In the Beginning…

This is the first article I ever wrote about dyslexia—a sort of
“one mother’s journey” approach. It remains an honest account of the all-too-common initial struggle to recognize dyslexia in a child, and the continued difficulties in obtaining appropriate instruction in public school.

What I’ve learned since then is how extraordinarily lucky we were to make the case to the school district—that admitted they did not have a way to teach a dyslexic child—and to have a school board that was responsive enough to vote for him to receive outside expert instruction from Lindamood-Bell.

While I was grateful my son got the help he needed, I was very uncomfortable when I realized there were many other students with dyslexia who were not getting the same kind of specialized instruction.

That set me upon a path of becoming an advocate for other parents as well as a community member determined to make institutional change in the district. All those years ago, I believed that our public schoolteachers should be trained in the kind of professional, research- and evidence-based instructional approach that had made such a positive difference in my own son’s life.

The article was actually reprinted by the Lindamood-Bell corporation and distributed throughout its centers. I helped facilitate some teacher training and was recognized as a Local Hero, an annual honor bestowed on several community members by our weekly newspaper at Thanksgiving time. 

Nearly two decades later, after some successes and more failures, we’re still at it: advocating, speaking out, supporting other parents, working with other community members. And regularly writing about dyslexia and literacy. We remain dedicated to making a difference and strive for creative, collaborative solutions to this issue of dyslexia denial and unnecessary struggle that transcends generations, to the detriment of all of us.