Inspirational matriculant bags 9 distinctions despite learning disability
With nine distinctions, Daniel Kreuzer has matched his brother, Mikail, who graduated from Durban High School last year.
TOP achiever Daniel Kreuzer did not let a learning disability stand in his way. The Durban High School graduate achieved nine distinctions – one for each subject he took.
As a child, Kreuzer was diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dysgraphia – a learning disability characterised by writing difficulties.
“I write so big and so slow that even if I know the answer, it would take me some time to get it down on the paper,” he explained.
Among his top scores was 94% for mathematics and 96% for German. Kreuzer plans to study Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Cape Town this year.
As he tackled his final exams, Kreuzer was given 10 minutes extra time for each hour of the allotted exam time.
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“Usually, I would finish my exam in time, but with just a few seconds or minutes to go. I would make silly mistakes because I had to really rush to complete the paper. With the extra time, I could check I had answered all the questions correctly,” said Kreuzer.
“If you do have a learning disability, get it checked out and see if you can get a concession for it because it does help quite a lot,” he added.
Listening to music while studying helped Kreuzer overcome the challenges of ADHD.
“When I wasn’t listening to music, I would get very distracted and want to wander around. If I have my headphones plugged into the computer and I’m enjoying the song, then I can’t move around because the headphones would move with me, so it helps me stay in the space,” explained Kreuzer.
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Family support
For mother Razina Meer, it was important that her son learned to manage his disability.
“It was my idea that he should develop coping mechanisms and that children should be left to their own devices. I was reluctant to put him on medication or make him dependent on anything as a crutch. He did have physiotherapy for dysgraphia,” she said.
“I have had to learn a lot about the condition myself. Essentially, it affects his writing and his memory to recall the written alphabet – sometimes, he won’t remember what the letter G looks like, for example. He also has spatial-perception problems – his writing is very big,” she added.
With nine distinctions, Kreuzer has matched his brother, Mikail Kreuzer, who graduated from DHS last year, also with nine distinctions. Mikail is currently studying at UCT. Meer said she is thrilled with her sons’ achievements, adding that they have never received any extra tutoring.
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