“Undiagnosed” a testimony towards will and overcoming obstacles

Introduction-

“Undiagnosed: The Ugly Side of Dyslexia” by Ameer Baraka

 Published on September 14, 2022 by Simpler Word Books

200 pages

Listed under African-American Biography, Learning Disability, and Education 

APA Citation:

Baraka, Ameer. Undiagnosed: The Ugly Side Of Dyslexia. Simple Words Books, 2022.

Overview

As a reading specialist, the story of Ameer Baraka is a familiar story of many underrepresented, struggling readers of color. A student with a learning disability that was undiagnosed and ignore it, this biography she has an intimate look at young, male, African American reader, struggle with shame and lack of models. Young, struggling readers, choose not to work on the reading skills, or lack of effort, and recognizing the signs of dyslexia, because they do not want to look like they are not able to perform on grade level in comparison to their peers. As the story develops, Baraka shares data, and reflection on what it is like to be a young, struggling reader, with an undiagnosed learning disability. This is relevant to research and evaluation of interventions and strategies to combat students reading difficulties and sharing, and ignored component, a student, mental and social, emotional well-being.

Summary-

​The text, “Undiagnosed: The Ugly Side of Dyslexia” dives into what it may be like to be a student coming to terms with growing up with an undiagnosed disability. This text is there to convince the readers to not forget about the students and readers that are incarcerated and stems from their inability to know how to read. The author was speaking from firsthandexperience. Some of the main points in the text were regarding absentee fathers, ignorance of disabilities among African-American families and educators, and incarceration reform. The evidence that the father of the author, Ameer Baraka, spoke on the multitude of black fathers that were in the prison system and how they too couldn’t read. Not being able to see the signs of a learning disability, he was shamed by his peers and family and the community for not being able to read aloud publicly. There was lack of support from the other inmates, but some were able to guide him into the right path to better themselves and trying to get out of the system.

In the beginning of the book, Baraka shares what his home life was like, and how his family raised him. He shared that he witnessed domestic abuse and violence and did not like witnessing this as a young child. This was not an example of what he thought he should treat women. Although he is from New Orleans, education lacked, he had a “regular” childhood. “Despite all this, project life was fun for us kids. Those porches were all we knew, and we made our world, enjoyable“ (page 19).

Undiagnosed, chapter 2, part one:

Ameer begins to share his data information about students with dyslexia, providing that, “Studies and MRI brain imaging have noted that dyslexic students use four times as much energy to read as non-dyslexic students, “ (page 24). Though he shares data, he also shares how people in his family began to noticesigns of his “difference.” “She thought something was a little different off with me since I struggled so much with reading and writing” (page 23), and this is similar to what Casey and Emily were speaking on in relation to identifying dyslexia. Ameer’s grandmother noticed signs of him, not being able to process and identify words, and that is a myth that was shared. His grandmother may have spirit him from “punishment”, but his teachers noticed how is great slipped and weren’t proper to his potential.

Project life, chapter 3 part one

Baraka compares his previous home to where he moved to away from New Orleans projects. His mother moved to a two-bedroom apartment for her and Aamir but she met a young man, Charles, who he looked up to. “… Even if he wasn’t the best role model. Charles was a fun loving guy, and I immediately took him as a father figure. “ (Page 31) however, even with Charles being there, he was a coward because he saw that emotional damages he played into when things went south. He felt that all the men in his life were users, and just like his dad, except one, Scooter, who believed and pushed his education.

