DISABILITIES WEEK 143

By Daniel J. Vance

A reader of this column in the Millerton News in upstate New York recently wrote me about Kildonan School, a private grade 2-12 campus near him for students with dyslexia.

The International Dyslexia Association defines dyslexia as a “specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding.” It seriously affects perhaps five percent of Americans.

Teachers at Kildonan School exclusively use the Orton-Gillingham learning approach, which in part combines visual, auditory and kinesthetic teaching methods.

“With the Orton-Gillingham approach, I noticed a difference immediately,” said Kildonan School student Christy Curran, 18, in a telephone interview. She began there in the ninth grade. “My grades went up because [the teachers] were taking the time to help me break down learning, whether that was with flash cards, visual pictures, or by letting me bring note cards to math tests. The teachers put learning in a language I understood and taught me how to read and spell.”

Curran said that her old public school had “separated out” students with learning disabilities and hadn't taught them in a format tailored to their specific needs.

She said, “In public school I lacked confidence. It was frustrating coming home not understanding what had been taught and also having my mom working (on schoolwork) with me three hours nightly. I hadn't time for anything social.”

At Kildonan School, students receive forty-five minutes of daily one-on-one instruction with a teacher trained in the Orton-Gillingham approach. The method of teaching and supportive environment have helped Curran's confidence.

“As soon as you start talking with other students here, you realize you aren't alone,” she said. “Other students have struggles like yours.”

Many U.S. school children with dyslexia face taunts due to their reading ability. And many uninformed parents mistakenly believe it can be overcome by better motivating their child to learn or simply by fixing eye problems.

It seems this unique learning approach is helping at least Christy Curran move on toward a brighter future. She intends on majoring in child psychology in college.

To people with dyslexia, she said, “You have to advocate for yourself. If you don't, then no one will understand you and you're going to be left alone in the dark. You will never get help.”

For more, see www.danieljvance.com or www.interdys.org