Stapleton’s Story: Part 3
Everything Happens for a Reason
The 2022 school year started out wonderfully, but after the “honeymoon phase” quickly wore off, Stapleton was back to being awake all night, worrying about everything.
Our son is still being treated for anxiety, all because he was simply not taught to read in the first place.
Again, as parents, we felt like we had failed our child. His therapist said he developed (and still suffers from) PTSD from all that he has been through.
Stapleton started complaining that he needed “sultimensory” to learn. It took me forever to figure out what he was saying, he needed multi-sensory!
He began making up excuses not to go to school and acting out. One morning he took off before school started, hiding in the wooded area behind our house for a couple of hours. We took that as our sign that we couldn’t keep pushing forward anymore. Mentally, and as a family, we couldn’t take the stress. We aren’t blaming his teachers, our education system is simply not made for EVERYONE to succeed.
We pulled both kids out of public school and homeschooled them for awhile.
See, our daughter also struggles in school. She has the opposite problem as our son. She can decode words, but she doesn’t comprehend what she has read. The school was sure to tell me she was on a second grade level in reading, but that she didn’t qualify for any “extra help.” We recently learned that she has a language processing deficit (which affects every subject), anxiety as well as ADD. She also started crying herself to sleep every night and dreading school every morning, complaining they didn’t teach in a way she could learn.
Having kids that do not fit “in the box” is hard.
I can’t even begin to tell you the stress we’ve been under for many, many, years or how many sleepless nights we’ve had. The feeling of helplessness and having no idea what to do.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked myself, “How is this ever going to be okay?”
I can’t tell you the number of disappointments we’ve experienced and thought, “Is this how our kids feel all the time?”
…feeling like I can’t ever do anything right
…frustrated to the point of wanting to run away because no one sees or hears or helps me.
Then my heart breaks all over again not just for my kids, but for all the other kids that don’t “fit in the box” either and don’t get the help they desperately need and deserve.
I know there are many other stories identical to ours.
And there will be many more to come.
We’ve spent thousands of dollars on tutoring, diagnoses, therapy, counseling and medication. Looking back, we now see all the red flags and wish we had known how much he was struggling and the hardships we could have prevented.
All of that to say…
Throughout this overwhelming process, we have learned so much.
Our mission is to help other families avoid the heartache, confusion, and frustration we experienced.
Sometimes, simply knowing you're not alone can make all the difference.
Realizing that other parents share your fears, struggles, and questions can provide hope on even the hardest days.
There were many moments when I found myself wondering, "How are we ever going to get through this?"
Having support during those difficult times—and being surrounded by a community that encourages, uplifts, and understands—makes all the Dyfference.
We truly believe everything happens for a reason. Through our journey with Stapleton, we gained valuable knowledge, resources, and perspective that changed not only his life, but ours as well.
What began as a search for answers eventually became a calling. We founded Dyfference Makers to help families navigate their own dyslexia journeys and to provide the support, encouragement, and tools we wish we had when we first started.
That same mission inspired us to develop our Orton-Gillingham-based tutoring program—giving children the structured, evidence-based instruction they need to build confidence, strengthen reading skills, and discover their full potential.
Our goal is simple: to equip parents, teachers, and students with the resources they need to succeed.
To learn more about our Orton-Gillingham-based tutoring modules, click here.