Dyslexia not a barrier to learning with tutoring program

FRESNO - Fifth-grader Nick Franks of Keene used to struggle with reading for just one minute at time, now the time flies by and the clock-watching has ended. 

This is thanks to the dyslexia program through the Chili Learning Center at Chili Crossroads Bible Church. While the program has been running as a ministry of the church, it has recently been approved by the Internal Revenue Service as a non-profit organization under the Help Ohio name. Pastor Neal Dearyan said the non-profit status will enhance their ability to seek grants and increase the number of children they can assist in the community. 

Nick is one of four students receiving tutoring from a 2017 grant from the Coshocton Foundation for $6,250 to cover one-on-one tutoring and materials for economically disadvantaged youth. The church is paying three-quarters of the cost for the four children with the grant covering the other portion each.

Neal said they have a waiting list and some students are only getting tutoring two times a week when three times would be more beneficial. The program currently has 12 students and two tutors. 

"We want to grow the program and we're excited by this new development. We have our separate organization now that is seeking funding and receiving it," Neal said. "We had a parent who just told us they can't tutor until Christmas, because they have to save the money. That's why we're looking for grant funding, we want to make sure that kid and others can keep coming uninterrupted." 

The initiative is close to the hearts of Neal and his wife, Julie, who serves as a tutor. Their daughter, Amanda, has dyslexia and received aide from a similar tutoring program at the family's home church in Illinois before moving to Coshocton County. Amanda is now a college junior and voracious reader, which Neal is reminded of every time he gets a bill for books from Amazon.

"She went from a girl where we would have to pay her to read a book, and find a bookmark on page three, to now where she has my Amazon password and she buys so many books it's hurting me financially," Neal said with a laugh. "That never would have happened if she hadn't started getting help when she was 9."

Julie said about 20 percent of the population has dyslexia, which is a learning disorder that involves difficulty reading due to problems identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words. Julie said school systems do their best with dyslexic students, but can't always offer focused and targeted tutoring like they can with the Barton Reading Program used by Chili.

"They're doing a great job in our school system, it's just, they're not always seeing where the dyslexia is coming in," Julie said. "A lot of the times what they're doing is having kids staying after school and doing extra stuff and it's not necessarily helping them, because it's not targeting the dyslexia."

Nick's mother, Tanya Franks, said her son received additional help at school, but wasn't making much progress. Julie noticed some signs of dyslexia in Nick while working with him at the church's AWANA Club for youth. After being officially diagnosed, Nick began tutoring through the church. 

"It's really helped his confidence, before you would just fight with him," Tanya said. "He's crying, you want to cry, because getting a few words or a sentence out of him took 15 minutes."

Nick felt like he was behind other kids his own age, even though he knew he could do the work.

"I've been reading a lot better at school and at a home," Nick said. "I don't know it's been a minute, it's been 10 minutes and I don't even know it's been 10 minutes."

Julie said dyslexia affects more than reading, but also writing and spelling and can come into play in various subjects. Few people probably know those with dyslexia also have short term memory issues, which can give trouble with memorization. It's not just reading backwards as many people believe.

"It's not a comprehension issue at all," Neal said. "The smartest kids in our community have so much potential that needs to be unlocked and this program unlocks it."

For more information on the program, go to chililearning.org or call 740-610-0828.

llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com

@llhayhurst

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