Newsletter 325: My 14-Year-Old Daughter Just Proved Me Wrong (With ChatGPT)

Hey friends,

Happy Super Bowl Monday.

The whole country was locked in on the big game yesterday. And I get it. There's nothing like watching someone make a play that changes everything.

But some of the biggest wins don't happen on a field. They don't get replays or commentators breaking them down.

They happen at home. Quietly. And nobody else would even know about them.

This is one of those wins.

It's personal. It's about my daughter. And it's proof that this whole approach works.

Not in theory. In practice. In my own house. With my own kid.

Let me tell you what happened.

The Setup

Our cat got attacked by a skunk a few weeks ago.

He needed stitches, foot repair, and treatment for wounds and infections.

Part of his recovery meant giving him medication. A pill every 8 hours.

If you've ever tried to give a cat a pill, you know exactly how that goes.

It wasn't working.

My daughter Makena (14 years old) suggested we could crush the pill, turn it into a liquid, and give it to him with a syringe.

I said no.

I told her we'd just keep practicing the way we were already doing it. That it would get easier. That we'd figure it out, didn't think much of it.

And then I went about my morning.

Then My Phone Buzzed

A little while later, I got several messages.

They were from Makena.

She had gone back to her room, opened ChatGPT, and looked up exactly what she had suggested.

She sent me:

Full directions on how to crush the pill and administer it as a liquid. An explanation of why it's appropriate. When it's appropriate. All the supporting details for her argument.

Screenshots. Links. Step-by-step instructions.

She had built her case.

And she was right.

We've been giving our cat his medication that way for two weeks now. No problems. No stress. No fighting with the cat.

The method she suggested works perfectly.

Where She Learned It

Here's the thing.

Makena knew this because she'd been watching veterinary shows.

Not because someone taught it in a classroom. Not because it was on a test. Not because a curriculum said she needed to know it.

She wants to be a vet.

She loves horses and animals. So we do a lot of our learning through watching vet shows and then having discussions with AI about what she's seeing.

She absorbs information from those shows. She remembers details. She makes connections.

I didn't know she had that knowledge.

But she did.

And when I dismissed her idea, she didn't argue with me. She didn't push back in the moment.

She went and proved it.

A Little Context About Makena

Makena is 14. She has dyslexia.

She's a little behind in reading, writing, and math compared to grade-level standards. Everything else? She's proficient. In many areas, she's advanced.

She's been in and out of traditional school, a micro school, and homeschooling.

She works at her mom's gym teaching gymnastics. She's been in that environment since the day she was born. My ex-wife and I run Adventure Recreation LLC together. Makena has grown up in that world.

She's outgoing. Hands-on. Capable. Confident.

She teaches kids gymnastics. She problem-solves in real-time. She adapts on the fly.

But in a traditional classroom, some of that gets lost.

The things she's good at don't always show up on tests. Her ability to connect information from different sources. Her practical problem-solving. Her confidence in figuring things out.

Those aren't measured by standardized assessments.

How We Adapt

We use AI to set up lessons and make accommodations.

We've adapted books to her reading level so she can read things she's interested in. Things other kids her age are reading. But at a level that works for her. Same story. Same content. Same themes. Just accessible.

That lets her keep moving forward instead of being stuck on something that doesn't fit how her brain works.

We also use AI for discussions. After she watches a vet show, we'll talk about what she learned. Sometimes I'll use AI to help structure those conversations. To pull out key concepts. To connect what she's watching to broader principles. To help her articulate what she knows.

That's what happened with the cat medication.

She knew the information. She just needed help presenting it in a way that I would take seriously.

ChatGPT gave her that structure.

Why This Moment Matters

This is a small win.

Nobody else would know about it except Makena and me. Maybe my ex-wife. Maybe the vet if we mentioned it.

But it's the little things like this that put a smile on my face.

Because I know for a fact she didn't learn that in school. Not that school hasn't taught her a great deal. It has. But there are some things we can learn outside of school just as well. Maybe better.

This is a perfect example.

