Dr. B’s Professional Spotlight: Stowell Learning Center
“Brain research has proven that through intensive and targeted training the brain can change. New more effective neuropathways can be developed.” -Jill Stowell, Founder and Executive Director of Stowell Learning Centers, Four-Time #1 Best Selling Author
Helping Learners with Dyslexia:
Dyslexia is a learning disorder that impairs reading skills (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th ed.; DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Challenges can include difficulties with accurately reading, decoding, spelling and/or recognizing words, the rate or fluency of reading, and reading comprehension (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013). While challenges with dyslexia may often persist into adulthood for many individuals, research indicates that children can benefit from early intervention (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013; Fletcher et al., 2021).
In May 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill, Senate Bill 691, to require California schools to screen students in kindergarten through second grade for dyslexia. This bill would mandate the State Board of Education to create a list of evidenced-based dyslexia screening tools by June 30, 2024. California schools would be required to implement use of the screening tools during the 2024-2025 academic year.
In this professional spotlight, Dr. Tracy Ballardo interviewed Jill Stowell, the Founder and Executive Director of Stowell Learning Center and four-time #1 Best Selling Author to discuss dyslexia and ways parents and educators can support students with this learning disorder. Keep reading to find helpful ways to learn more and support children with dyslexia.
Questions and Answers with Jill:
Dr. Ballardo: Are there different types of dyslexia? When do students typically experience overt problems with dyslexia?
Jill Stowell: There are different types and degrees of dyslexia, but in general, there will be both auditory and visual processing challenges that impact reading speed, accuracy, and fluency.
Dyslexic challenges begin to show up long before they are recognized as dyslexia when children have difficulty rhyming, pronouncing words, and learning the alphabet. Dyslexic learners tend to be bright and creative, so they are often able to mask their difficulties in the early grades by memorizing the stories. Unfortunately, they recognize very early that reading is more difficult for them than others, which begins to chip away at their self-esteem.
Overt problems with dyslexia can show up at any time, depending upon how well the student is able to cover and compensate, but often by third grade, as the reading demands increase, the problem becomes more evident
Dr. B: Are there any signs that a child may have a learning disorder, such as dyslexia, that may not be as well known to parents? Do they think or learn differently than others without dyslexia?
Jill: Not every child who stumbles over b and d once in a while or struggles at first to sound out words is dyslexic. It is the number and consistency of symptoms that indicate the dyslexic thinking style. While every dyslexic student is different, common characteristics include:
· Creative, visual-spatial thinker - excels at arts, Legos, building, or sports
· Big picture thinker; out-of-the-box problem-solving abilities
· Highly empathetic, charismatic, and/or excels socially
· Doesn’t like to read, but likes to be read to / strong comprehension abilities
· Difficulty learning the alphabet
· Lingering difficulty with letter and number reversals after age 7
· Sounds out every word
· Strong negative emotions towards reading or writing
· Confusion with small words such as the, of, and if when reading
· Guesses at words based on a few letters in the word
· Cannot decode new words; dependent on their fund of memorized words
· Misreads words but gets the meaning (i.e. cat for kitten).
Parents should be watching both for the challenges and evidence of the unique strengths that make up the dyslexic thinking style.
Dr. B: Do you hear students or their families at Stowell Learning Center talk about feeling anxious to speak up or participate in a classroom due to challenges related to having dyslexia?
Jill: YES! Having dyslexia, whether profound or nearly invisible (stealth dyslexia) takes a huge toll on families and students. These are bright, talented, otherwise very capable kids who know they should be able to do better. Going to school every day can be quite traumatic as they fear being found out or embarrassed (called on to read; peers notice poor grades, accommodations, or poor performance).
Dr. B: How can Stowell Learning Center help children with dyslexia?
Jill: It is commonly believed that dyslexic difficulties cannot be corrected – that these high potential children will just have to learn to work around them. This is not true. The painful reading and writing challenges related to dyslexia can be changed while retaining the cognitive advantages that often go along with it.
Brain research has proven that through intensive and targeted training the brain can change. New more effective neuropathways can be developed. Retraining the auditory and visual systems to process the sounds and letters on the page accurately get the brain ready to learn, retain, and comfortably use reading and spelling skills.
This is what we do at SLC. We look carefully at the underlying neurodevelopmental and processing skills that are not supporting the student well enough and create a plan to develop those skills and remediate the reading, writing, and spelling. Our programs are clinically proven and based in neuroscience and learning research.
Dr. B: What are 3 tips that you recommend to parents of children or teens with dyslexia to better help them receive effective accommodations at school?
Jill: Always think of yourself as a partner, not an adversary in your child’s education. Collaborative, informed, and assertive action on your part as the parent is the best way to ensure that your child’s needs are noticed and addressed. Here are some things to keep in mind:
1. Most teachers go into education because they like and want to help children, but outside-the-box kids present challenges in the classroom. Develop a relationship with the teacher. Help the teacher understand your child’s dyslexia and how to support them.
2. Don’t go to the school with a list of demands. Come to school meetings prepared with a list of questions, examples of concerns, and a clear picture of what you would like to have happen.
3. Dyslexic students can be quite sensitive about their learning differences and need for accommodations. They may be resistant to help because they don’t want to be singled out or embarrassed. Before going to the school, help your child or teen understand their diagnosis of dyslexia and their own profile of strengths and challenges. Then explore together what supports or accommodations would be helpful to them in the classroom. Accommodations will be more successful when the student has buy-in and feels heard and understood.
Interested in Stowell Learning Center’s Dyslexia Screener? Click here for more details.
How to get in touch with Stowell Learning Center:
Email: resources@stowellcenter.com
Website: www.stowellcenter.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stowellcenter/
Various locations:
Chino: 15192 Central Ave. Chino, CA 91710
Irvine: 1150 Main St. Suite B Irvine, CA 92614
Pasadena (new location): 123 North Lake Ave, Suite 100 Pasadena CA 91101
Thousand Oaks: 275 E. Hillcrest Drive, Suite 145 Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
References:
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of
mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596
Fletcher, Francis, D. J., Foorman, B. R., & Schatschneider, C. (2021). Early Detection of Dyslexia
Risk: Development of Brief, Teacher-Administered Screens. Learning Disability
Quarterly, 44(3), 145–157. https://doi.org/10.1177/0731948720931870
Senate Bill 691, (2023) https://legiscan.com/CA/text/SB691/id/2705088