Just a quick blog today, but I think it needs to be emphasised that we are all different. I am me, you are you. Even if you are the same age, gender and height as me, we are different. Even if you have the same quals, went to the same school and even have the same birthday, we are different.

One of my children has ADHD, which means he is like my child with ADHD. He may share traits (good and bad) with another child with ADHD, but he’s different. He has his own uniqueness and that’s just how it should be.

My other child has anxieties. They affect him in different ways on different days, so he may share traits with another child with anxieties, but they are different.

Both my children have dyslexia. On a linear scale, they are both ‘severely’ affected, but the way it affects them and the way they cope with it is completely different. One can talk and charm everyone and isn’t too bad at spelling, but still struggles with reading & maths. The other is a whizz at maths, can read short excerpts and paragraphs but he cannot spell anything that isn’t phonetic, and he doesn’t like talking to people.

Too often we put people into groups, genres or tick-boxes. I don’t think we should. A one size fits all group system doesn’t work in education, the workplace or society.  We need to accept and embrace our differences. We need to see each other’s strengths and support each other’s weaknesses.  We need to accept.