Tuesday, April 04, 2006
LearningRx of Westerville takes on the challenge to eliminate dyslexia/reading problems
Local cognitive training center offers free screenings to every person ages five to adult
Colorado Springs, CO
FOR RELEASE April 4, 2006
Contact:
Tracy Derifield
Director
LearningRx of Westerville
(614)899-8008
LearningRx of Westerville takes on the challenge to eliminate dyslexia/reading problems
Local cognitive training center offers free screenings to every person ages five to adult
Westerfield, OH (Grassroots Newswire) -- LearningRx of Westerville announced today its participation in “2 out of 5” - a nationwide campaign to wipe out dyslexia (reading problems) and to raise awareness that reading disabilities can be overcome when warning signs are recognized early and the causes are treated appropriately.
Now through April 30, the cognitive training provider will offer free testing to everyone who struggles to read at its Westerville learning center, located at 5040 Pine Creek Drive. The goal is to help parents and professionals understand, identify and overcome reading problems that plague children today.
“There is a knowledge gap among parents, educators and providers about dyslexia,” said Tracy Derifield, center director of LearningRx of Westerville. “If early warning signs are detected, children can overcome learning problems by retraining the way their brain processes information.”
The national testing program is in response to new studies that prove that dyslexia can be overcome by retraining the brain pathways most active in early readers.
In 2003, Dr. Sally Shaywitz, a neuroscientist and co-director of the Yale Center for the Study of Learning and Attention published a definitive work on the subject entitled “Overcoming Dyslexia.” Through revolutionary brain imaging technology her research team illustrated that dyslexics use different pathways for learning to read. It went on to say that the brain is incredibly responsive to targeted intervention. Essentially, the brains of dyslexics can be rewired to respond like those of their non-dyslexic peers.
Dr. Gibson, founder of LearningRx and a dyslexic himself, recognized the power behind the finding.
“The findings of Dr. Shaywitz, along with our own experience, give us a pulpit from which to preach that every parent, educator and professional concerned about a student should be proactive. We now have the tools to identify and treat learning disabilities to ensure student success.”
The learning disability now affects two in five school children. In a recent study, dyslexia made up 88 percent of reading problems affecting children.
Gibson goes on to describe the results of unidentified learning problems. Thousands of children have difficulties that go unidentified throughout their school career. This often leads to reduced self-esteem and lost hope. Dyslexics that struggle often drop out of school, or do not pursue post-secondary education.
“Waiting does not work,” says Dr. Gibson, “as students do not ‘outgrow’ dyslexia. In today’s economy access to education is the delineating factor for individual career success.”
Experts like Shaywitz and Gibson encourage parents to play a greater role in their child’s struggles, by recognizing warning signs and searching out a reliable evaluation and treatment option.
And correction and prevention is possible. In a recent study conducted in Tallahassee Florida where a research based training program was implemented, the percentage of struggling readers dropped 88.4 percent.
“An informed parent can be the critical factor responsible for changing an unhappy struggling reader into a happy, proficient one,” notes Derifield.
Interested parents and professionals are encouraged to call Tracy Derifield at (614)899-8008 or visit www.learningrx.com.
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