Decatur’s Dyslexia discussion
Hundreds of City Schools of Decatur (CSD) parents, teachers and students attended an informational meeting on dyslexia Aug. 2.
The meeting, called a “listening session” by CSD’s board of education, allowed those affected by the learning disability to share their personal experiences and suggest policy changes to CSD officials.
Because of the number of people who attended and shared their stories, the meeting lasted until around midnight.
Steven Goudy, a CSD parent, pediatric EMT and dyslexic individual, began the session by explaining what dyslexia is and how it can be addressed.
According to Goudy, dyslexia is a hereditary condition affecting one in five people. Signs and symptoms include language delay, difficulty understanding words, reversals of letters and numbers, omission of words while reading and confusion about directions.
“In aggregate, these are all signs that things in our brains are programmed differently,” Goudy said. “But, like all things, there are opportunities to intervene. Like intervention, the earlier you identify the problem, the easier it is to fix.”
Goudy said identifying poor phonological ability by first grade can often aid a dyslexic child’s future. He provided statistics that suggest the ability to read and write by third grade can affect an individual’s academic career and overall future, making it the most impactful moment.
Goudy said the easiest way to identify dyslexic children is through hearing loss. School mandated hearing tests are often a good indicator but are never followed up on. Given the odds, the number of dyslexic students who may not know it at CSD and other districts may be staggering, according to Goudy.
Struggling through tears, parents related how they were told by CSD that their child’s disability may be a fad, that their children were lazy and that teachers refused to use the word dyslexia.
While the district grants children individualized learning plans (IPs), parents said obtaining an IP takes about a year on average. According to parents, students who were identified and treated after third grade continue to struggle.
Emily Howard’s son was allegedly a “reluctant reader” and “not a hard worker when it came to reading,” according to CSD teachers. It took a $3,000 evaluation from a specialist to determine her son is dyslexic.
“When we brought the results back, CSD told us ‘[You] certainly got the results you were paying for, didn’t you?’ and refused to accept any part of the evaluation,” Howard said. “My son did receive an IP but we were told by one of our administrators ‘This is a waste of time, don’t you understand you’re taking away resources from children who really need them?’”
Howard ended her story by saying her son is an Eagle Scout, works part-time for a neighbor and rides the bus for his work in construction.
“I would like to see an end to the disconnect between how our children are labeled and what they’re capable of,” Howard said. “Between how our children are taught and what scientific research proves [concerning] how they learn.”
Some parents suggested Orton-Gillingham instruction as a solution. Whether through individualized tutors or enrollment in the specialized Schenk School in Atlanta, the Orton-Gillingham approach to reading was one each parent referenced as a starting point for the district.
Kenzie Kandetzki, a senior at Decatur High School, as well as David “Oggy” Pate, a fifth grade student at 4/5 Academy at Fifth Avenue spoke to let parents know that hope does and can exist for CSD students.
Pate, who was diagnosed with dyslexia in first grade, said he spoke to inform attendees about methods to help people with dyslexia. Pate also wants people to know a class divide exists in obtaining help.
“Some kids don’t get the help,” Pate said. “There are a bunch of kids who can’t get tutors. I know a few. There’s a bunch of kids who aren’t as wealthy or privileged. Some can’t go to great schools in Decatur.”
Kandetzki said she wanted to share her own struggle to assure it does not happen to another CSD student.
“It was a very hard struggle with not knowing until fifth grade I was dyslexic,” Kandetzki said. “I got through the experience with help in school and from tutors. I didn’t get the help I needed from teachers [until fifth grade] and we weren’t told in time. I only just began to understand grammar in February because of my SAT class.”
Kandetzki said her strongest subject in school is science and that she plans to attend college to be a special education teacher or dyslexic tutor.
“I don’t want kids to go through the experience I went through,” Kandetzki said. “Dyslexia is not a curse. It’s a stressful, struggling gift that students have to learn to live with and find ways to learn from. Amazing people are dyslexic.”
Board chairman Annie Caiola said the topic of dyslexia warrants board attention and potential policy changes.
“We, as a board, have decided this issue involving dyslexia is one that is deserving of our attention and one we wanted to hear from all the parents on,” Caiola said. “All of the board members have been approached by at least one—if not more—who wanted to share some thoughts on their child’s experience in our school system.”
