Magic Johnson and his battle with dyslexia and ADD

Published: February 10, 2021

Magic Johnson  actually did add magic in all his games and has a huge fan following till date even though he took voluntary retirement from his basketball career in 1991 after he received the shattering diagnosis of HIV. Magic also focused on this point that everyone is special in their own unique ways and once said, “You don’t have to be Magic to be special. You’re already special, you’re you,” basketball-plays-and-tips-com writes.

Magic Johnson is also dyslexic, a fact that gave him a hard time while he was at school. “The looks, the stares, the giggles . . . I wanted to show everybody that I could do better and also that I could read.”

He was also diagnosed with HIV in 1991. Soon after Magic announced his retirement from professional basketball. It was not easy for Magic Johnson to live a life without basketball for which he passionately played for so many years. About retiring from basketball, he told CNN: “The first year was hard for me to deal with. The second year was a little bit easier, but still difficult. It took me five years to get it out of me. It was a difficult moment, a difficult time”.

After his retirement, he has been part of many AIDS awareness programs in order to serve the society. His main hope in life is to eradicate the disease that killed two million people last year.

He fought every hurdle in his life brilliantly and has been a true inspiration for many of us.

Other celebrities who have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD include Will SmithMichael PhelpsJim Carrey and Jamie Oliver.

Image: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Philip_and_Magic_Johnson.JPG

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Published February 10, 2021 by in Celebrities
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5 Responses to “Magic Johnson and his battle with dyslexia and ADD”

  1. uberVU - social comments

    10. Feb, 2010

    Social comments and analytics for this post…

    This post was mentioned on Twitter by JanetMiller12: Magic Johnson and his battle with dyslexia and ADD - Celebrities … http://bit.ly/a4nApq...

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  2. Karina Richland

    10. Feb, 2010

    It is wonderful to see such positive role modals like Magic Johnson making a difference in the lives of so many children. As an educator of children with dyslexia as well as ADHD, I see the value of encouraging the strengths instead of the weaknesses. Having dyslexia and ADHD is truly a battle to overcome. It makes everything in life so much more work. Many children end up giving up, not visualizing the benefits of their disabilities. Seeing Magic Johnson say to the public, “ I can do it, you can too,” is the perfect message for our students who admire him.

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  3. test for dyslexia online

    21. Jun, 2010

    Magic is certainly not alone with his dyslexia. Many of the greats, past and present were/are dyslexic. I do not think that Richard Branson would have as much money as he does if he could not think and reason effectively! Online dyslexia tests are a fast way to see whether you may be dyslexic before you start taking the more public tests. It is worth remembering that particularly if you are in education, that are a lot of things that institutions can do to help both in practice and financially. It is therefore worthwhile finding out.

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  4. Barbara Thomson

    03. Aug, 2010

    Inspiring post. I especially found it useful where you mentioned about Magic participating Awareness program about HIV, instead of having himself drowned to depression, he instead participate on programs such as those. And even if he is dyslexic, he is still positive that he can be better, or i’d rather say Best in other ways, which he prove it as a basketball player. Hes an inspiration… thanks, Barbara.

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  5. Elisa

    23. Aug, 2010

    I am writing in attempt to bring attention to a subject very close to my heart. Dyslexia. The problem is that so many of our public school systems do not recognize dyslexia nor are they specialized in how to teach and deal with these wonderfully bright children. If you talk to most parents or teachers, ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is the first thing on people’s minds when a student’s falling behind in class or is struggling in school, But what they should be doing is thinking about dyslexia. The dyslexic child is often a mislabeled child. I began researching dyslexia, It became so clear that this was the issue my son was having. These precious children suffer from low confidence & esteem issues their entire lives. They have average or above average IQ’s. Which suggest they have the capability to learn, many are placed on ADD drugs but are still continually struggle with reading & writing skills. Most of them hate school. Majority of dyslexic children have come to the conclusion that they are stupid! But that is the furthest thing from the truth!! The disorder is a specific information processing problem that is not connected with the ability to think or to understand complex ideas. They process information differently which means conventional methods of teaching these children DO NOT WORK How many of these children fall through the cracks in the pubic school system. It is caused the brain’s inability to translate images received from the eyes or ears into understandable language. It does not result from vision or hearing problems. It is not due to mental retardation, brain damage, or a lack of intelligence or laziness.
    Dyslexia can go undetected. The child can become frustrated by the difficulty in learning to read, and other problems can arise that disguise dyslexia. The child may show signs of depression & low self-esteem. Behavior problems at home as well as at school are frequently seen. The child may become unmotivated & develop a dislike for school. Proper attention & education could change the lives of so many children & families dealing with dyslexia that don’t even know it. Please help me bring attention to this.

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