Having dyslexia is tough. Just ask nine-year-old JeRay Owens.
“My brain scribble scrabbles,” said the young boy who is headed to the fourth grade this fall.
When reading, Owens skips over words and letters, and sometimes guesses at words he is unsure of. He also relies heavily on his memory. These factors have resulted in poor reading comprehension. Though his reading suffers, he does well in math.
Not only does Owens have dyslexia, he also has dysgraphia meaning he’s unable to write well.
Oftentimes the young student has a hard time dealing with his disorder, but his mother Janet Lewis is right there with him in the fight.
She noticed something wasn’t right with her son when he was in Kindergarten.
“I remember one day he brought home a paper and some of his letters were backwards. I jokingly told my sister ‘maybe he’s dyslexic.’ I really didn’t know at the time that he was,” said Lewis.
Teachers also noticed a change and suggested Owens get tested. He was diagnosed with dyslexia. Upon confirmation, Lewis was relieved to know her son’s issue, but was simultaneously unaware of what dyslexia was.
Owens is one of thousands who suffers from dyslexia, a neurological issue that causes reading and writing difficulties. Experts say kids with dyslexia also have trouble learning how to speak, are phonemically unaware and have issues with organization.
Dyslexia is primarily characterized by a person transposing how text is seen and read, however, Dr. Keith Magee, director of the multicultural initiative at the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity said dyslexia is more complex. Dyslexia is a developmental disorder that occurs when the brain does not properly recognize and process letters, numbers or symbols.
“(Dyslexia affects) short term memory processing. For example, you see the word ‘cat.’ A ‘normal’ brain sees c-a-t and quickly puts that together,” said Magee. “A dyslexic brain says ‘three letters, meow, c, three letter thing that has four legs, t, that is furry, a…oh, cat.’”
There is no cure for dyslexia.
Surprisingly, experts don’t believe that African-American kids are more marginalized than their white counterparts – all kids with dyslexia have their challenges.
What does put Black dyslexic kids at a disadvantage is that many in their community are unaware of what dyslexia is resulting in a lack of resources available in communities of color.
“Junebug and them are labeled as bad kids who aren’t paying attention. They are medicated for attention deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder because no one has properly diagnosed these children as actually dyslexic. They actually need to be taught as dyslexic children,” said Magee.
What also puts Blacks at a disadvantage is the high costs involved in proper diagnosis and treatment.
“If you are a parent of means who has the tenacity to get their child diagnosed, then go and seek help. But many people don’t have $2,500 for a private assessment fee,” said Janet George, headmaster of the Fortune Academy, a comprehensive private school located in Indianapolis dedicated to educating students with learning differences.
Magee said it costs public school systems $3,000 to $6,000 to diagnose one child. Add standard budget cuts to education and overcrowded classrooms and that leaves many dyslexic children behind academically. George believes these factors greatly contribute to the high school drop out rate.
“If they do stay in school, they are just getting by, if they’re getting by at all. They’re taking remedial classes that’s not addressing their needs, it’s just more of the same. You get a student who ends up very frustrated and sometimes takes on things like anxiety disorder, compulsive disorder or depression because they’re not able to understand the material. But they would if they were taught in a way where they can get the information,” said George.
To fill in his education gaps, Owens gets tutoring twice a week using the Orton Gillingham method, a multisensory technique that has been proven to work well for people with dyslexia, at the Dyslexia Institute of Indiana. He also takes occupational therapy once a week to aid his other disabilities, such as his inability to brush his teeth or tie his shoes.
Lewis said her son’s tutoring is made possible by financial aid offered by the Indianapolis-based institute. Lewis pays $50 per week. Had she not received the assistance, the single mother of two would’ve had to pay $110 per week.
George adds that for kids who don’t have resources – such as parents who recognize dyslexia or who have financial means – and who attend traditional schools, those schools are simply not equipped to handle kids with dyslexia.
“It has nothing to do with poor teaching, it has to do with knowledge of how these children have to be taught, which is very different from a traditional classroom setting,” said George.
Lewis agrees. Owens attends public school and though his teachers first noticed his dyslexia, Lewis believes the school system is not conducive to how her son needs to learn.
“The State of Indiana puts dyslexia under an umbrella with other disabilities called Specific Learning Disability and that’s what’s on his Individualized Education Program, not dyslexia,” said Lewis. “He’s not in a special class, he’s lumped into a regular class. He has helpers who come in and help several kids at a time, but the kid next to him might have ADHD and need different instruction. They should separate kids by their disability.”
People should note that though this issue can cause setbacks, those with dyslexia are still more than capable of learning. In fact, Magee and George, who are both dyslexic, say people with dyslexia are some of the most bright and creative people and grow up to be productive citizens, such as actress Whoopi Goldberg and American steel and financial giant Charles Schwab.
With one in five people being dyslexic, many are working diligently to bring more awareness to this disorder and impact communities and governments. Early diagnosis is also key.
“We know after third grade, you cannot close the gap. If we get early IDs, that would help,” said George.
There is currently adequate research on dyslexia, however without awareness and advocacy, those with dyslexia will continue to struggle, especially Blacks who face other insurmountable issues in the education system.
“Until you raise the issue and sound the alarm, people will not respond,” said Magee. “Blacks need to become more aware of dyslexia, know the law and rights our children have, and advocate for them.”
