Free Workshop for Parents of Dyslexic Children

LearningRx is sponsoring an informational workshop to show parents how to address their children’s cognitive skills in order to reduce the learning struggles associated with dyslexia. This one-night workshop will be held on October 29 from 7:00-8:00 p.m. at the LearningRx Center in Carmel and is free of charge. The office is located at 12337 Hancock Street, Suite 18, in Carmel. Parents, educators, and others who deal with this disorder are encouraged to attend.

Laurie Ferry, M. Ed., Cognitive Educator, will be presenting the latest research behind reading struggles as well as provide strategies and techniques for parents and educators to help alleviate the symptoms of reading struggles. Each participate will receive a copy of Overcoming Dyslexia by Dr. Sally Shaywitz, who is a leading author on the subject.

LearningRx programs are geared towards enhancing the underlying fundamental skills that people need to be able to learn and read efficiently. Instead of addressing academic content, LearningRx targets and enhances cognitive skills.  Effectively improving cognitive skills such as memory, processing speed, attention, visualization, logic and reasoning, comprehension, and auditory processing translates to increased efficiency in overall learning. A crucial skill used for reading is auditory processing. Weaknesses in this area include letter reversals, avoidance of reading, poor reading and spelling, lack of concentration, inability to follow oral instructions, inability to sit still, slow work, careless errors, or troubles copying.

Estimates by the US Department of Health & Human Services, show that 15% of all American students may have dyslexia.  According to the International Dyslexia Association in Baltimore, early identification and appropriate intervention with a dyslexic child are essential.  When identified early, remediating a learning disability can be accomplished using proven, multi-sensory teaching methods, enabling the majority of students with identified learning disabilities the opportunity to reach their full potential.  “When a child does not learn to read, their lives are affected forever”, says Nancy Hennessy, past President of IDA.  “Teaching a child to read is a fundamental responsibility of our educational system and IDA believes strongly that effective instruction depends on the qualitative preparation of teachers and on-going professional development.  If we give our teachers the right tools, they will succeed and our children will also succeed.”