Laurie Cheriff
As a history major, I gained a lot of experience in research and writing, and I fell in love with the stories of our past. Once I had children of my own, I was eager to share in their love of learning, writing stories, and getting lost in a good book. However, when my daughter was in kindergarten, she was really struggling. While many of her peers were moving right along, she couldn't spell or read at all. We were both becoming increasingly frustrated. It broke my heart.
Flash forward to second grade. We were still working as hard as we could, spinning our wheels and squandering away precious playtime to memorize spelling words, learn to count money, the days of the week and months of the year, our address, and tell time, but nothing stuck. And she still couldn't read. Fortunately, I had a few friends, who I will be eternally grateful, suggest our daughter might be dyslexic. Like so many, I didn't really know much about it so I started my research.
I read everything I could about dyslexia. I learned how it's hereditary and very common; one in five people have dyslexia! I learned there are varying degrees, what areas of the brain it affects, and how dyslexics must be taught to improve their reading and spelling skills. What was most intriguing to discover is schools do not automatically screen. Many wait until kids are so far behind, even sometimes repeating grades before action is taken, if at all. Unfortunately, many kids are often never identified. They go through their entire educational experience believing they're dumb, dropping out of school, and sometimes winding up in prison simply because so many educators do not understand dyslexia, or their hands are tied.
I had already spent years volunteering in the classroom starting with my older child, but my perception of how I was actually helping kids changed the more I read and learned. I was working in small groups of struggling children taking turns reading together the best they could. Without tools, I was of no use to them other than to read the words they were stuck on for them, and for some, there were a lot of words! Then there were the fluency drills I administered. Struggling readers are encouraged to read a paragraph over and over again to gain fluency, and read it in under two minutes. That is memorization, not teaching to read, and memorization doesn’t happen easily for dyslexics either. If they can memorize a spelling list or reading passage, it’s only temporary. Accuracy should always come before fluency.
Next, I came across the National Center For Learning Disabilities website, and they had a questionnaire. If I could check off five of the twenty-five identifiable questions, I should have my daughter evaluated for dyslexia. I checked off fifteen! The following day, I met with her teacher and requested a meeting to have my daughter evaluated, and start the process of getting her the accommodations and services she was desperately in need of, and if she qualified, something she is legally entitled to. More often than not, it's up to the parents to get the ball rolling.
She went through a series of tests by the school psychologist. It was discovered there was a huge discrepancy between her intellect and her performance on school work. What it boils down to is kids who have an average, or often an above average IQ, but are still struggling with basic reading and writing are likely dyslexic. Although her school didn’t diagnose her, the evaluation showed she is a textbook case for dyslexia. Most schools prefer to log their conclusions under SLD, or Specific Learning Disability, even though there is nothing specific about it. She was granted an IEP (Individualized Education Program). It was such a relief to know why our daughter was struggling so we could hopefully begin the path to getting her the right intervention through accommodations and services.
Struggling readers and writers need to be taught to read and spell individually and explicitly using an appropriate method, and at their own pace. Sadly, many schools do not offer effective methods or programs for kids with dyslexia, and there are rarely enough resources to work one-on-one. The services offered to my daughter changed often, they met in groups for short periods of time (when school was in session), and she wasn't making any progress. She just kept falling further behind.
The Barton Reading and Spelling Program was the answer for us! It is research-based, multisensory, individualized, and perfectly appropriate for any struggling student, dyslexic or not. I began tutoring my daughter three days a week and I can now proudly say she is happily reading fluently, with prosody, and doing very well in school! I was so impressed with the results, I decided to become a certified Barton tutor so I could help others achieve their goals as well. I am very excited to help frustrated children succeed, and see their confidence grow.
If you know someone who is dyslexic, or having great difficulty with reading and writing below grade level, I am happy to help them reach their potential.
