About Leela

Hello my name is Leela Salisbury, I am 16 years old and live in Atlanta Georgia.

At the age of 8 years old, I was diagnosed with dyslexia. Before I was tested I had noticed how I behaved differently in the classroom than my peers. I had trouble with reading, always completed tests later than other students, and even wrote my fives backward. As I grew, I began to associate my dyslexia with stupidity and saw it as a curse prohibiting me from being as academically successful as my peers. 

After confirming I had dyslexia, I transferred to the speech school, a school specifically designed for helping neurodivergent children. In this environment, I learned how to learn and grew confident in my academic abilities. I finally began to see my dyslexia as a strength rather than a weakness. 

At the age of 16, I am now developing a documentary on the history and science of neurodiversity, interviewing psychologists, neuroscientists, historians, and successful neurodivergent individuals. There is a stereotype integrated into society that having a neurological disorder is a disadvantage in life and that that form of intelligence should be less valued. I felt this way when I was in primary school and because of my dyslexia, would learn differently than my peers. I hope to erase these misconceptions of neurodivergency with both history and science while also instilling confidence in the individuals who are neurodivergent. 

In sharing this documentary I hope to educate all the children who, like me, question their capabilities because of their differences, that this difference can be their most valuable strength.