In today’s episode, Joshua Dieker shares his personal journey and how he reached new heights. Tune in as he shares the tools that gave him a gateway to succeed with Drs. Lisa Dieker and Rebecca Hines.
In today’s episode, Joshua Dieker shares his personal journey and how he reached new heights. Tune in as he shares the tools that gave him a gateway to succeed with Drs. Lisa Dieker and Rebecca Hines.
Welcome to practical access. I'm Lisa Dieker.
Rebecca Hines:And I'm Rebecca Hines. And Lisa, I think I'm gonna let you introduce this episode's guest, because you may know him just a little bit better than I do.
Lisa Dieker:Yeah, I think about 25 years ago, I got to know this person happens to be somebody I gave birth to, and happens to be, I think, pretty cool young man today, not sure I would have said that in third grade. But that's a different discussion. I know, this is my son, Josh. And Josh is amazing young man who's made some pretty good achievements in life with a few struggles, and I'll let
Rebecca Hines:So Josh, I actually met you when you were little. And one of the very first things I remember is your mom, who's a really composed person saying, Hey, we please come to this IEP meeting with me. You know, we please come to this school meeting with me because I'm about to lose my mind because I can't get people to understand my son. So I wonder it Can you can you just share with with
Josh Dieker:Yeah, well, I definitely didn't look like a person that had an IEP or anything like that. I looked like your average person running around doing sports like everyone else. But in reality, that's kind of what I think a lot of threw a lot of curveballs to either students or teachers thinking that I didn't have one or need one. But in reality, like, I was struggling with schoolwork and
Rebecca Hines:And so specifically, when it when it comes to school, like At what point? Did you start to think you're in school, things are going along, find your social guy? And then like, suddenly, you start to hit some barriers? What were some of the first barriers you kind of remember when you were in school?
Josh Dieker:Well, for one was my motivation for being like at school or going to school. I love the social aspect. But when it came down to sitting down, paying attention, and staring at a screen for eight hours out of the day, I kind of started to lose focus, and not really want to be there anymore. Because I was bored. It also came back to some of the teachers and some of their kind of reasons
Rebecca Hines:Well, and I think, again, kind of having known you historically, and also having a son myself, it's a little hard to tease out sometimes how much of that as a function of just, you know, gender differences among boys in school, and that that idea of feeling bored, possibly more so than some of the some of the female students, but in general, we know that boys are, are are
Josh Dieker:Well, for making things harder definitely was the at the younger ages was like getting a punishment. If I wasn't paying attention, I get punished for not paying attention more, which only made it worse. So taking and go face this wall when you already weren't paying attention with something active on the screen. So things like that. I never was a huge fan of repercussions for something But I think the fact that just I really helped when I was in a room that was more active and more talking as a whole.
Rebecca Hines:I think that's, you know, I can say that to my incentives. Well, so, you know, as you as you started to get a little older, and I know that high school in particular. Again, when you're younger, and it's already you know, you're not loving one thing and then you get to high school and there's more of the thing that you don't love already. Can you describe any of those experiences,
Josh Dieker:I think it was going into a classroom and sitting for an hour and a half. Yeah. If it was going into a classroom and maybe playing a basketball game for an hour and a half might be a little bit different, even though I'm not a huge fan of basketball, but it's it's something that's completely active and upping and going, that I enjoy. I mean, there are some of those people that do
Lisa Dieker:I do I do have a question for you. So tell me about when you get assigned a book, I teachers tend to love to say let's read a chapter book, I do want to share a little bit about like, the dyslexia side and what that what that did for you, whenever somebody would say, oh, here's a chapter book to read. And please have this ready, what what was your response? And I kind of lived it. But
Josh Dieker:Well, it sounds like you have a better memory about that than I do. But just in general reading books as a whole. Unless it was something that like I actually wanted to pick up and read. If someone handed me a book and told me to read it 9/10's of time, I wasn't going to read it. Or I really, really, really did not want to read it. I'll do everything I can not to read it. I will
Rebecca Hines:So Josh, you know, all of these things being what they were you, you you did manage to succeed and to go on and I know it's because of your sports prowess, which we'll we'll discuss. But, you know, now you are a college graduate and Ambassador for the Tourette syndrome. So what do you think? What skills what personal skills of yours overcame that the drudgery of school? You know,
