Jennifer Hutchinson always knew she had bright children. Priscilla, now 16, needed glasses at six which enhanced her love of reading. Her brother Vinnie, 13, also excelled at a young age, but preferred sport to academics. At school he made slow progress academically. After being tested to establish the basis for his difficulties, he was diagnosed with dyslexia.
It was judged not severe enough to justify further help from school. The future seemed bleak with no obvious solutions available from the education sector.
When Priscilla reached intermediate level, she began to complain of tiredness.
“I felt like I had sand bags tied to me, and everything was an effort.”
She was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and became so ill she could no longer attend school. She started correspondence from home. Then she too began having issues with reading, such as headaches, blurriness and words appearing to `move’.