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Writer's pictureLynda Price
Jul 6, 202426 min read

Podcast #23: Who's Going to Fix Me?

Updated: Jan 2



As a child, lots of folks were in charge of your life. But, you're an adult now. So who's going to take care of you? Learn about the magic of reframing and find ways to take control of your own life.....


Definition and Benefits of Re-framing



Reframing is an interesting concept with multiple definitions and functions. In general, reframing can mean seeing or interpreting people, things, images, or ideas in a new way. For instance in psychology, reframing is called cognitive restructuring: "The essential idea behind reframing is that the frame through which a person views a situation determines their point of view. When that frame is shifted, the meaning changes, and thinking and behavior often change along with it." (Morin, 2023). This technique can be used in family or individual therapy to help with negative thought patterns, various mental health problems, and to overall increase one's mental well being.

Another group has taken the idea of reframing in a different direction. They go from a person-oriented perspective to a larger, cultural perspective called The Social Political Model of Disability (Tiner, 2024; CITATIONS). The folks at the University of Little Rock (2024) define the Social Political Model as: "reframe disability by taking the focus away from the person’s disability, [and] shifting the focus toward the designer of the environment and the removal of barriers in the environment". Tiner (2024) further explains that "When wearing this shirt you are helping to present a different narrative for disability; one where we don’t define people by their limitations but by their unique talents, experiences, and perspectives on the world".

Both of these approaches have merit. But to me, the most significant definition of reframing came from Gerber and Reiff almost three decades ago in their seminal work Reframing the Learning Disabilities Experience (1996). Their work focused on not what people with LD were doing wrong--but what were they doing right (CITATIONS). They argued that reframing an invisible disability like LD is based on how much control an individual has as an adult (Gerber, Reiff, and Ginsberg, 1996). Their research stressed that this type of reframing was a critical component in adult satisfaction and quality of life, especially in terms of employment success and self advocacy skills (CITATIONS). To further clarify this important, but often unknown, process Gerber and Reiff (CITATIONS) explored four other areas that would impact successful reframing experiences for adults with LD: persistence, goodness of fit, learned creativity, and protective factors (CITATIONS). I think these ideas are so important for people with all kinds of invisible disabilities that I chose to make reframing the focus of this blog and podcast.


Applying Re-Framing to LD and Dyslexia


 One myth that has been prevalent for years about invisible disabilities, like LD or dyslexia, is that children with these disabilities will grow out of them (CITATIONS). In other words, someone or something will "fix" them, so they will be as normal as everyone else. But is this true? A seminal study of 133 adults with LD (mean age of 42.1) by Gerber and his colleagues (1990) has given us some thought-provoking answers. They looked at the long-term effects of learning disabilities from childhood to adulthood. Their research subjects were selected specifically because they were seen as successful adults. It's very interesting to find that they believed: "their LD got worse if they compared their school-age years to their adult years". In fact, 25% of the respondents felt that they had more--not less--challenges in adulthood in many areas (e.g., listening, speaking, coordination, impulsivity, attention span, and spelling). As Gerber et al. (1990) concluded: "Things do not get better over time, and problems associated with LD can even get worse in the adult years” (p. 572). (It should be noted that the authors thought these results could also be shaped by how the adults view the complexity of adulthood.) Nevertheless, one conclusion that clearly emerges from these results is that the issues inherent in learning disabilities do not magically gone away.

If this is true, then reframing may be an even more significant skill for adult success than we thought. It is definitely a radically different approach from what has been traditionally taught to children and adolescents with LD for over six decades. For instance, since Samuel Kirk first defined the concept of "learning disabilities" in 1963, the main focus of teaching children with LD and dyslexia has been academics. Teachers, parents, and administrators doggedly focused on completing IEP goals to gain grade-level skills in reading, writing, spelling and math. However, that may have alleviated failure in the public school classroom. But the reality is that there is no IEP in adulthood. This paradox goes hand-in-hand with the ongoing push for full inclusion of students with LD, dyslexia, or ADHD in regular classrooms. Again, this agenda may have merit for children or adolescents, but it ignores one critical fact for people with invisible disabilities: Adulthood IS full inclusion. And, if children with LD want to become successful adults with LD, then they MUST learn other skills besides reading or writing. As one successful CEO with LD told a friend of mine years ago, "I repeatedly flunked Biology in high school because I could never dissect the damn frog . . . . I've never had to dissect a frog in the Boardroom."

