Patrick Dempsey Faced His ‘Difficult’ Childhood When His Son Was Diagnosed With Dyslexia

Patrick Dempsey is a famous actor best known for his role as Dr. Derek Shepherd on Grey’s Anatomy. Though he’s graced TV screens for many years, there’s plenty most don’t know about him. Dempsey’s childhood was made more difficult by an undiagnosed learning disability. And when his son was also diagnosed, the star was faced with painful memories.

Patrick Dempsey was diagnosed with dyslexia at 12

Growing up, Dempsey hated school because he had such a hard time learning to read. In an interview with Barbara Walters, the actor revealed that he was placed in “special ed.” Dempsey and his classmates felt like they were left behind and forgotten. All because they didn’t fit into how the school system was set up.

The Enchanted star talked about his low self-esteem during those years. He said he was sure he was less intelligent than his peers. Like many children who learn differently, Dempsey was overlooked by an educational system that failed to accommodate his needs. 

At 12, Dempsey was diagnosed with dyslexia. The learning disorder makes it hard to read, spell, write, and sometimes even speak. The actor said that his diagnosis freed him from feeling stupid and incapable of learning.

Patrick Dempsey faced his own childhood struggles when his son was diagnosed with dyslexia

When a child receives a serious medical diagnosis, the initial response of a parent may be denial. Love for our children often makes us desire to shield them from every hardship we endured as kids ourselves.

Dempsey, a husband and father of three, was recently forced to confront his own past when doctors diagnosed one of his sons as dyslexic. Speaking to Fatherly about the diagnosis, the star said, “It was really hard not to shut down and become overwhelmed emotionally because it just brought back everything that was so difficult from my childhood.” 

What the diagnosis meant for Dempsey and his son was getting him the specialists, the paperwork, and the game plan that he never had growing up. The McDreamy portrayer is fully aware that his son, now a teenager, has a long road ahead of him.

“When you have a child, you don’t think about how difficult it is to give them an education and get them through without heavily medicating them. And then you have to be on top of it,” he told the publication.

Patrick Dempsey has to memorize all of his lines rather than rely on a cue card

Speaking at Gatepath’s annual Power of Possibilities event, Dempsey highlighted how growing up with a learning disability changed his outlook on life. And it helped him become a successful actor. “You never feel like you belong,” he remarked, “but out of that struggle, you find a particular gift, which is something you thrive in. And that’s a gift that comes because you look at the world and see things differently.”

But while dyslexia shaped his perspective on life, it made auditioning for acting roles, particularly challenging. In his interview with Walters, Dempsey revealed that he has to memorize all of his lines rather than rely on a cue card. “It’s very hard for me to read it off the page,” he said. “I need to memorize it, in order to go on.” 

One problem that Dempsey has had with his TV roles is that the scripts often come at the last minute. The actor has had to find quick ways to remember lines, like having someone else read his script out loud to him.

Dempsey’s outstanding performances, despite being dyslexic, clearly show how the actor has mastered overcoming hardships and channeling his strength.