Surprisingly, most public schools do not even use the word, "dyslexia," and if a child is tested for a suspected reading disability, they do not screen for, or ever diagnose dyslexia. 
But what would happen if public schools were willing to start using the "d-word"? A school district in Texas began the process of screening and providing the right kind of intervention for its students and is beginning to see results. This story: What a Successful Public School Dyslexia Program Looks Like, tells the story of one second grader who, in time, started to flourish as a reader, thanks to their efforts. 
WARNING: Helping children with the most severe reading disabilities is NOT a quick fix. Short term intervention programs lasting 12 weeks to 1/2 year are not enough. Please expect it to possibly take a few years. However, with the right, research-based intervention, you will see results. 

This morning I had a craving for a donut.
So I went to my local supermarket and bakery to buy my favorite: the sour cream (a.k.a. sugar rush) donut.

As I was standing in line, I noticed all the flowers for sale just outside the store. That made me think that it would be a good idea to go my local nursery today to buy my flowers, and beat the crazy Mother's Day rush this weekend.
That was a inspired idea. There were no crowds and plenty of flowers that had not been picked over yet.

When I went to pay for the flowers, I discovered my debit card was missing, and realized I probably left it at the bank ATM last night. So I drove to the bank, and sure enough, they had my card!

Driving back home with my ATM card, flowers and donut in tow, I saw that my gas gauge was low. I thought I'd better get gas, since I'm driving into Pittsburgh to meet my husband and go to a Pirates' game tonight. So I filled up my tank and finally drove home, satisfied with everything I had accomplished, all because I was craving a donut.

And who says donuts are bad for you?

Thanks for visiting my blog and enjoying my true story. I am a private tutor and I usually post things to help students and families who are dealing with reading challenges. If you'd like to support my little business by helping us win more technology for students, vote for us in Comcast's #I4E contest by clicking on the Vote Here button above.

Last week, Reading & Dyslexia Tutors learned that we were a regional winner in the 2015 Comcast Innovations 4 Business contest. We were thrilled to have been chosen and we have great plans to improve our Internet tutoring capabilities and other technology-based tools for our students.
Now, we are in the running for the Grand Prize and the opportunity to earn more funds to help students in our area. We need your vote to help make this happen. Please visit www.readingdyslexiatutor.com and select the Vote Here button, then choose us as your vote. Voting runs until May 10th and you may vote 1 time per day. Thank you for your support!