Greenock teen who has struggled with dyslexia wins coveted place on college course

Inverclyde Academy pupil Sol McRobie, 17, will be taking on the professional music technology course at West College Scotland from August.

Sol, who lives in Crisswell Close, was diagnosed with dyslexia and Meares-Irlen Syndrome - a form of visual stress - when he was in P3.

Since then, and with the support of his mum Linda, his family and teachers, he has learned more about how to deal with the condition and says he's embraced it.

He is over the moon about his college place and can't wait to start in the autumn.

Sol has always been drawn to music and knew it was what he wanted to pursue in his further education.

He said: "I tried a few different instruments at school but was really drawn to drums and tuned percussion.

"I seemed to pick them up really fast.

"I've been playing the drums for five years with my teacher Lesley McLaren, who has been so supportive.

"My career adviser at school helped me with my college application and I had to send in an example of my performance and do a phone interview as well.

"I was so happy when I found out two days later that I had a place."

Sol's mum Linda realised her son was struggling when he was in P2 at Aileymill Primary and he complained about not being able to see the whiteboard.

The class teacher Mrs Tucker urged Linda to take Sol for an eye test but she noticed that he had started mixing up the letters B and D.

Linda told the Tele: "Sol was born prematurely and he was quite slow at picking some things up.

"I thought he may have had ADHD and I took him to a speech therapist but no one could tell me what it was.

"I just had a gut feeling he was dyslexic."

When Sol was in P3, he was finally referred and formally diagnosed with the condition.

His head teacher Isabel Lind set up classes for people with dyslexia and soon Sol and his peers were helping younger pupils with their reading.

Sol even spoke in front of hundreds of people at a dyslexia conference held at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh.

He found that a dark green background made reading much easier for him.

Linda added: "He could barely read at all if it was black text on white paper.

"If it hadn't been for his brilliant teachers, especially Mrs Lind, he would have got lost in the system."

Sol said it took time for him to come to terms with his dyslexia when he was at primary school but he found ways of working that helped him.

He added: "I just thought I was a bit dumb at the start.

"I couldn't see the whiteboard and reading black on white was so difficult - everything on the page just crashed together.

"I've had a lot of learning assistance through school, especially when sitting prelims and exams.

"It just makes me slower at some things but great at other things.

"I've learned that having dyslexia isn't difficult or horrible or bad - I just need to learn from a different point of view."

Mum Linda has read extensively on the subject and says one particular book - The Gift of Dyslexia by Ronald Davis and Eldon Braun - helped her understand Sol's condition

She added: "When I read that book, it all made sense.

"I would get so annoyed with him for not being able to use the remote control or when he was struggling to tie his shoelaces.

"I'm so proud of him and I was crying in work when he told me he had a place on the course.

"He's come out and said 'I have dyslexia - so what?' and just got on with it.

"I've seen him struggle and get really frustrated but it's all fallen into place now."