Dyslexia is the most common learning struggle faced by kids; one in five, or 20% of the population, struggles with it. Out of this group only one in 10 will be diagnosed, and out of that number only one in 10 will qualify for special education.
Many area families face this reality. One of those parents, Kristi Gosch, has taken it upon herself to try to do something to help.
Gosch’s oldest daughter was diagnosed with dyslexia; in third grade she transferred her to St. Katherine in St. Cloud because Becker School District didn’t have the resources to accommodate her.
“Unfortunately, St. Katherine only goes through sixth-grade,” she said. “So, we’ll be going back to Becker. I want to see some change happen.”
In September, Gosch went before the Becker School Board to talk about the problem; her daughter came along and afterwards thanked her mom for standing up for her.
In mid-October Gosch organized an event, ‘Why Some Smart Kids Struggle to Read,’ for parents and educators to learn more dyslexia. It was presented by Lori Langerud from Reading Resources in St. Cloud, who talked about warning signs, strengths of dyslexic learners, multi-sensory learning and local resources.
“We’ve set up our system to identify children struggling to read,” said Becker Schools Asst. Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Jean Duffy. “We use a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS). Many kids learn to read on Tier 1, kids on Tier 2 need more support, and kids on Tier 3 need the most.”
She explained kindergarten through fifth-grade Becker students are screened three times a year with an assessment they’ve established to identify those who are going to struggle to read; children who attend the school readiness program before starting kindergarten are also screened. Along with this, many Becker teachers hold a reading specialist license.
“Dyslexia has to be diagnosed by a doctor,” she added, “But I feel strongly we can’t wait for that. We’ve built the system to close as many gaps as we can.”
Over the years the district has also developed a rigorous standard for determining the best program for each child, whatever their need may be.
“Students are placed in the right program for them and we monitor their progress frequently to see if they’re responding,” said Duffy. “If they’re not responding we can qualify them for special education.”
Like all districts, she said one of the difficulties will always be funding and staffing.
St. Cloud District 742, which includes Clearview Elementary, has hired a dyslexia coordinator this year and has begun using the Barton Reading Program method, a multisensory program that was developed for kids with dyslexia and uses all the senses to help them make connections between sounds and words. Barton is also one of the programs used by Becker Schools.
James Adelman has struggled with dyslexia his entire life.
“I always knew I had it but there were no specialized programs to help me,” he said. “School tried to mold me into what they wanted me to be instead of what I needed.”
In college, he used his abilities to work around his disability in order to succeed but tests continued to be especially difficult. When it came time to take one he would freeze.
Adelman took a dyslexia class that taught him how to use his creative mind as an advantage, using something to contribute to the word, like a picture, to help it make more sense.
“You can be frustrated or you can learn to adapt,” he said. “I still struggle with it but having that ability helps me to be more successful. I feel like if I’d had these tools at a younger age I would have been more successful in more areas.”
Gosch said there are many children in Becker struggling with dyslexia; another mom of a dyslexic child thanked her for being a voice for them.
“My biggest thing right now is I want my daughter to continue to feel confident,” said Gosch. “Right now, she’s gaining her confidence and feeling better about herself.”
For more information on resources for dyslexia, visit mnreadingresources.com.