Josh Dieker:My biggest thing was always having an outlet. Whether that be a hobby that someone has, or that I had, my hobbies have changed a lot over the years. But I've always stuck to one, gymnastics. And whether even if it was a dayI didn't want to go, whether because I was tired down, or I just wasn't motivated. It was always something that was like scheduled six days a week, my whole life that I always had that outlet. And some people it is sitting down reading a book,
Lisa Dieker:Yeah, and Josh, one of the things that, you know, again, we're very proud of you as parents that, you know, you persevered through now like disabilities, but through struggles, writing is definitely not your forte. And so I really have two questions for you. But I'll start with the first one, then I'll I'll give you the second one afterwards. And that is talking about technology,
Josh Dieker:Yeah, one of the biggest things that really gave me an advantage in college or not even just in college, even kind of like towards high school when technology was starting to become more prevalent in schools. It was like knowing the different programs like Word, Excel, even like Google Docs, and just knowing your way around those things, made things easier whether you're doing
Lisa Dieker:It wouldn't have been like the photo math app or anything that you did some math problems. you agree with that? Good. All right. So well. And then my second question is, you recently had a chance a couple years ago, and I now now with COVID, you're limited in what opportunities you've had. But you got a chance to meet up with 30 young adults with Tourette syndrome in Orlando and
Josh Dieker:Yeah, well, for one, it was an experience that I've never really experienced, I haven't really been around many other people that have Tourette's, especially some that have it way worse than me. I, the biggest thing was, I walked in to this meeting room with 10s of probably 30 other people. And I didn't really I felt really uncomfortable at first, because like I said, I haven't been
Lisa Dieker:Yeah, I think for me as a parent, and then I'll throw it back to you, Becky is I think it's the one thing I wish I had done sooner. Because I watched you just light up in saying there's 30 other people not only like me, but I think all these people were also very successful. And I think that was what was really fun for you was to not only meet others, but I mean, what were some of
Josh Dieker:Yeah, everyone did a little bit everything. Well, most of the most of the people were still in school, somewhere definitely like going for like medical school and doing some, some pretty outrageous things that I wouldn't be going to medical school that for sure. I'm happy with where I was. And then there's some people that were just struggling with school and just trying to push
Rebecca Hines:working for him. So, you know, Lisa, obviously, anyone who knows us knows we're huge inclusion proponents. And I in Joshua's story and also in other stories that I hear sometimes it does remind me of the importance also making sure that people have the option of surrounding themselves with with groups of people who are similar in you know, whether it's a specific disability, you
Josh Dieker:if I can put it and just make it short and sweet, I would definitely give the tip saying that they should be finding a hobby. Think that's like or some sort of outlet that they enjoy not something that you enjoy. As a parent, I think it should be something that they enjoy and that they are eager and willing to go to. Because, for me, it was giving me motivation at the end of school,
Lisa Dieker:Well, I have it, I really do have a question. That's practical. But I do want to know, what is it? What are you most? What What do you feel like you're at this point in your whole 25 years? What are you most proud of?
Josh Dieker:Definitely, getting accomplished, like college is definitely one of my biggest things, and then also being as successful as I was in gymnastics, going through it, and at the time, I didn't see myself being as successful as I, as I was looking back at it, and what I've actually accomplished.
Lisa Dieker:Alright, and then my practical question, this is one not to do and to do. You're going to be lots of teachers are going to be listening this you're the kid with dysgraphia, dyslexia and Tourette's sitting in their classroom. Tell them one thing to do. And one thing Please don't do.
Josh Dieker:Well, for one, don't put people in timeout or exclude them from the classroom. That is a definite No, no. And then I would definitely say to do is, make everything a little bit more active in the classroom, whether that be more talking or more physical, running around, I guess you could say, or just group work in general, because I know that students always like group work. They
Lisa Dieker:All right. Well, thank you, Josh, for joining us. And thanks for taking the time to hang out with your mother. If you have questions, please post them on our Facebook page at practical access or send us a Tweet at access practical. Thanks, Josh. Thank you.