All of this information underscores the idea that we must move beyond the limited lens of childhood. As the title of this Podcast suggests, if children with LD were always "fixed" by adults (i.e., parents, teachers, coaches, siblings, etc.), then there is no need for them to make their own choices and decisions. In other words, it's time for them as adults to live with the consequences of their own actions for better or for worse. Other Podcasts have already delved into what it means to make your own choices (Podcast #9: Find Your Best Match); use self-reflection (Podcast #11: Is That Working for You?); and become independent (Podcast #13: Happy Independence Day). Now we should add re-framing to that list.

Re-framing can have a powerful influence on adults with LD, dyslexia, and ADHD because it directly applies to all areas of adult life, especially home, work, and school (CITATIONS). As Hallowell (2024) explains, "People with ADHD need their families and friends to understand their difficulties. If you know someone with ADHD, the best way to help is to start by changing your own thinking about ADHD. When explaining ADHD to a child, I say, “you have a turbo charged mind – like a Ferrari engine, but the brakes of a bicycle. . ." Anke De Haas (2020) concurs for folks with dyslexia: "The way we think about our past experiences as dyslexics can really shape who we believe we are and how we feel about ourselves. Let’s challenge the negative beliefs we may have developed over the years. Reframing is a technique used in the field of psychology to reevaluate our held beliefs and give ourselves some much-needed perspective."

Reiff (2004) also found this to be true in his on-going reframing work with college students with LD. When learning and practicing reframing, he saw these individuals making fundamental changes in their lives. He concluded that the self-awareness found in reframing is "a significant variable in adult success" (p 185). In an additional follow-up study 20 years later, Reiff and his colleagues found that these changes did not end, but continued in the college classroom and the workplace (Raskind, Goldberg, Higgins, & Herman; 1999). If reframing is such a remarkable tool--what is it and how can it change YOUR life?


Scenarios




Scenario A:

Karen loves her kids, all four of them. She had twins when she was 17 years old and never gradutated from high school. That boy friend went into the Army and they lost touch. Two more relationships later she had an additonal son and daughter. She woke up one morning to find herself a single mom with 4 active, healthy lives to keep track of. As Karen had come from a large family, her mom, aunts, and sisters helped out at first whenever they could. But, now everyone is older and her sisters all have big families of their own. Gradually that support faded away and Karen is left with a house full of craziness. As a single parent, her life is getting more and more complicated. Sometimes things are so intense, that she doesn't want to get out of bed in the morning. But she has to keep going for her children.

All of this is complicated by the constanct complaints and criticism from her mom and two of her sisters. They think she is a terrible mother and never miss an opportunity to tell her so. Karen would admit that she has an unconventional way of mothering her kids. For instance, one time she was too exhausted after a 10 hour shift at the local grocery store to cook, so the kids took a vote and everyone had ice cream for dinner. Another time, all the kids wanted to make a mural of flowers and butterflies celebrating Spring. The house was a mess, with paint, glue, and glitter all over everything. But, they had lots of laughs and Karen thought the house looked beautiful.

Still another time, Karen decided to show her kids what America looked like. She impulsively quit her job, pulled everyone out of school, and they drove for two weeks from coast to coast. Because they didn't have a lot of money, they camped out or slept in the car whenever they could. They saw big cities, farms, mountains, rivers, prairies, and deserts. Karen made sure that they stopped at every historical site and told the kids to write essays and ask questions about what they saw. Those essays later became a book which was a family record of all of their new ideas and experiences together. The two older children later used the family book for years as inspiration for class projects and papers.

Karen hoped that all of this would show her kids--and her relatives--what a good mother she was and how much she loved her kids. But everyone keeps criticizing Karen's parenting behaviors. Meanwhile, she's really, really tired of all of the negativity while she is still struggling to put food on the table and keep everyone happy and safe.



