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Evaluations and Therapy
Screener Letter from School
Has your child received a letter from his/her school stating he/she failed a Dyslexia Screener?
In accordance with Mississippi Code Ann. § 37-173-15, each local school district must screen students for dyslexia in the spring of Kindergarten and the fall of Grade 1 using a State Board of Education approved screener. The screener must contain the following components: Phonological Awareness, Phonemic Awareness, Sound Symbol Recognition, Alphabet Knowledge, Decoding skills, Encoding skills, and Rapid Naming. If the student fails the screener, the parent or legal guardian will be notified of the results of the screener.
Your child may have received 2 letters, one in their Kindergarten year and one in their first grade year.
What do you do now?
Call or email! When you contact Illuminations, one of our knowledgeable staff members will be able to answer your questions regarding dyslexia, dyslexia evaluation, tutoring, and dyslexia therapy.
What you should know:
Schools do not have to evaluate for dyslexia, they only have to screen children to determine who might be at risk.
Children with dyslexia can learn how to read and write successfully.
Dyslexia therapy is available to your child in person and on-line even as you wait for results of evaluation.
What is Dyslexia?
International Dyslexia Association
The IDA states that it is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and /or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.
International Dyslexia Association, 2004
Does my child have dyslexia?
Individuals with dyslexia have trouble with reading, writing, spelling and/or math even though they have the ability and have had opportunities to learn. Individuals with dyslexia can learn, but they often need specialized instruction to overcome the problem. Often these individuals, who have talented and productive minds, are said to have a language learning difference. Most of us have one or two of these characteristics. That does not mean that everyone has dyslexia. A person with dyslexia usually has several of these characteristics that persist and interfere with functioning over time.
Reading Deficits
- Difficulty learning to read
- Difficulty identifying or generating rhyming words, or counting syllables in words (phonological awareness)
- Difficulty with hearing and manipulating sounds in words (phonemic awareness)
- Difficulty distinguishing different sounds in words (phonological processing)
- Difficulty in learning the sounds of letters (phonics)
- Difficulty remembering names and shapes of letters
- Transposing the order of letters and/or numbers
- Misreading or omitting common short words
- “Stumbles” through longer words
- Poor reading comprehension during oral or silent reading, often because words are not accurately read
Oral Language Deficits
- Late learning to talk
- Difficulty pronouncing words
- Difficulty acquiring vocabulary and grammar
- Difficulty following directions
- Confusion with before/after, right/left, today/tomorrow
- Difficulty learning the alphabet, nursery rhymes, or songs
- Difficulty with word retrieval or naming problems
Written Language Deficits
- Difficulty putting ideas on paper
- Many spelling mistakes
- Unsure of handedness
- Poor or slow handwriting
- Messy and unorganized papers
- Difficulty copying or proofreading
- Poor fine motor skills
- May do well on weekly spelling tests, but may have many errors in daily work
- Difficulty proofreading
Therapy
What about school?
What is Dyslexia Therapy?
What is Dyslexia Therapy?
Your child may be receiving remediation at school. Under the Every Student Succeeds Act, all students not making progress should receive "tier" interventions. As a parent of a child with dyslexia, look for instruction that is:
Intensive
Very frequent for sufficient time.
Explicit
All skills for reading, spelling, and writing are explained, directly taught, and modeled. Children are discouraged from guessing at words.
Systematic and cumulative
The concepts follow a logical, sequential order, from simple to more complex; each new concept builds upon previously introduced concepts, with built in review to aid memory and retrieval.
Structured
Step-by-step procedures for introducing, reviewing, and practicing concepts.
Multi-sensory
To link listening, speaking, reading, and writing together; we involve movement and “hands-on” learning.
What is Dyslexia Therapy?
What is Dyslexia Therapy?
What is Dyslexia Therapy?
- Alphabet instruction
- Recognition of letters/sounds
- Categories
- Rapid Automatized Naming
- Learned Words
- Reading accuracy and fluency
- Comprehension
- Grammar and writing
- Cursive handwriting
- Phonological awareness
- Etymology (language of origin)
- Oral language development
- Vocabulary
- Spelling rules
- Affixes and word roots
All in one hour sessions designed for mastery, quick pace, and FUN!
What curriculum is used?
What curriculum is used?
What curriculum is used?
The National Institute of Mental Health reports that 95% of children can achieve grade-level grading success with specialized help early. The core of Illuminations methodology evolves from the Orton-Gillingham based methods: a scientific, universally-successful, specific teaching approach that combines auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learning modalities.
Most of our therapists are trained in Alphabetic Phonics or a derivative, Neuhaus Basic Language Skills, earning a master's degree and certification by the Academic Language Therapy Association. Some are certified by the Children's Dyslexia Centers, and other by the Center for Effective Reading Instruction and the International Dyslexia Association. All our therapists are highly trained to deliver structured literacy in direct, explicit lessons designed for your child.
Illuminations offers a range of educational services designed to help children and adults overcome learning challenges and achieve their academic goals. Our services include dyslexia therapy, math tutoring and math therapy, handwriting, academic tutoring, reading comprehension instruction, and test preparation. We have a team of experienced and qualified tutors who work with each client to create a personalized plan tailored to their individual needs.
We can deliver therapy in person or online. We are a Lexercise Certified Structured Literacy Provider.
Individualized Schedules
What curriculum is used?
What curriculum is used?
We craft each schedule according to your child's needs, taking into consideration extracurricular activities and your family's time constraints.
Pricing Information:
All of our services are billed on a sliding scale, and we use grant funds to cover a portion of the cost for all families earning less than 200% of the Federal Poverty Limit. This means that even if you are on a tight budget, you can still receive high-quality educational support for yourself or your child.
Children and other dependents should be included in the number of household members. All income sources should be considered. A continuance of Sliding Scale benefits is not guaranteed and is subject to modification and/or elimination at the sole discretion of Illuminations Center for Dyslexia.
Other Common Symptoms
Dyslexia is hereditary
Relatives may have similar problems. Teacher says, “If only she would try harder." Child may have difficulty naming colors, objects, and letters rapidly, in a sequence. Others in family have weak memory for lists, directions, or facts. Some may need to see or hear concepts many times to learn them. Often, dyslexia is accompanied by ADHD.
Dyslexia can affect math
- Difficulty counting accurately
- Difficulty memorizing and retrieving math facts
- Difficulty copying math problems and organizing writing
- Many calculation errors
- Difficulty retaining math vocabulary and concepts
This can be referred to as dyscalculia.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Dyslexia and ADHD can occur together, or separately. Often, one can mask the other. ADHD can be primarily inattentive, primarily hyperactive, or a combined type. This neurological difference is caused by chemical imbalance in the processing centers of the brain. Symptoms include:
- Inattention, Variable attention, Distractibility
- Impulsivity, Hyperactivity
- Difficulty planning and coordinating body movements
- Executive Function/Organization
- Loses papers, forgets homework, messy desk
- Poor sense of time, works slowly
- Overwhelmed by too much input
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