Makena used the technology to show me and explain to me something she knew. In a knowledgeable way. In a way that I took seriously. In a way that changed my mind and changed what we did.

And she was right.

What This Actually Shows

I want to zoom out for a second. Because what happened here is bigger than a cat pill.

Makena identified a problem, proposed a solution, and when I shut it down, she went and built her case on her own. That's not just problem-solving. That's agency. That's a 14-year-old who trusts her own thinking enough to go prove it.

She drew on what she'd learned from vet shows and applied it to a real situation in our house. That's transfer learning. She connected dots across different contexts without anyone telling her to.

And here's the part that matters most for our community. Makena knew the information in her head. But articulating it in a way that would convince me? That's harder. Especially with dyslexia. Especially at 14. ChatGPT helped her structure her argument. It didn't give her the knowledge. She already had that. It helped her communicate it effectively.

That's cognitive partnership.

No curriculum had taught her to administer medication to cats. No teacher assigned it. No test measured it. She learned it because she was interested. Because she wants to be a vet. Because she watches shows that align with her goals.

That's intrinsic motivation. And it's something standardized tests will never capture.

The Pattern I Keep Seeing

This isn't an isolated incident.

This is the pattern I've been documenting for 320+ newsletters.

Neurodivergent learners + AI tools = capabilities that surprise people.

My daughter has dyslexia. In a traditional classroom, she's "behind" in reading, writing, and math.

But give her content that interests her, tools that help her communicate, real-world problems to solve, and autonomy to research and present solutions?

She performs at a level that changes adult behavior.

I'm 49 years old. I've been around animals my whole life. I run a recreation business. I've coached youth sports for decades. And my 14-year-old daughter with dyslexia taught me something.

Not because she's smarter than me. But because she had knowledge I didn't have. And she had the tools to communicate it effectively.

That's the unlock.

What Traditional Schooling Misses

Here's what frustrates me about the education system.

If you measured Makena purely on reading, writing, and math scores, you'd think she's struggling. You'd think she needs intervention. Remediation. Extra support.

And you'd miss everything she's actually good at.

Her hands-on learning ability. Her practical problem-solving. Her knowledge retention from visual media. Her ability to make connections across domains. Her confidence in her own ideas. Her willingness to research independently when challenged.

None of that shows up on standardized tests.

We've built an education system that measures a narrow band of skills. Reading. Writing. Math. Sequential processing. Linear thinking.

If you excel in those areas, the system works for you. If you don't, the system labels you as behind.

Even when you're actually ahead in other ways.

The Bigger Picture

In Edition 323, I wrote about going against the grain my whole life. The isolation of thinking differently. The choices nobody supported.

In Edition 324, I wrote about voice-to-text as my accessibility feature. The tools that finally let me operate at the speed of my thinking.

This one is about proof.

Proof that this approach works. Proof that a 14-year-old with dyslexia can use AI to articulate what she knows. Proof that learning happens everywhere, not just in classrooms. Proof that when you give neurodivergent learners the right tools and autonomy, they surprise you.

Makena didn't wait for permission.

She didn't need a teacher to validate her. She didn't need me to agree before she researched.

She just went and did it.

That's the future. And it's already here.

Not in some theoretical framework. Not in a research paper.

In my house. With my kid. Solving real problems with real tools.

What I'm Learning as a Parent

This experience reinforced something I've been thinking about for years.

My job as a parent isn't to be the source of all knowledge.

It's to help my kids learn how to learn. How to identify problems. How to find information. How to evaluate sources. How to build arguments. How to communicate effectively.

AI tools are making that easier.

Not because they replace learning. But because they remove friction from the process.

Makena couldn't have written a detailed, well-structured explanation on her own. Dyslexia makes that hard. But she could use ChatGPT to help structure her knowledge into a persuasive format.

That's not cheating.

That's using the tools available to bridge the gap between capability and execution.

The same gap I've been writing about for myself. The same gap that voice-to-text bridges for me.

The pattern is the same.

Neurodivergent minds + AI tools = capabilities unlocked.

A Note for Other Parents

If you have a neurodivergent kid who's "behind" in traditional metrics:

They're not behind.

