Dyslexia Is NOT Seeing Words Backwards

4H of Monmouth County introduces Kids Klub for dyslexic children. 

Do you know what dyslexia is? 

Dyslexia is not reading words backwards.  Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability, referring to a cluster of symptoms, which result in people having difficulties with specific language skills, particularly reading.

Students with dyslexia usually experience difficulties with other language skills such as spelling, writing, and pronouncing words.  It is of neurological origin in a person with average or above average intelligence, for whom there are no other physical, medical, or psychological conditions sufficiently serious enough to account for the language handling deficits.  

In a nutshell, dyslexics process and learn differently. 

That’s how Decoding Dyslexia NJ was born in fall of 2011.  Decoding Dyslexia NJ is a grassroots movement of parents of dyslexic children who were concerned with the limited access to educational interventions for dyslexia and other language based disabilities within our public schools.  Decoding Dyslexia has now spread to 25 states and is growing every day.  Decoding Dyslexia is a great support for parents, but what about the children themselves?

Parents please join us at our Dyslexia Awareness Roundtable for parents and Kid Klub sign ups on June 13th at 6pm, located at 4H Building, 3000 Kolzowski Road, Freehold. 

Speakers will include Karen Kimberlin MS, CCC-SLP, Sandra Luscari, Esq. and Jennifer Slaight a dyslexic specialist and Barton certified tutor.  Topics will include: the full impact of language on reading disabilities, the IDEIA and how to ensure your child's right to a free and appropriate public education, as well as, what are the appropriate multi sensory programs and why they are so vital to dyslexic children.

Kids Klub will be a place where the children will they will run their own meetings, pick their own projects, perform community service, all while finding support among friends.

How many dyslexic children are there?  According to the National Institute of Health’s report published in 1994, dyslexia affects 1 out of every 5 students in the United States.  There are 60 million Americans that are dyslexic, but sadly only 5% have ever been properly diagnosed.  Director Steven Speilberg was just diagnosed at the age of 60!  Dyslexia represents the most common and prevalent of all learning disabilities which can be identifiable with 92% accuracy at ages 5 ½ to 6 ½.  Unfortunately, majority of school districts do not screen nor recognize dyslexia.  At this very moment there are thousands of New Jersey public school children sitting in our classrooms needlessly struggling.

A report by the New Jersey Commission of Business Efficiency of the Public Schools on the topic of Special Education Reform, published in 2006, states the following :

Nationwide, approximately 80% of Specific Learning Disabled (SLD) students have primary difficulties in reading. Approximately half of all New Jersey students with the special education classification are classified SLD. Research indicates that as many as 70% of the children with the classification of SLD would not have been classified at all had they been appropriately screened prior to 1st grade and thus received the appropriate early intervention strategies.  Unfortunately, under the present practice many of these children struggle in traditional classrooms until they are classified SLD at the end of second grade or beginning of 3rd grade. According to the 2011 National Assessment Educational Progress Report, 56.1% of NJ 4th graders are below proficient in reading. This statistic speaks volumes for the need for educational reform.

If you or someone you know has a child that is struggling in school, please attend the roundtable on June 13th, or email kim@decodingdyslexianj.org for more information.