Welcome
Reading Inc. sponsors educational programs and services to help those families and special needs children with a learning difficulty. One in five children (that’s 20%) have some form of a learning disability or special need, which makes learning and keeping up with classmates much more difficult.
Being unable to keep up with the other students in their class can cause an added problem to the child’s learning difficulties. Few see or understand that the slow kids in the class are identified by classmates, the teacher, and themselves as different, and not as smart as all the other kids. This challenges a child’s self esteem and self confidence, and is much more difficult to remedy than dyslexia, and actually interfers with a learning.
These children repeat to themselves, over and over again, that they are not as smart as the other kids, and this notion is further reinforced every time they are called on to participate in the class activity, and can not, either because they do not know how or because of their anxiety.
This self-esteem issue stays with them for the rest of their lives, even after they learn to read or adjust to their learning disability.
Children, in the primary grades, who fall behind their class mates, for what ever reason, need to be ENGAGED with on a personal level, so they can see that someone cares about them, and understands that they need a different teaching approach, and how they are doing. (This can be difficult in a curriculum based educational system that demands that students learn and perform on its time schedule.)
These students may or may not have a formal learning disability, perhaps they are just overwhelmed by being in school and away from the security of their family and home environment.
Those students who do have a formal learning disability require a special supportive, accepting, learning environment, away from their classroom and classmates, focused on remediating their academic learning difficulty, but also addressing the limitations they impose on themselves because of their lower self esteem and questioned self confidence.
We believe that the people referenced by the statistics below are those students who were never engaged by anyone during their primary school grades.
Many have formal learning disabilities that were not diagnosed or treated, some were too young to start school when they did, and were overwhelmed by the demands placed on them by an impersonal educational system, others had emotional or family problems, etc. For what ever reason these students found themselves outside the mainstream (80% of students), they struggled to fit in, but were left on their own to figure out what they needed.
Statistics from the US Department of Education.
- 3,030,000 students (3 + MILLION) drop out of high school every year in America.
- 75% of all US crimes are committed by a high school dropout.
- 63% of prison inmates cannot read.
- 19% of high school graduates can’t read.
- 90% of all US jobs require a high school diploma.
Hopefully, your children, do not have a learning disability, BUT, if they are having difficulties in school, make sure they understand that you are in their corner, and are not left on their own to struggle alone.
Get help and guidance from a professional who has observed and understands what young students experience when they have difficulties keeping up with their peers in their school classroom!
