Kansas students with dyslexia to receive more help

From KWCH-TV in Kansas. (Note from Media dis&dat: It was recently reported that Kansas City may close half its public schools. What are the implications for students with disabilities?)

Jennifer Lancaster's son is diagnosed with dyslexia.

After years of struggling, Jennifer came to the fundamental learning center.

"I personally have never struggled with reading and so I'm not able to relate to him, to know what he needs," says Jennifer Lancaster.

The group practices spelling and listening comprehension techniques to teach to their children.

Lessons kids couldn't get anywhere else, until recently.

"That diagnosis is not made within the schools a lot of teachers and parents don't understand that their child may have dyslexia because it's not something that's educational," says Jeanine Phillips.

Jeanine Phillips, fundamental learning center's director, says dyslexia needs a medical diagnosis.

Kansas assessments of the disorder are the same as other states, but it doesn't recognize dyslexia.

Making it difficult to get a diagnosis. many children will grow up not understanding what is really wrong.

"Until a professor at a university told me I had dyslexia, if you had asked me what was wrong I would have told you I was dumb and I believed that," says Phillips.

So, instead of waiting for the state to change, the learning center is changing students.

Specialist from the center are working with Wichita teachers in providing literacy education.

Teachers then instruct students who struggle to read.

Wednesday, after more than six months in the program and numerous tests students in the program are celebrating huge literacy gains.

"Most children who leave first grade and have not acquired reading skills, 75% of them go on to struggle significantly," says Phillips.

And Jeanine says her goal is to not let one child slip through the cracks by teaching one parent or teacher at a time.

Students who participated the learning center's program had reading scores in the bottom quarter on benchmark tests.

Each student improved by several points.