They're learning in ways the system doesn't measure.

Give them content aligned with their interests. Tools that help them communicate. Real-world problems to solve. Autonomy to research and learn independently.

And watch what happens.

You might be surprised. I was.

And I've been writing about this stuff for 320+ newsletters. I still underestimate what Makena can do when given the right tools and autonomy.

That's on me, not her.

The Small Wins Matter

This isn't a story about my daughter becoming a genius overnight. It's not about AI making her superhuman.

It's about a small moment.

A sick cat. A dismissed idea. A 14-year-old who didn't give up.

But these small moments add up.

Each time Makena uses AI to communicate what she knows, she builds confidence. Each time she solves a real problem, she reinforces her own capabilities. Each time she changes an adult's mind through research and argument, she learns that her voice matters.

Those are the things that will serve her for life.

Not her standardized test scores. Not whether she's on grade level in reading and math.

But her ability to learn independently. To research effectively. To communicate persuasively. To solve real problems.

That's what education should be about.

And if the traditional system can't provide it, we'll build it ourselves.

With vet shows. And ChatGPT. And sick cats who need medication.

Whatever it takes.

The Future Is Already Here

People talk about the future of education like it's some distant thing. AI tutors. Personalized learning. Adaptive curriculum.

It's already happening.

In homes like mine. With parents who've gone against the grain. With kids who've been given autonomy and tools.

Makena is the future.

Not because she's exceptional. But because she's proof that when you remove barriers and provide tools, neurodivergent learners thrive.

And there are millions of kids like her. Who think differently. Learn differently. Communicate differently. Who've been told they're behind when they're actually just learning in ways the system doesn't measure.

AI tools are changing that.

Not by replacing teachers. Not by eliminating learning. But by bridging the gap between knowledge and communication. Between capability and execution. Between what neurodivergent kids know and what they can show.

That's the revolution.

And it's happening right now. One cat medication discussion at a time.

Thanks for letting me share this.

It's a small story. A personal win. But it's exactly why I write this newsletter.

To document these moments. To prove that this approach works. To give hope to other parents swimming upstream.

Your kid isn't broken.

The system just wasn't built for how they learn.

And now we have tools to work around that.

Matt "Coach" Ivey

Founder, LM Lab AI  |  Creator, Dyslexic AI

Proud dad.

(Dictated, not typed. Obviously.)

TL;DR (Too Long, Didn't Read for my fellow skimmers)

🐱 The Story: Our cat needed medication. Makena (14, dyslexic) suggested crushing the pill into liquid. I said no. She opened ChatGPT, built her case, and proved me wrong. It's been working perfectly for two weeks.

📺 Where She Learned It: Vet shows. Not school. She wants to be a vet, so she absorbs information from shows and connects it to real problems. AI helped her structure that knowledge into something I'd take seriously.

🧠 Why It Matters: A 14-year-old with dyslexia used AI as a communication bridge. She had the knowledge. ChatGPT helped her present it. That's cognitive partnership.

🏫 What School Misses: Standardized tests measure reading, writing, and math. They don't measure hands-on problem-solving, cross-domain thinking, independent research, or confidence in your own ideas.

🔧 How We Adapt: AI-adapted books at her reading level. Discussions after vet shows. Autonomy to research. Tools that let her show what she knows.

📊 The Pattern: Neurodivergent learners + AI tools = capabilities that surprise people. Same pattern. 320+ newsletters. Still proving it.

👨‍👧 For Other Parents: Your neurodivergent kid isn't behind. They're learning in ways the system doesn't measure. Give them the right tools and real problems. Watch what happens.

⬅️ Previous: Edition 323 (going against the grain) and Edition 324 (voice as accessibility). This is the proof it works.

🏈 Bottom Line: The whole country is watching the Super Bowl today. But some of the biggest wins happen at home. Quietly. With a sick cat, a stubborn dad, and a 14-year-old who didn't give up.

If you have a neurodivergent kid who's using AI tools to learn, I want to hear about it. These stories matter. They're proof that the system is changing.