Lindsey Simpson is a high school senior, artist, amazing
photographer, and wonderfully inspiring young woman. She is devoutly religious and credits God for
always being there for her, supporting her, and helping her to be the amazing
person He created her to be.
As a young child, Lindsey struggled in school and her
parents, although knowing something was not quite right, did not know why. In 7th
grade, she was blessed with a math tutor who
suggested that her parents get her tested for auditory processing
disorder. To her parents and her
relief, they finally had the answer they had been looking for!
“My spirits went sky high because I finally had an answer as to why I struggled so much. I started to get accommodations and my grades improved. I felt so relieved that there was a real reason for my struggles and it wasn’t my fault for doing so poorly.”
Although Lindsey continued to have to work very hard
academically and rarely got the high marks children without learning
disabilities/special needs did, she managed to succeed in getting honored with
acceptance into the Beta Club (a high academic honor) her junior year! It was the first time she was publicly recognized
for her hard academic work. Never shying
away from hard work, Lindsey has also earned the honor of being editor of her
high school yearbook and vice-president of the art club.
A phenomenal artist, Lindsey also paints and her artistic
expression of what it is like to live with auditory processing disorder won 2nd
place in the 2012 Hidden Thoughts of LD Art Competition!
"I have Auditory Processing Disorder. This is a painting of an ear with a question mark inside it. The colors on the right side represent sound in reality and the colors on the left side represent the sound through my ears. My ears and brain don’t connect right, so the things I hear sound broken and often don’t make sense. I can put bits and pieces together, but it’s hard to put it all together to make sense of everything that I hear."
After graduating high school, Lindsey plans on taking art-related classes at her local university. Her goal is not necessarily to graduate with a degree, but to enhance her artistic abilities which she can use for all her creative pursuits and especially her intended career as a professional photographer. Her hope is that her photography business will eventually provide her with a full-time income.
Outside of school, her photography business, and her art,
Lindsey also co-founded a support group for teenagers with auditory processing
disorder. Reaching out for connection
herself, she met another teenager with auditory processing disorder through a
Facebook support group. They were both
so happy to have someone who understands what they are going through being a
teenager with APD and became such great friends, they decided to share that
experience with others. They wanted
other teenagers to feel the same support and understanding that has so blessed
their own lives.
Being the kind, compassionate young woman that she is,
Lindsey also reaches out to people whose lives have been affected by auditory
processing disorder through her personal blog, apdgirl.blogspot.com, where she
writes of her experiences as well as by being a personal mentor/older friend to
some preteens with APD.
Lindsey is also very active with her church and volunteers
her time to teach 2 year olds on Sunday mornings. “I love little kids because they’re so precious and they don’t judge
you. They love you for who you are and
don’t even notice your flaws.”
When asked what advice she would give to children with
auditory processing disorder, Lindsey had this to say:
“I want every kid with any learning disability to understand that they're not alone. It's easy to be down on yourself and assume you're the only one. But I want them to know they're not and I'm living proof of that! Be confident and don't be afraid to ask if you need something repeated and don't be ashamed either. There's nothing 'wrong' with you, you just have a unique perspective that others don't have!"
