When Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi student Madison Hickman was in elementary school, her mom suspected she had dyslexia. She had trouble decoding words, and letters seemed to flip around for her.

She wasn’t getting the support she needed, so she switched schools. Eventually, on the recommendation of a supportive teacher, Hickman was officially assessed for dyslexia and given accommodations to support her learning.

While taking a writing class at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Hickman thought back to her childhood for an assignment that tasked the class with writing something in any style or genre on a subject of their choice.

For this project, Hickman chose to write a workbook of strategies for dyslexic children, drawing on research and her own experiences.

“As I was finishing it for the project, I was like, ‘Why don’t I expand on this and make it an actual thing?'” she said.

She published her workbook, which is now available for sale at Barnes & Noble, where she will have a book signing at 1 p.m. Oct. 18 in Corpus Christi. She also decided to make dyslexia the platform for her pageant campaign.

Hickman has been competing in pageants since she was 16 and currently holds the title of Miss Texas United States, which she earned through an interview process. She’ll be competing for a national title in November.

“My platform is all about dyslexia awareness and advocacy,” Hickman said.

Here’s what she wants people to know about dyslexia:

Dyslexia isn’t tied to intelligence.

Dyslexia occurs at all levels of intelligence.

“It’s just that our brain paths are a little different than everybody else’s,” Hickman said. “If you have it, it doesn’t mean that you’re behind or that you’re stupid or damaged. It just means you learn a little bit differently.”

But struggling with dyslexia can diminish a child’s confidence, especially if they are diagnosed late and don’t receive support.

Hickman remembers feeling discouraged before she learned she had dyslexia.

“It definitely felt like I was behind and I was kind of stuck in this place and I would just be lacking my whole life,” she said. “That was some of the thoughts that were going through my head as a second and third grader.”

Children need to know that they aren’t dumb, Hickman said, and it’s important for parents to make sure their child feels supported.

People with dyslexia can learn to read.

Hickman said that some of the accommodations she received in school include extra time for standardized tests or having test questions read aloud.

A dyslexia-friendly classroom includes accommodations such as extra time, according to the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity. For creative writing assignments, dyslexia-friendly teaching focuses on the content of a paper, not spelling errors.

Several evidence-based strategies are effective for teaching students with dyslexia, according to the Texas Education Agency.

Dyslexia isn’t rare.

Dyslexia is the most common of all neurocognitive disorders, affecting 20% of the population, according to the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity.

Rates of identification vary nationwide.

Across Texas, about 6% of K-12 public school students are identified as dyslexic, though the state has historically underserved dyslexic students, according to reporting from the Houston Chronicle.

“That’s been really heartwarming knowing that I’m not alone,” Hickman said. “And so nobody else is either.”

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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: What to know about dyslexia from Miss Texas United States