Scenario B:

Kenny is a high school drop-out. At least, that how he thinks of himself--and what others tell him everyday. Two years ago, when he just gave up and walked away from school, he really didn't think it was a big deal. It gave him lots more time to work on his gaming skills, which are really, really good. So what if he can't read or write past the third grade. Kenny started playing video games when he was 6 years old. He was fascinated by a game called "Major Motion", where cars were driven at high speeds; side swiping other cars and weaving in and out of traffic. He was really good at it and he had a ball playing with other gamers online. Kenny was hooked after that, playing more games everyday for as often as 6 or 7 hours straight. At that point, nobody seemed to care. His older sister was out with her boyfriends all the time; his dad was a big deal in the Army; and his mom was constantly trying to cope with all of the moves from base to base.

The one constant in Kenny's life was gaming. As a kid, he became part of a tight community of online friends, which really helped since he changed schools all of the time moving all over the world. Just as he was getting used to one place trying to make friends and cope in a new environment, his family moved again. The fact that he had severe dyslexia only made matters worse, because once the teachers figured out that he couldn't read, they pretty much left him alone. So Kenny spent more and more time online and focused less and less on school. After a while, he stopped doing most of the homework and skipped school a lot. Dropping out just seemed the next logical step. Especially as his gaming skills got better and better.

He started placing in small tournaments and saw a way to make his dream come true and support himself. For instance, he could download apps like Swagbucks or Freecash that pay you to play. If he was really good, he could be a video games tutor or use video streaming, like Twitch or TikTok, to build up a real following. Maybe someday, he could even review video games or write one of his own and make it big. While all of this would be great, Kenny's real goal in adult life is to be a pro esports gamer. He can just see himself going to Toronto or Ireland, competing against the best gamers in the world and taking home loads of cash. Since none of this involves academics, why is everyone so upset?

Tips and Tricks



Tip #1: Can You Fix Me?

If there's one thing that most kids, both with and without disabilities, learn quickly, it's that somebody else is in control of their life. Even young children understand that someone else is going to get them up in the morning, make sure they've done their homework, push them to take a bath, put food on the table, and send them to bed at a regular time. However, one of the best things about being an adult is exactly the opposite. You decide when to eat and when to go to bed or get up in the morning. Whether you bathe or brush your teeth is up to you. You might not have homework, but you will probably be working (sometimes more than one job) for rent, utilities, and ways to support your family. So, the good news is that you can finally make your own decisions.

The bad news, especially for folks with invisible disabilities, is that you probably won't know how to do that. Being thrust from a protective structure of childhood into adulthood can be especially difficult for people with disabilities. As the folks from Dreamscape (2019) explain: "Having a disability means a lot of things and while you’re in school you can receive special education tailored to the specific disability. This is really great . . . until you wonder what happens after they are no longer in the school system. The reality is, this special education doesn’t help them prepare for adulthood or living on their own after high school..."

Gerber and Reiff (1990) saw this as being a significant issue for children and adolescents with learning disabilities. They decided to explore it further. They focused their research--not on individuals who were failing as adults--but those who were considered successful. Through extensive, personalized interviews, they found that all of these adults with invisible disabilities had a secret. Without knowing it, they were using similar, positive strategies and beliefs to become successful and be in charge of their everyday lives. One of these strategies was reframing.

Gerber and Reiff (1990) originally conceptualized the idea of reframing as a proactive decision to gain control of your life as an adult. They explain this process as: "an internal reframing of the learning disabilities ordeal into a more positive or productive experience" (p. 6). The emphasis here is to re-shift your focus from seeing your LD or dyslexia as a negative, personal attribute which causes you nothing but problems into an asset that makes your life richer, more fulfulling, wonderful, and unique.

They go on to add: "This reframing, or reinterpretation of the learning disabilities experience into a more positive manner, involves appreciating that the key problem is not the disability itself, but rather the capacity to confront the various challenges one faces in living with and overcoming it." (Gerber & Ginsberg, 1990, p. 8). They believe it's not just having an invisible disability, but how you learn to live with it over time. They then go one step further to define reframing with four specific, inter-connected components:

  • Recognition

  • Acceptance

  • Understanding

  • Action

In other words, you start first by acknowledging and accepting that you have a learning disability. Then, you put your energies into learning more about your LD, so you can understand it and apply it to your life. After that, you use this new knowedge to make any changes in your daily life as needed. I believe that the power of reframing lies within this simple framework.

