Kelly Clarkson opened up about her 8-year-old daughter River’s struggles in school.
During the most recent episode of her talk show, Clarkson welcomed legendary actor Henry Winkler. During the show, the host and guest discussed some of the children’s books Winkler wrote, despite living with dyslexia, a learning disability that also affects her young daughter.
Kelly Clarkson Shares Emotional Moment With Henry Winkler While Discussing Dyslexia
During their conversation, Clarkson admitted she is thrilled to be able to share Winkler’s books with her daughter and let her know that he is also dyslexic. Clarkson admitted that it has really empowered her daughter to know so many of these successful people who also live with dyslexia.
“She was getting bullied at school for not being able to read like all the other kids,” Clarkson admitted. That’s when Winkler offered River some sage advice.
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While looking directly into the camera in an attempt to talk directly to River, he told the second-grader, “How you learn has nothing to do with how brilliant you are.” Clarkson then got emotional at that moment, grabbing a tissue to wipe her tears.
Winkler went on to say that River is “in the tribe” as at least one in five kids deal with dyslexia.
According to the Mayo Clinic, “Dyslexia is a learning disorder that involves difficulty reading due to problems identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words (decoding). Also called a reading disability, dyslexia is a result of individual differences in areas of the brain that process language.”
There is no cure for dyslexia but tutoring and extra assistance can help those who are dyslexic. Some early signs of dyslexia include reading late talking, learning new words slowly, reading below the expected level for age, difficulty finding the right word or forming answers to questions, and more.