A prominent lawyer's learning difference was caught very early, saving much frustration.

Mark Pettingill was held back his first year of Primary school at Gilbert Institute because he had difficulty writing.

His dyslexia was spotted early and addressed accordingly. At the age of six he underwent testing at his school and attended special reading classes.

His mother noticed a problem early on and put Mr. Pettingill in private tutoring.

"At age five I was frustrated because I wanted to write with my left hand but one teacher made me write with my right.

He felt the forced hand writing could have contributed to dyslexia and low self-esteem.

"It may have been a good thing that they held me back in first grade. By the time I was finishing Primary school there had been a good intervention. So, I wasn't affected in my later studies."

Mr. Pettingill admitted to having anger management problems as a little boy which stemmed from writing issues.

In Primary seven he scored one of the highest marks for his English test before entering high school and later was Head Boy of Warwick Academy.

At the age of 11 he felt like he was "on the right track".

He emphasised how much the early intervention paid off.

However, Mr. Pettingill did not really engage in school until he entered law school at Gray's Inn in London, England.

"I fell in love with law school and did well there."

When asked how he felt about the resources for children with learning differences in Bermuda he said: "I do not know a lot about addressing certain learning differences. But, I have been impressed with my children's teachers.

"My son was struggling with recognising letters and the school brought that to our attention right away.

"They suggested to write notes and put them into his lunch box ? I do it every morning."