A great example is what Hallowell (2024) calls "mirror traits". He believes that folks with ADHD often have commonly held, personal characteristics seen either as strengths or deficits, depending on the situation and setting. For example, a key component of the ADHD diagnosis is "hyperactivity". But in sports, sales, or high energy jobs, that same restless person is seen as highly "energetic". Other examples include: a) being forgetful vs. totally immersed in what you're doing; b) not being able to stay on point vs. having the foreesight to see connections that others don't; c) appearing disorganized vs. being spontaneous; d) being stubborn vs. being persistent and not giving up no matter what; e) being inconsistent vs. showing flashes of brilliance; f) being moody vs. being sensitive; and g) seeming impulsive vs. being very creative (Hallowell, 2024).

ADHD isn't the only invisible disability where reframing can take place. Cole (2019) sees this as equally true for individuals with dyslexia, who often overlook their strengths, which can be critical components of their disability. As he says, "People with dyslexia have a tendency to not recognise or acknowledge what they can do well (their strengths). Their low self esteem makes it even harder to recognise these strengths." For instance, one way that they often compensate for their difficulties with reading or writing is by being good problem solvers. Since they frequently think and process information differently, other authors have described folks with dyslexia as being: unusually creative, observant, highly empathic, great big-picture thinkers, excellent at making connections between diverse thoughts or ideas, and possessing keen narrative reasoning (ADD CITATIONS!!) For more information about the strengths of dyslexia and other invisible disabilities, see the articles below.

If reframing is such a great theory, how can it work for you? For answers, look at Karen in Scenario A. Karen is a loving mother who is constantly trying to do the very best she can in a challenging life with four active children. But, her academic and behavioral issues due to her LD and ADHD don't help much. That, and a dead end job, make every day a challenge. She looks like she could really use some reframing, especially when dealing with the rest of her family and trying to finally take control of her life.

As Karen has discovered, being a parent with both LD and ADHD comes with lots of extra landmines that you never expected. For instance, Johnston, Mash, Miller, & Ninowski (2023) explain that: "Across samples of parents diagnosed with ADHD . . . evidence indicates that parental ADHD symptoms are associated with deficits in parenting control behaviors, including: family disorganization and chaos, less monitoring of child behavior, less effective child-rearing problem-solving, and more inconsistent and over-reactive discipline ". Mokrova, O'Brien, Calkins, & Keane (2020) add: "It is our hypothesis that parents with ADHD symptoms are less likely to follow through with household chores, establish and maintain routines, and keep track of family activities, thus creating a more chaotic home environment. In turn, elevated levels of home chaos interfere with effective parenting practices." All of these issues can describe Karen to a T.

For instance, anyone walking into Karen's house is immediately surrounded by chaos. Four kids seem to be all running in opposite directions, yelling at each other in the process. One kid may be eating a whole bag of chips, another is chasing the dog around the living room, and a third is shouting at someone on a cell phone. Ten minutes later the twins are fighting over a video game and someone spills a plate of spagetti. Meanwhile, Karen is trying to pay bills, do another load of wash, and find a clean blouse for work. She rarely disciplines her children, as she felt that she had too much of that herself when she was growing up. But right now, Karen is tempted to smack everyone in sight.

She has never had the time or luxury to stop and consider how much the chaos that she lives in everyday could be directly traced back to her invisible disabilities. That's where reframing could be so valuable. For instance, Karen already possesses many strengths due to her LD and ADHD that she's never really maximized. As Cole (2024) explains, "Because persons with disabilities must constantly adapt to their surroundings, they also bring creativity, agility, persistence, openness, forethought, and capacity for solving problems".