Later, Baraka shares that he was embarrassed to read in front of his first girlfriend. He began to sell dope as his only way to get out, and at 14, he met a dope man named, Doe Doe, who introduced him to Mike, who he later got respect from for beating him up in front of the gang members, (pg. 38). As he got hopelessly caught in the drug game, he was almost killed, and he decides to retaliate but missed fired, and quickly decided to re-enroll into his school program. “To use a mixed metaphor: you can lead a dyslexic back to school, but you can’t make him read,” (pg. 68). He then confirmed that “if they only knew how much I wanted to do well academically and how incapable I felt achieving even a semblance of grade-level skills. If someone had figured out my academic profile at some point in K-3, I might have had a chance,” (pg. 68).  He committed his first murder, regretfully, at the age of 15, and while in juvie, his mom sent him comic books, which drove him to want to be able to read better. “The images told the story, and my brain tried to focus on every word because I actually wanted to read,” (pg. 79).  

​While in prison, he was diagnosed with dyslexia, and he didn’t realize that this was the cause for all his troubles growing up. “My mother’s brother couldn’t read, but their family was so poor growing up that they didn’t focus on education; his illiteracy wasn’t a priority, and it was never addressed,” (pg.129). Because of this, he felt relieved that he wasn’t in fact “dumb”, but a reason why he couldn’t read, and his mother apologized for always calling him out his name due to this moment in time. “When I began to understand more about dyslexia, I felt a huge weight I’d carried ever since I could remember suddenly lifted,” (pg. 131). For other students with disabilities, this can be easily relatable to others that felt that they themselves are “dumb”.

​While in prison, he began to work on his reading and spiritual growth and found a way for him to reach out to the community and grow himself. “I knew my future path was through the classroom, and my ultimate goal was to earn my GED. I had laser pointed focus. Nothing was going to stop me,” (pg. 132). He went out on blind faith to find himself after his release from prison, where he ran into Master P, who invited him to New Orleans. LA. “For some of these kids, college wasn’t a remote possibility. So, if I could encourage them to finish high school, they might have a chance to consider further education,” (pg. 170).  One hurricane Katrina happened, he fled to Mississippi and stayed with Faizon Love, who provided him gigs and network opportunities.

​Post-Katrina, he worked as a youth coordinator, and began a program that picked a news story on a local station andgathered more positive press surrounding his own story. “…if there were more examples of any good role models in their households. The only resolution to this epidemic was for parents to take responsibility for their own actions so their kids would see how its done. Kids emulate what they see,” (pg. 220). Although he began to work with the youth and his acting career picked up, he still wanted to advocate more and work with the student programs that were available to him.  He saw the limitations and problems that were stemming from the poverty and addiction struggles of the student’s he serviced. He saw that education was the only way out, and the key to his success. “Education is the key to breaking the chains that binds us. To free ourselves from any past limitations or versions of how we may have grown up and realize who we are capable of becoming…” (pg. 218).  The message that Baraka imparts on the reader is that, there are plenty of students that want to do better, but unable to know how to do better, because there weren’t anyone around to show them how to achieve and motivate them.

Evaluation and Conclusion

​The text, “Undiagnosed: The Ugly Side of Dyslexia” by Ameer Baraka is a great text to share with all types of readers and interests. This text lays valuable foundation for the work in combating reading literacy. Due to it, being an African-American male with dyslexia, many readers in Washington DC, share similar stories. It provides an unbiased evaluation of how the public school system could restructure identifying students with reading difficulties and working with intervening early. The content is very relatable to students with learning difficulties, educators that work with them, and the service providers, parents, and community members that want education reform and equitable justice in underserved communities. The book was more entertainment and biography, rather than providing solid instructional tools and practices to evaluate students with dyslexia. Baraka does provide well-supported evidence to support his claims on how to assist identifying and working with those students with dyslexia and provides evidence-based research to support. A strength about the reading is that it is an easy-read, relatable content for educators and students of color, and a first-hand account of what it is like to live with andovercome a learning disability that inhibits reading growth. However, the downside to this reading is that it is a first -hand account and does not provide specific tools to assist students overcome their difficulties and it does not have substantial amounts of data to support the research. In conclusion, I would recommend this text to include more research and evidence-based solutions to assist dyslexia, but still would highly recommend sharing to seasoned and novice educators, students and parents of color, and youth program coordinators.