Studies have shown that around 1 in 5 people have dyslexia, and as many as 43 million American citizens struggle with learning differences caused by dyslexia. Many of these individuals are adults, who did not receive an education that supports their learning differences at a young age.
Challenges with reading, writing, and comprehending are some of the key areas of learning differences that affect dyslexic individuals. Not being provided with the appropriate interventions to support these skills and mastering them at a young age can cause many challenges with learning and succeeding across their life span and affect long term outcomes.
While this is a common outcome it no longer must be the case!
Based on research, appropriate learning intervention CAN significantly change the long-term outcomes for dyslexic children. (Check out my book Reversed: A Memoir to see changes.)
This is exactly what our program Teaching Students with Dyslexia (TSWD) aims to do for children -- to read and write effectively!
Our goal is to take children from Frustration to Forever Confident!
Two of our three founders, Russell Van Brocklen and Lois Letchford, live with dyslexia.
To introduce our program, I wanted to take the time to showcase each of us over the next few months. We are a passionate team with our own motivations for changing learning for the better.
Russell Van Brocklen
Chief Researcher, Learning and Development Specialist
After being shunted into ‘Special Education’ because of severe dyslexia, decided he wanted to fight for his rights to study in mainstream classes. Russell attended college at SUNY (Buffalo) where he succeeded academically, learned the tools to overcome dyslexia, and became passionate about teaching those who had also been left behind. With extensive experience in research and development of learning strategies and techniques, expertise with teaching-learning different students with a focus on dyslexic learners, Russell is a skilled and knowledgeable course instructor teaching students ranging from 7th grade to graduate school level.
He aims to support parents, tutors, and teachers to help their struggling dyslexic students significantly improve their comprehension, writing, and organizational skills. Russell knows the pain and shame that often accompanies this diagnosis. He also understands the financial and emotional strain this condition places on families as they search for answers and support.
While working at the Research Foundation of the State University of New York, Russell and his team were able to develop extensive research combining personal experiences with experiences working with students and their families across the country. He developed a unique system for teaching writing skills to highly motivated students with dyslexia. This system not only significantly improves writing skills, but also builds their comprehension and organizational skills. Increasing these skills help students with dyslexia experience an increase in their confidence and opportunities for long-term success. Both parents and educators from elementary through graduate schools successfully use Russell’s unique teaching approach to help dyslexic students.