Karen is a master problem-solver as a single mom, both at work and at home. She's learned how to cope the hard way. For instance, she is constantly finding creative ways to teach and show her love for her kids, such as when they made Spring murals all over the house or when she gave them invaluable, educational lessons with their cross-country road trip. Other people might think Karen was a poor role model, as she could be seen as impulsive, immature, and lacking in discipline. But, if you reframe that, you could see that Karen encouraged creativity, artistic talents, innovation, curiousity, and a love of learning in her children in unique ways. She did her best to give them these precious gifts that they would use throughout their lives.

But that's not the whole picture. If Karen wants to reframe her LD and ADHD, she also needs to face her deficits as well. For example, impulsivity in adulthood can be seen as being irresponsible and even harmful. It's one thing to encourage your children to decorate the walls with flowers and butterflies. It's totally another to spend all your money so there is no food on the table. Understanding that balance becomes reframing. As Low (2023) stresses: "Learning your strengths as a parent and finding ways to address your weaknesses is a great place to start. Find tools to support your needs, delegate certain tasks when possible, and learn about effective behavior management strategies. Creating structure in your home, minimizing distractions, and practicing self-care can also help you and your child stay on track."

That's exactly what happened to Karen after her last roadtrip with the kids. While she was on the road, her mom and sister become alarmed when they couldn't reach her. When she finally returned with her children, they threatened to call Child Protection Services. Karen was in shock. Two weeks later, she received a phone call at work from Janice, a state social worker.

Janice met with Karen and her kids in their home. After filling out lots of forms and intensive discussions, Janice decided that Karen and her kids were fine. However, Karen would definitely need additional support from both her family and Janice to avoid future incidents. As she explained to Karen, "After our initial time together, I know now that you're trying to be a good mom and have great potential. Plus, I live with a son with ADHD, so I see a lot of him in you. I think if we create a plan, we can make life so much better at home for all of you. I'm going to share lots of resources with you and we'll work on this together. If we're successful, there's no reason to refer this further.

Here's the plan they developed together. First, Karen would work on creating structure in her home and minimizing distractions by using visual schedules, keeping a "to-do" list on the fridge, delegating chores to each child, and checking off items as they are completed (ADD CITATIONS). Second, to cut down on the chaos, she would work on discipline and appropriate behaviors with Janice's help. Examples were: targeting behaviors to be changed; giving each child simple, short-lived consequences for negative behaviors; and providing feedback, love, and clear rewards as needed to each child. Third, whenever Karen was feeling overwhelmed or saw things getting out of control, she would take deep breaths, use self-talk and tried to stay calm. This would be especially important to help her stop always living in "crisis mode". This third goal is when reframing would really kick in, as Janice suggested that Karen meet with her, and later with a therapist, to figure out exactly how her ADHD and LD were shaping her parenting skills.

Karen soon realized that her own lack of focus, impatience, impulsivity, organization, and time management problems made the hard job of being a single mom even harder. So, she had a frank talk with her family and explained what she was learning, along with requests for assistance in certain situations (e.g., Could you help me with the twin's birthday party? How do I budget for new clothes and school supplies this Fall?, etc.). At Janice's suggestion, she also joined a parents support group when she got lots of support, new insights (i.e., two other parents both had ADHD), plus a new boyfriend! He encouraged her to think big and apply for the management training program at the grocery store where she worked. She rehearsed talking about her reliability, creativity, motivation, and problem solving, along with her openness to get feedback and learn new things. She even drew up a plan to re-organize the Produce Department. Now Karen is a Management Trainee in a new store, instead of being a cashier. She also has better benefits and a raise in salary--which she spent on a Disneyland trip for her kids. Park, Plamondon, & Madigan (2024) assert that: "Adults with ADHD are fully capable of being warm, loving and highly engaged parents". Is that true for you as well?




Tip #2: Let's Get Creative!

Learned creativity is a secret weapon that many adults with invisible disabilities often use--and don't even know they're doing it. They frequently approach problems in unique ways because their brains may process ideas differently. For instance, adults with LD or dyslexia have repeatedly told me that the they see the big picture first. They often rely on instinct and find solutions that would never occur to others. Thinking outside of the box can be second nature to them. In fact, they may see way outside of the box and go to places that most folks haven't even thought about. Or, they totally discover a new box. This can be a crazy, frustrating process for others who are trying to follow all of this. But, if the adult with LD or dyslexia can reflect on how they tackle new information or problem solve, they will start reframing how they see themselves from a different perspective. When they view their cognitive abilities as a gift--not an obstacle--their life can change. If you doubt that, ask Barbara Corcoran. She started her own multi-million dollar estate company, despite severe dyslexia. Her mother taught her to see her invisible disability as"a gift not an impairment" (Dyslexia Help, 2024). Could that be true for you as well?

