The Dyslexia Services Foundation (DSF) was established to address a staggering need: children are struggling to read and the public educational system is not able to explain why or to provide effective treatment.
Up to 61 million people in the United States have significant trouble reading. In the kindergarten to 12th grade age bracket, the number of children with reading problems could be as high as 11 million.
There are many reasons why a child might have difficulty reading, but specialized, individualized testing is not available at the school level. In public schools, struggling readers are lumped together for one-size-fits-all remedial programs.
Public school reading intervention programs do not work for children with dyslexia. This means that millions of children are struggling readers at risk of serious consequences, such as failing grades, low self-confidence and in extreme cases, criminal behavior and suicide.
Given that school systems are not able to adequately address reading disabilities, parents often turn to one of the aggressively marketed tutoring center chains or a local tutor to treat their reading disabled children. Tutoring typically involves instructional methods that are similar to those used in general education, as opposed to methods that help children with language processing differences. Relatively few clinicians are trained in the therapeutic methods designed to address language-based reading and spelling disorders and these research-backed services tend to cost more than tutoring services. But low-income families cannot afford to pay for private therapy for their children.
DSF provides dyslexia treatment services for children from low-income families. These children need the opportunity to read, and DSF can help fund it.
If you are a concerned parent that believes your child may have dyslexia, this free online dyslexia test can help indicate the risk level.
