Success in Hawai'i

A mother in Hawai'i was persistent in her efforts to get her son's learning difficulties identified and remediated.

The mother refused to  accept 'lack of motivation' as an explanation for her son's problems in school

Also, congratulations to the reporter for clearly understanding what dyslexia is.

Persistence helps dissipate cloud of dyslexia
By CLAUDINE SAN NICOLAS, Staff Writer

KIHEI – Had it not been for Liza Pierce’s intuition and her meticulous research, she may not have ever discovered that her son, Gardner, was dyslexic.

Pierce’s oldest son, now 8 years old and enrolled in the 2nd grade at Kamalii Elementary School, had had a normal birth and breezed through preschool without incident.

Entering kindergarten, Gardner shared his classmates’ excitement about starting school.

“He was very happy about school,” Pierce recalled in a recent interview.

But after a couple of months, a teacher reported that Gardner was exhibiting behavioral problems in class, throwing temper tantrums and refusing to complete short assignments.

“He would shut down sometimes,” Liza recalled.

By the second quarter of kindergarten, Gardner’s teacher indicated on his report card her disappointment over his lack of improvement. Pierce noted that her son would engage in art, singing and physical education, but he became uncooperative when it came to reading or writing.

“That’s when I thought I need to find out” what was causing Gardner’s apparent resistance to learning, she said.

Following his kindergarten year, Gardner was placed in a transitional 1st grade class at Kamalii Elementary. According to records, he was disruptive and could be demanding in class. The more frustrated he became, the more his behavior deteriorated.

Heartbroken over her son’s difficulties in school, Liza Pierce read books on learning disabilities from the local libraries and combed the Internet. Among the Web sites she visited were ones on dyslexia, and she found that symptoms coincided with those observed in Gardner.

Dyslexia is generally considered a neurological disorder in which the brain is unable to properly decode symbols, which means the individual has difficulty reading or understanding letters and numbers.

In February 2004, an evaluation done on Gardner determined his IQ was superior at 127 for a 7-year-old, but his reading ability was very low. The Department of Education followed up by qualifying Gardner for special education and providing him with resource support to assist him with his reading problems.

A few months later, Gardner was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, which is characterized by an inability to concentrate. Pierce said she did not and does not oppose the ADHD diagnosis but given Gardner’s continuing reading problems, she also believed he had dyslexia.

Pierce said she was told her son just needed discipline to be a better student.

“I couldn’t accept ’lack of motivation’ ” as the sole issue behind Gardner’s problems, she said.

So Pierce sought an evaluation from an independent educational consultant that summer. The consultant determined Gardner was dyslexic.

“This is a young man with considerable potential, but who is already frustrated and developing a poor attitude,” wrote Catharine Critz of Child Development Consultation Services on Oahu.

Following Critz’s diagnosis of dyslexia, Pierce and her husband, Bradley, hired reading and spelling tutor Karen Kaderabek, who specializes in tutoring children with dyslexia. The Pierces also arranged for training for Gardner’s classroom teacher so that she would understand the problem of dyslexia and how to help students with the learning disability.

Kaderabek prefers not to label dyslexia as a learning disability, but rather as a child’s “unique learning style.” Someone who is dyslexic has difficulty with letters and words, reversing letters such as “d” or “b” or juggling letters in a word to turn “was” into “saw” or “left” into “felt.”

The dysfunction is believed to be genetically based and is considered a disorder, not a disease that can be “cured.” But a person suffering from the disorder can learn to deal with it, according to the International Dyslexia Association.

Using research-based methods like multisensory teaching, Kaderabek breaks down words into single sound units that have certain sequences and formats. For example, she teaches that there are several ways to pronounce “a” in words such as “ai” in rain, “ay” in play, “ea” in break and “eigh” in sleigh.

“The sounds are so specific, and I teach them what they are,” Kaderabek said.

Dyslexics don’t outgrow their problems, but Kaderabek said she can teach them techniques to compensate for their learning disability.

Gardner came to Kaderabek as a child disinterested in reading.

“He was to the point that he couldn’t and wouldn’t read,” Kaderabek recalled.

Today, according to Kaderabek, Gardner reads above average for his 2nd-grade level. His spelling is close to grade level, and “we’re working on improving that as well,” Kaderabek said.

Liza Pierce said she doesn’t get any more reports about Gardner’s misbehavior and he appears to be enjoying school this year.

“He’s very pleasant now,” she said.

October is designated as National Dyslexia Awareness Month, and Liza Pierce said she wanted to take this time to share her story to help parents like herself.

About 5 percent to 6 percent of the public school children in the country have been diagnosed with a learning disability, of which 80 percent of the diagnoses are dyslexia-related, Pierce’s research materials say.

Kaderabek alone has 14 dyslexics she tutors on Maui, and up to 27 more children on Oahu.

The most difficult part of assisting dyslexic children is helping them to understand that they can be smart in school, Kaderabek said.

“They have to realize that strength in reading and spelling has nothing to do with whether you’re smart,” she said.

She reminds her students that English is the “trickiest” language in the world, and it’s even more difficult with dyslexics who see reversals in words.

Kaderabek said it’s important to note that children with dyslexia are often gifted and productive; they just learn differently.

“The dyslexic must fill in the gaps between what he actually sees, hears and feels in the outer world and how he thinks about these things in his head and puts them into words,” Kaderabek said. “But he needs more help sorting, recognizing and putting them in order.”

Pierce said she’s grateful for all the help she’s been able to get at the library, on the Internet and by talking to others who have gone through the same experience as hers.

She advised parents to be persistent if they’re not satisfied with an evaluation of their child. A parent, according to Pierce, needs to be informed as much as possible.

“They need to do their homework, and they need to network,” she said.

Pierce also recommended that parents volunteer in their children’s classrooms to keep attuned with what’s happening in their education. Parents also need to follow up with the school on any concerns they have about their children’s progress in class.

Aside from countless hours in the library and on the Internet, Pierce talked to educators at Assets School on Oahu, a private campus for children with dyslexia. She’s now working on getting Gardner the services he needs to keep making strides in school.

“I just feel like it’s all been worth it,” she said. “We’ve still got a long way to go, but I’m glad we got the early intervention Gardner needed.”

Claudine San Nicolas can be reached at claudine@mauinews.com.