Category Archives: Dyslexia

More than a decade ago, long before the word “dyslexia” was widely used, Deanna Fogarty realized the toll the language-based learning disability was taking on her otherwise bright  young son, Billy Nadeau. An elementary school teacher at the time, Deanna joined countless parents and caregivers on the challenging journey of guiding a child with dyslexia from kindergarten to high school—and ultimately to college. “Although Billy was a very healthy and inquisitive child, he was behind with some of his early language and speech skills,” shared Deanna, now Wilson’s Vice President of [...]

The road to reading proficiency was a long and arduous journey for Dempsey L. In elementary school, she dreaded reading aloud in class, and during silent reading time, pretended to read the book in front of her. By fourth grade, she had had enough. “It was as if a dam had broken and all the water it was holding back was streaming down my face,” she wrote in her college essay. “High-pitched screams came from my room, as I was on my hands and knees begging my mom to let me stay home from school. It was that day a switch went off in her head she knew she had to fight even harder for her [...]

Research shows that the sooner children with dyslexia or other reading difficulties receive effective intervention, the more receptive their growing brains will be to mastering the complex rules of written language. Moreover, early intervention may avert years of frustration before a cycle of reading failure and low self-esteem sets in. This rings true with Anna C., a Massachusetts fifth grader who was formally diagnosed with dyslexia at the end of first grade and has grown up with an optimistic attitude toward her neurodiversity. This positive outlook is inspired by her family’s approach t [...]

At age 9, Michelle D. set a goal for her future self. When she was old enough, she vowed, she would drop out of school and leave the frustration and anxiety associated with learning to read behind her. Fortunately, that didn’t happen. Instead, new dreams are coming true for the 20-year-old New Hampshire resident. Diagnosed with a speech impediment at age five and dyslexia at age eight, Michelle struggled in elementary school. “I had this constant fear that I would get picked to read in class or have to go up to the board and write words that I had no clue how to read, never mind write, [...]