A Port Moody mom who is the founding director of the B.C. branch of an advocacy group supporting dyslexic students says interest is growing fast in the new organization.
Cathy McMillan said Decoding Dyslexia BC has become a movement, sweeping the U.S. and Canada, and a branch formed in B.C. last spring to connect parents with resources and to lobby for more for funding for students who struggle with reading, numeracy and writing.
"It's to makes sure our kids get what they deserve," McMillan told the board of education Tuesday.
She noted that 20% of the population suffers from dyslexia and it can run in families - McMillan said she and her two children, both successful students and athletes, have dyslexia. In a classroom of 25 students, up to five students are likely to have some form of a learning disability but only about 1% to 3% draw funding from the province.
In School District 43, 1,613 students are designated with a learning disability, or about 4% of the student population.
"These children can learn with appropriate learning accommodations and modifications," she said.
Among the aims of the group is to lobby for a universal definition of dyslexia, mandatory teacher training, mandatory early screening, mandatory remediation programs and access to appropriate assistive technologies in public schools for children with dyslexia.
The group has a Facebook page, McMillan said, and will soon have a website, expert blogs and information workshops for parents. The group replaces the Tri-Cities branch of the Learning Disabilities Association, which folded about three years ago.
LERANING DISABILITIES - SOME TERMS
Dyslexia: a problem with processing language in its many forms, typically expressed in difficulty with reading;
Dysgraphia: a problem with writing; 80% of learning disabilities are dyslexia or related to dyslexia
Dyscalculia: a problem with math concepts and calculation
DIAGNOSIS
Learning disabilities can be diagnosed as early as 5.5 years of age; not the result of economic disadvantage, environmental factors or cultural differences, and shows no cultural boundaries; 10 to 20% of population has a learning disability
- source Decoding Dyslexia BC
