BLOOMINGTON -- When teachers at Jeffrey Smith's school wanted him to take first grade a second time, his mother and grandmother said "no" and enrolled him in a tutoring program to prepare him for second grade.

An assessment prior to his sessions revealed that Jeffrey has dyslexia. A program was developed that was tailored to his needs and twice-a-week lessons began in June 2008.

He got better grades in second grade at Tri-Valley Elementary School; his reading, spelling and writing improved; and he became more outgoing, said his mother, Lisa Smith of Holder, and his grandmother, Mabel Houchens of Ellsworth.

Jeffrey, now an 8-year-old preparing for third grade, is not alone in his challenge and improvement. An increasing number of people are being identified as dyslexic, but getting appropriate help

should reduce symptoms, said Cathy Heissler, an educator for more than 20 years.

In the past three years, about 150 people with dyslexia have come to Heissler's Bloomington business, Learning for Tomorrow, which offers programs to assist children who struggle with learning.

No one is cured of dyslexia but "we retrain them to become better learners," Heissler said.

Of the 150, about 140 - including Jeffrey - have used the strategies to attain "outstanding results," Heissler said.

"Non-readers have become readers, they're getting their homework done and don't need to be in special education classes," Heissler said. "Their self-esteem and confidence go up because they realize they're smart."

Heissler knows her business isn't the only place that can help the students. But she is concerned that other children and adults who struggle with language skills may have dyslexia and need to be screened and treated for the disorder.

According to the International Dyslexia Association, 15 to 20 percent of the population has symptoms of dyslexia, including slow or inaccurate reading, poor spelling and writing or mixing up similar words. Because people with mild symptoms may never be diagnosed, they don't get the help they need and may struggle with symptoms of the disorder throughout school and for their entire life.

"Many of them make it through school with Cs in spelling and reading. They struggle, but they could be doing better," Heissler said.

People with severe symptoms often are given a general diagnosis of learning disabled and may get general assistance when they really need one-on-one help geared specifically for people with dyslexia, Heissler said.

One challenge is that many people still believe dyslexia simply is reversing letters, numbers and words. Dyslexic people may do this because spelling may look jumbled to them as they have trouble remembering letter symbols for sounds and forming memories for words. But dyslexia is more than that, Heissler said.

"There's a lot in dyslexia," said Heissler, who is dyslexic. "It's much more than writing your letters backward."

Dyslexia is a hereditary, language-based learning disability. The brain of dyslexics develops differently so that learning letters, sounds and number facts, reading quickly and comprehending, and spelling is difficult. Most people with dyslexia have trouble distinguishing speech sounds within a word and learning how letters represent these sounds.

Typical readers use all three parts of the brain but dyslexics use only the frontal part of the brain, Heissler said.

An evaluation to diagnose dyslexia costs $500 to $800 but some parents instead choose a $75 to $100 screening that can identify symptoms of dyslexia.

Working with dyslexics involves "retraining" their brain by teaching them to improve their reading by decoding words using as many senses as possible. For example, during a recent session with Learning for Tomorrow teacher Anita Addicks, Jeffrey practiced spelling words by moving around tiles with letters on them. He also sounded out the syllables, then said the complete word. Earlier in the session, he worked on a word puzzle, wrote words and read a story to Addicks. Later, he worked on a computer program in which he learned 10 words, then read a story with the words and answered questions about how the words were used in the story.

The multi-sensory approach begins with basic sounds, then blends them into syllables, words and sentences. The approach is tailored to individuals and their strengths, challenges and interests.

The approach is an updated version of the Orton-Gillingham Approach, which has been around for 50 years for overcoming language processing problems of children and adults with dyslexia.

"When Jeffrey first came here (a year ago), he was working on one-syllable words," Addicks said. "Now he can spell and read multi-syllable words. His confidence has gone through the roof."

"I was happy and amazed," Lisa Smith said of her son's improvements.

Asked how he feels, Jeffrey kept it simple: "I feel good."

Warning signs

An elementary school student may have dyslexia if he or she has:

• Slow handwriting that is difficult to read.
• Slow, choppy, inaccurate reading that includes guessing at some words.
• Trouble spelling.
• Trouble memorizing math facts.

If your child's school evaluates your child and a reading disability or dyslexia is found, ask whether the program recommended to help your child is a research-based program that has helped individuals with a reading disability or dyslexia.

Strategies

Beyond getting proper tutoring for children with dyslexia, you can:

• Focus on their strengths and get them involved in areas where they excel (the arts, athletics, music, mechanical activities, etc.) so they can feel good about themselves.
• Help them organize their school planners, backpacks and bedrooms.
• Encourage them to read by reading aloud with them. Over time, have them read more and you read less.
• Start a family book club where family members read and discuss a book once a week.
• Have them write down words with which they are struggling on flashcards and put those cards in a box. Play word games with them to help them learn the words.
• Help them to learn to relax. A kids' yoga class or video can help.