As educators have explained: "A positive characteristic is the unconventional way in which some adults with LD devise learning strategies or adaptive methods to master a task or learn a new routine. They have unique ways in which they approach tasks, and, when given the time and opportunity, they are able to problem solve in their own style. This process has been termed “learned creativity” and is credited with adaptive techniques used in employment, daily living tasks, and social situations" (Gerber, et al., 1992; Reiff, et al., 1997). Langley (2023) underscores this by telling his own story: "I need to understand how things work and how different elements of information fit into the whole. I attribute this to my dyslexic strength of big picture thinking. The big picture gives meaning to all the other smaller components that make up the whole.

Don’t just give me the smaller facts and details – give me the big picture. No matter what it is, I need to understand how it works and the purpose it serves. What does the bigger picture look like? Where do all the pieces fit in? How does it work? Where are the patterns? Where are the formulas? What do I do with the all the small pieces, if I don’t understand the bigger picture?"

Of special interest is Cole's theory that people with dyslexia possess the unusual ability of three-dimensional thinking (Cole, 2019). As he explains it: "They think with 3-dimensional, multi-sensory images that evolve and grow as the thought process adds more information or concepts. They do not experience much, if any, internal dialogue. This thought process happens so much faster than verbal thinking, that it is usually subliminal. Many people with dyslexia demonstrate better skills at manipulating 3D objects in their mind. Many of the world’s top architects and fashion designers have dyslexia". Three dimensional thinking as an inherent strength within dyslexia clearly requires much more research. But, it's definitely a provocative idea that underscores the importance of reframing. For more information about the strengths of dyslexia and other invisible disabilities, see the articles below.

If Langley or Cole is singing your song, it may be time to do some reframing. So how do you take advantage of using that in your own life? A great example is what happened to Kenny in Scenario B. To most people, including Kenny's parents, he is a failure. A 20 year old man who stays in his room, is totally antisocial, and glued to his computer 7 or 8 hours a day, can be an embarassing to his family. On top of that, he's a high school drop-out and has absolutely no plans for college or future employment. He may love his family and be a nice, sweet guy with lots of charm but he's also a drop-out and functionally illiterate because of his hidden disability.

What no one gets is that Kenny is incredibly creative and may have been working on his cognitive skills all along. As Spector (2014) explains: "Video game brain training has the same effect as reading a book or riding a bike— when the brain is learning, thousands of new connections are being formed. The addition of a reward system motivates players to continuously improve their skills." Steam (2023) elaborates that: "Video games have been the subject of extensive research, and numerous studies have shown that they can enhance problem-solving skills in individuals. One way video games achieve this is through the complex and challenging gameplay mechanics they offer. Many games require players to solve intricate puzzles, overcome obstacles, and strategize their moves. This constant engagement with problem-solving scenarios develops cognitive skills such as critical thinking, logical reasoning, and analytical abilities."

These authors, and many more underscore the multiple benefits of gaming*. For instance, Plass (2024) found in a study of 255 American children with "a greater need for belonging relayed more positive feelings toward their social and parental relationships and an improved sense of autonomy." Three related studies about children from Australia, Cyprus, South Africa, and the United Kingdom observed that "games can support children’s senses of autonomy, competence, creativity, and identity, as well as help them regulate emotions and build relationships" (NYU, 2024).

Moreover, many researchers throughout the world agree on one key benefit of gaming--it can teach and encourage creativity. Meskin (2018) investigated this further and found three types of creativity and cognitive skills that seem to be facilitated by playing video games: exploratory creativity (dealing with new tasks or challenges); combinatorial creativity (taking elements from previous games or situations to make something totally new); and transformational creativity (using cutting-edge technology to make totally new, innovative, or unorthodox paradigms or systems). Sounds a little like "learned creativity" (CITATIONS), doesn't it? It definitely raises some intriguing questions.

