Does your child struggle with reading, writing and spelling? Do you read textbooks to your son or daughter? Do you find you and your child spending hours working on homework? On November 16, Westerville Parent Council will host a documentary movie and audience question-and-answer session with a panel of experts (including a parent participant) to discuss the “science of reading,” the most common cause of reading, writing and spelling challenges and how families can support their children at all grade levels.
The brain is a complex organ and has areas in which it both excels and struggles. Difficulty reading, spelling and writing are challenges faced by many, and the most common cause of these challenges is a learning difference called dyslexia. Dyslexia is not the reversal of letters or reading backwards - a common myth. It is a specific, neurologically based inability to quickly and effectively, as compared to a standard learner, decode and obtain meaning from the printed word.
Of the American public school children diagnosed with a learning difference, 85% of the diagnoses are dyslexia-related. Studies indicate that up to 20% of the entire population has some degree of dyslexia. With one in five having dyslexia challenges, it is important that students are taught the way their brain is wired and that families are equipped with ways to support their children at home as well.
This free event will take place on Wednesday, November 16, at 6:30 p.m. at Westerville Central High School, located at 7118 Mount Royal Avenue. For more information, please contact westervilleparentcouncil@gmail.com. To learn more about dyslexia, contact the event co-sponsor, the International Dyslexia Association-Central Ohio, at http://coh.dyslexiaida.org.