Dyslexia: Fort Wayne, Indiana

Jacquelyn Kelly went most the way through Fort Wayne, Indiana schools without learning to read beyond a second grade level. But she eventually got help from the 32 Degree Masonic Learning Center for Children in Fort Wayne.

WCS board asked to help dyslexics By Charlie Roduta October 12, 2004 

Minutes after Fort Wayne Community Schools administrators presented a report on what schools do to help students learn to read, Wayne High School senior Jacquelyn Kelly responded with a report of her own.

“I have dyslexia,” Kelly told board members Monday. “There is no program for the people like me… There are people in my class that don’t know what they are doing. Some of my friends aren’t going to pass their classes and graduate.”

The testimony came after a presentation by Chief Academic Officer Carol Lindquist, who spotlighted FWCS’ 10 literacy interventions and how schools assess student reading levels.

Board members Kurt Walborn and Steve Corona brought up concerns about how these programs help dyslexic students.

Walborn said 2,300 of the 5,800 students in special education last year were classified as learning disabled, or students with difficulty reading, writing, spelling and understanding basic math concepts. The state does not classify dyslexia as its own disability group, officials said.

Dyslexia is a language disability that affects the person’s ability to learn, read, write and spell, and also results in processing, perception, and attention and concentration problems. About 10 percent-15 percent of U.S. students have dyslexia, according to the Dyslexic Research Institute in Tallahassee, Fla. Only one in 20 dyslexics is recognized and gets help.

Kelly asked board members and administrators to find a program that can help dyslexic students like her.

“I’m still struggling,” said Kelly, who still needs to pass the English portion of the Graduation Qualifying Exam, the 10th-grade version of the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress-plus standardized exam, in order to graduate this spring. “I’m doing what I have to do to learn.”

For more than seven years, Kelly’s dyslexia went undiagnosed until she was tested in the spring of her freshman year by a neuropsychologist, who discovered she had no more than a second-grade reading level. Kelly receives tutoring at the Fort Wayne Masonic Learning Center for Children, where Walborn is the director. The center specializes in tutoring those with dyslexia.

Monday’s discussion was part of a series of reports Superintendent Wendy Robinson plans to present at board meetings showing the district plans to meet the goals of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Fortunatly, teachers in the public schools are now getting help with spotting kids who may have dyslexia and referring them for diagnosis"

Posted on Thu, Jun. 10, 2004 Speaker educates teachers, leaders on dyslexia Helping kids learn is easier than teaching adults, child development expert says. By Charlie Roduta

The message was clear to the 150-some crowd who came to hear one of the nation's authorities on literacy: Reading is not a natural skill, but one that needs to be taught.

The way to teach it is through scientifically proven methods, Reid Lyon told educators at a workshop Wednesday at the Grand Wayne Center, 120 W. Jefferson Blvd.

"Helping kids learn to read is much easier than helping adults adjust," said Lyon, an adviser to President Bush on child development and education research.

Lyon was the featured speaker in a summit for business leaders and workshop for local teachers, librarians and education groups. The Literary Alliance, Allen County Local Education Fund, Allen County Public Library and the Early Childhood Alliance were instrumental in bringing him to Fort Wayne.

During the teacher workshop, Lyon described the impact of illiteracy on public health, such as difficulty in reading prescriptions and medication labels.

He said poverty also plays a role in how well children can read, citing that parents might not be able to afford books or have the time to read to their children.

According to a 2003 report by the National Assessment for Educational Progress, also known as the Nation's Report Card, 67 percent of Indiana fourth-graders are reading below standards. More than one-third of students -- and two-thirds of minority students -- cannot read with clarity and fluency, according to a 1999 report by the National Center for Education Statistics.

"If we continue to see reading failure rates above 10 percent, we're not doing our job," he said.

Lyon also reviewed the five components of reading as identified in the National Reading Panel's 2000 report: phonemic awareness, or the manipulation of sounds; phonics, or the relationship of sounds with letters; fluency; vocabulary; and text comprehension.

"The significant impact we can have in the classroom is having well-trained teachers that are implementing the critical components of reading," said one in attendance, Kurt Walborn, director of the Fort Wayne Masonic Learning Center for Children, which specializes in

tutoring those with dyslexia. He also is a school board member with Fort Wayne Community Schools.

Lyon is a research psychologist and chief of the Child Development Behavior Branch at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The institute supports and conducts research on health topics related to children, adults and families and is part of the National Institute of Health, the biomedical research arm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

"(Lyon's message) reinforces all of the things we are doing," said Condra Ridley, youth services specialist for the Allen County Public Library. "It gives me more hope that we are making the difference we need to make."

Flor Guayamo, parent coordinator for United Hispanic-Americans Inc., said she was impressed with Lyon's comments on how parents and teachers -- not just the children -- need help. Guayamo said the nonprofit organization plans to refer Spanish-speaking parents to reading workshops for Spanish families sponsored by the Allen County Local Education Fund.

(The center is located at 431 O Berry St - (260) 423-2593)

Comments

[Chris Dyben]

I am the mother of a 14 year old who struggles beyond measure with reading. We have often thought her to be dyslexic. Where would we have our child tested for dyslexia? We live in the Fort Wayne area and homeschool due to her learning disability. She has about a first grade reading level and can also read a bit at the second grade level. She also struggles with math. Any suggestions? Any ideas will be a help!

[Liz]

I have a 10 year old son who is dyslexic. He has been tested several different places including FWCS. Dr, Dodzic is a neurophyschologist who test for dyslixia. The school csn not identify dyslexia it has to be by a certain doctor. It is very hard to get help in Ft. Wayne. There needs to be an AWSOME school for "normal" children with learning disabilities, especially dyslixia. Good Luck in your search. Don't ever give up looking for the best for your daughter. You are her only advocate and she is our future.