All of this is interesting theory, but what happened to Kenny? His sister had moved out and Kenny was currently living at home with his mom and dad. The "Colonel", as everyone called his father, told Kenny that he had exactly one year to "get his act together". After that, he and Kenny's mom were moving again and retiring, so Kenny would be on his own. Kenny panicked and went to his mom. She talked to his Aunt Audrey, a teacher who worked with children with dyslexia. As she was certified in the Orton-Gillingham method, she offered to tutor Kenny. His mother became his mentor and helped him develop a plan.

Kenny made it clear to everyone that the only thing he really, really cared about was gaming. After stressing this to his mom and Aunt Audrey, they all explored online what kind of jobs he could get using his excellent gaming skills. They were amazed what they found. Once Kenny got his GED, he could go on to get a Bachelor's degree in Video Game Programming and Development. Or, he could pursue a degree in: Computer Science, Business, Art, Interactive Media Design/Game Art, Computer Animation, Computer or Software Engineering, Digital Arts, Graphic Design, Sound Production, or Game Design (Indeed, 2024). However, all of this hinged on getting his GED, along with extensive tutoring for his dyslexia. Aunt Audrey looked further and found an Adult Education program at a local community college (Frey, 2017). They would provide accommodations for Kenny's dyslexia and classes on passing the GED exam. That, and personal tutoring from his Aunt, could be just what Kenny needed.

Still another interesting thing happened when Aunt Audrey was exploring adults with dyslexia online. She stumbled across the concept of reframing. As she read more and more about reframing and learned creativity, she realized they described her nephew perfectly. She found he was a "big picture" thinker who often won his video games by thinking in three dimensions. She and Kenny talked about his great problem solving skills, ability to hyper focus, being able to multi-task and think under pressure, and great determination to set goals and succeed or go beyond them (ADD CITATIONS?). They decided that what his family thought made him a failure might actually translate into future academic and job success. However, Kenny also needed to be honest about his deficits; to figure out how to take the adult responsibility to compensate for those as well. The more they explored his dyslexia together, the more excited, optimistic, and motivated Kenny got.

With help from his mom, the community college, and Aunt Audrey, Kenny passed the GED with flying colors. He then applied to 3 different colleges and pursued a degree in 3-D Design and Animation. His parents retired and moved to Michigan. Kenny lived with his Aunt and later re-located to take a job in Computer Animation. He plays video games occasionally, but he and his girlfriend (also a serious gamer) spend most of their time hiking and back-packing together. Kenny still has problems reading and writing, but he no longer feels like a failure or a dropout. Reframing his unique strengths has made him the success he is today. Can reframing work for you? Follow Kenny's example and give it a try.





*It should be noted that not all authors are consistent about the benefits of gaming for people with disabilities. Many people feel there are definite benefits for folks with disabilities using gaming for recreation and educational purposes (Ablegamers, 2022; García-Redondo, García, Areces, Núñez, & Rodríguez, 2019; Poon, 2014; The ADHD Centre, 2023). However, there also are a sizable group who caution about harm that can happen to individuals with ADHD. CITATIONS).

While most professionals do not believe that video games cause ADHD, they do see some connections. For example, the folks at CHADD (2024) caution that: "Recent studies have examined the negative effects of increased gaming time on children with ADHD. A 2021 study revealed that excessive gaming led to a worsening of ADHD symptoms among those who participated in the study. Boys seemed to be most at risk. Another study found ADHD symptom severity and impulsivity were contributing factors in excessive video game use." Other concerns involve: hyperfocus, distrupted sleep, impulsivity, escapism, and social isolation (The ADHD Centre, 2023). However, benefits were also observed (e.g., increased focus, multi-tasking, immediate feedback, cognitive trainings, and stress reduction) (The ADHD Centre, 2023).

I tend to agree with Keo, Yeomans, Ruiz, & Chun-Chin (2024): "We argue that whether to play video games is not a simple all-or-none decision; instead, the key rests on making players with disabilities aware of video game benefits and risks while facilitating their informed decisions". Clearly, the jury is still out on this one.....



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