises in autism spectrum disorders.

Autism can be seen on its own, or alongside other conditions, such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and learning disabilities.

Although different conditions, children with Aspergers, ADHD and dyslexia will often present with inattentiveness, working memory and executive function difficulties and organisational challenges which can affect their academic achievement.  Dyslexia co-occurs with attention deficit disorders at a rate of 30-50 per cent.

“It’s important for families starting out on their journey to get the correct diagnosis so the best interventions can be put in place and families don’t waste money on non-evidence based intervention,” said Kelly King, Dyslexia Support Mid North Coast.  

For further information about Light it Red for Dyslexia visit www.facebook.com/lightitredfordyslexia