On October 4th, Governor Brad Little issued a proclamation designating October as Dyslexia Awareness Month in Idaho. We were thrilled to be at the signing to support and celebrate the work of Decoding Dyslexia of Idaho, whose advocacy led to this important milestone.
The next day, Decoding Dyslexia hosted Idaho’s first Dyslexia Awareness Summit, sponsored by the St. Luke’s Foundation and Lee Pesky Learning Center. Over 120 attendees were there to learn more about dyslexia from experts about a range of topics related to dyslexia.
Dr. Evelyn Johnson, the CEO of LPLC, spoke about the importance of early detection. “The signs and symptoms of dyslexia can be observed at young ages, but because dyslexia is a condition that makes learning to read very challenging, too many students aren’t identified until they are really struggling.” Dr. Johnson noted. “It’s why we are working on tools that can help teachers identify children much earlier, so we can provide early intervention.”
Learn more about LPLC’s work on early detection of dyslexia here.
About Dyslexia
Dyslexia is an unexpected difficulty learning to read. Reading is complex. It requires a person to match letters on a page with the sounds they make, hold on to those sounds as you put them together to form a word, pull the meaning of the word from your ‘mental lexicon’ and then adjust your understanding of what you are reading as you go.
People with dyslexia have trouble matching the letters they see on the page with the sounds they make. This makes the rest of the reading process a challenge. As many as 20% of the population struggle with slow or inaccurate reading, poor spelling, poor writing, or difficulty understanding what was read.
Dyslexia is a lifelong condition that can’t be ‘cured’ – but providing the right supports and the understanding that people learn differently can lead to success. We encourage you to learn more about dyslexia here.
About Decoding Dyslexia of Idaho
Decoding Dyslexia Idaho is a grassroots movement driven by families, educators and professionals concerned with the limited awareness of and access to supports for students with dyslexia and other, language-based learning disabilities. Their goal is to raise awareness, empower families, and inform policymakers on best practices to identify and serve students with dyslexia in Idaho.
