Dyslexia Center of the Shoals Inc

Holland's story begins with a talkative, engaging, confident toddler who spoke early and to everyone. This little girl spoke contemplatively about various subjects using vocabulary that quite frankly we had never heard before from a toddler. Her twin brother did not need to talk for she could handle the work beautifully for both of them. She was special.

It was unexpected when in first grade her reading didn't follow the same advanced path that the rest of her little life so far had led. She connected sounds to their symbols but not at pace or automaticity that one would expect from her. The laborious sounding out of letters while reading became a permanent habit. Her brother's reading fluency flourished as he bypassed her. Hum? A child who shined intellectually up to now felt the first sting of academic isolation. Determined not to fall behind, she worked three, four, five times harder in class and at home to memorize the same sounds/symbols connections that her peers were finding easy to master with practice. Yet, she barely scored at a first grade reading level.

My point is that many struggling readers are not "lazy"; they work three times as hard. They are not "dumb"; their IQ scores are typically above average. They are regular kids of hard working educated parents. The latest research with FMRI's show us that these kids have strong neuro pathways on the RIGHT side of the brain. Thus, they don't respond to traditional public and private school teaching which targets 80% of our children who use the LEFT side of the brain for reading.

Amazingly, research has evolved tremendously in 15 years and there is solid proven evidence that 20% of school age children can be remediated...can learn to read...can contribute to our future economies and families...can feel "good" about themselves. However, they must be taught to read using the stronger right side of the brain. Traditional Alabama public and private school systems don't have the skill base, teacher preparation programs, or money to teach this multi-sensory method of reading to our children. When our school systems fail, Alabama families are left to shoulder the brunt of the expense. At $35-$40/hour at a minimum of three days a week, average income families are at a disadvantage. Multi-Sensory Orton-Gillingham tutoring should not be for just the wealthy.

I love the Dyslexia Center of the Shoals because they give my child, Holland, the resources and right brained teaching that she needs to read. It is amazing to see my daughter shine again. Please stand with me in support of the Dyslexia Center of the Shoals. They are the ONLY local non-profit agency that provides scholarships for Shoals area students in need of dyslexia remediation and tutoring.