Numerous studies have shown that students with dyslexia are often susceptible to falling behind their peers in academic skills. And it’s no wonder. It’s hard to keep up and get excited about learning when reading is labored and slow.

   Extra help at school doesn’t always get to the root of reading issues. For example, students might get tutoring in reading and spelling rules and learn techniques for sounding out words. While these activities have value, they do not address the cause of a student’s problem. Despite having extensive phonics instruction, dyslexic students often struggle to become fluent readers.

   Students who struggle with reading may have weak symbol imagery—the ability to visualize letters in words. This difficulty is not only frustrating for a student, but prevents them from accessing school curriculum alongside peers.

   At Lindamood-Bell Academy, struggling readers, including those with dyslexia, can make progress in their ability to read while they are in school.

   After Gianna Latella was diagnosed with dyslexia, she began intensive reading instruction to improve decoding, spelling and fluency at the Birmingham Lindamood-Bell Learning Center. It turned out to be a great fit for meeting her learning needs, while nurturing her endless curiosity!

   “Gianna started making rapid progress in the programs designed to help with the learning challenges she faced. The clinicians, teachers and staff made learning fun with their creative ideas and hands-on approach. She enjoyed it so much we decided to enroll her in the academy and her education soared,’ said her mother, Shelly Latella.

   Gianna attended Lindamood-Bell Academy for a year and a half before successfully transitioning to a more traditional school setting earlier this year.

   “Watching your child struggle hurts your heart but seeing her growth

and determination to advocate and learn on her own is priceless. Thank you Lindamood-Bell!” added Latella.

   Lindamood-Bell develops the imagery-language foundation for language and literacy skills. The imagery foundation is especially important for those students who come to the Lindamood-Bell Academy with a profile of dyslexia.

   Recent research with the University of Washington confirms the critical role of symbol imagery—the process of visualizing letters in words—in language processing for success in reading, especially for those individuals identified as dyslexic.

    Diffusion MRI data collected on dyslexic students that underwent an eight-week period of intensive symbol imagery instruction showed significant reading improvement and large-scale changes in white matter in the brain.

   Lindamood-Bell Academy is an ideal setting for students previously diagnosed with dyslexia, ADHD and other learning challenges. The academy’s low teacher-student ratio allows them to provide a school that is highly customized to rates of learning, and each student’s curriculum is tailored specifically to their learning needs. If a student needs to spend more time on a subject, that’s OK!  Student days are infused with celebrations of their individual success and is non-competitive.  The individualized curriculum allows a student to make progress with content in various academic areas while simultaneously receiving remediation in the mechanics of reading if necessary. In sum, the academy combines Lindamood-Bell expertise with curriculum. The learning needs of each child are addressed so they are ready to learn. And then they do. Is Lindamood-Bell Academy right for your child? Call your local office to learn more, discuss your child’s needs, or to schedule an appointment -- (248) 723-5380 for the Birmingham office and (734) 369-6841 for the Ann Arbor office.