Lone Tree Dyslexia Center Puts Fun Back in
Phonics
By: Peter Jones, Staff Writer
08/18/2005
In most contexts, Cher, Charles Schwab and
Tommy Hilfiger would have little in common, except perhaps fame and a
good publicist. But they, like nearly one in five Americans, are thought
to be dyslexic.
The cognitive disorder has become not just a well-known disability, but
a cultural reference point. Stand-up comics and an expert on the subject
have suggested that President Bush has it. The disorder has spurred a
host of treatments - and celebrations. Author Ron Davis has gone so far
as to tout what he calls the "gift of dyslexia."
Lone Tree is home to the first franchise
operation for Dyslexia Institutes of America, an umbrella organization
founded by Dr. Elaine Jett, an Illinois-based special-education expert.
Educators Wendy and Rick Sorrentino moved
from California to open the first of its kind center last October.
Although the Jett model is not revolutionary, it is an approach that has
a specialized nuance.
"A lot of programs treat phonics, reading
and spelling, which is great and wonderful. What our research has found
is that dyslexics have issues other than learning how to read and
write," Wendy said.
That is why DIA emphasizes cognitive
therapies designed to strengthen visual and auditory memory, visual
perception and motor skills. While that may be technical-speak, the
process is based in simple logic, according to the married instructors.
"If we have a child we know has a memory
issue, why would we not treat the memory issue and just treat the
phonics?," Wendy said. "They're not going to remember what we said."
To avoid that prospect, the Sorrentino's
help students to discover their own "compensatory skills," through
memorization activities and games involving shapes, letters and numbers.
"We'll say, 'Wow, you did such a great job.
How did you remember this?,'" Wendy said of past sessions. "So (the
student is) starting to think, 'Oh, well, I memorized them because I
looked at them in my head and I created a pattern.' And we'll say, 'Wow,
that's really cool. Could you do that in school?' And the bulb clicks."
A common sign of dyslexia - A child reporting that a teacher erased the
blackboard before he could write down the information.
Dyslexia, the Jett program says, is the
inability to read and spell relative to one's IQ. While that may sound
like an over-generalized definition in search of generic symptoms,
dyslexics have specific physiological distinctions, according much of
the research.
"It is a medical condition. They can see
lesions in the brain," Wendy said. The International Dyslexia
Association calls the disorder "a specific learning disability that is
neurological in origin."
Although some centers may offer programs as
"exciting" for children as those exacting medical descriptions, Dyslexia
Institutes of America has instead striven to put the "fun" back in
phonics.
"I learn more here than I did at the other
place," said 11-year-old Collin Rodocker, comparing DIA to another
program he went through in Washington state. "We didn't do Parquetry or
the computer stuff."
Parquetry Pals is the brand name for colored
blocks that kids in the program form into shapes, based on diagrams they
are given. Computer games test short-term memory skills. Four letters
flash on the screen for less than a second. Collin quickly tries to
retype them.
"When Collin was doing the Parquetry, you
noticed his self-esteem and how excited he was," Rick pointed out. "If
you say, 'Collin, go copy off the board,' it's not going to have the
same reaction."
Such gamesmanship makes learning fun,
according to the Centennial sixth-grader. He also has the added
motivation of collecting tokens for his successful and earnest efforts.
At the end of his individualized session, he can cash them in for
rewards like Hot Wheels cars, a jump-rope, a snow cone maker or candy
bars.
The "positive reinforcements" help make up
for spending time indoors with the Sorrentino's instead of going out to
play with friends on a summer morning. That is the biggest downside to
being dyslexic, according to Collin. It is a trade-off that is
understood by the Sorrentino's, who have adopted DIA's reward system.
"To (my kids) it feels more familyish," said
Collin's mom, Sue Rodocker, whose 9-year-old daughter, Katie, is also
enrolled in the Lone Tree program. "It's not really institutional. It's
like, they're going (here) just to have fun. Everywhere else, they do
their thing, but they didn't make it fun for the kids."
What's more, according to Rodocker, other
programs her family has tried have tended to discourage parental
involvement, so there was little "homework" or practice with flashcards
after dinner.
"They actually like to come here," the
mother said of her two youngest children. "Here, they don't get pulled
out of class for special tutoring, which can be embarrassing for them."
Dyslexia Institutes of America requires a
six-month commitment from each student, though some have taken as much
as three years to complete the program.
The Lone Tree operation has 25 clients,
ranging in age from 5 to 45. The oldest student, whose dyslexia was
untreated for decades, signed-up in order to pass a test he needs to
further his career. DIA has 10 independently-owned operations across the
country.
Although the term franchise may more connote
french fries than phonics, the Sorrentino's insist their business is not
a generic or corporate-oriented enterprise.
“As therapists, we try to add our own style,
which makes it fun, first of all,” Wendy explained.
“People think because its a franchise, its
cookie-cutter, and its not. We have 55 to 65 different activities. It is
individualized to each child.”
Evaluations, however, are not made in-house.
Results are instead sent to Jetts Illinois office for analysis.
According to the Sorrentino's, this is more of a quality-control measure
than an indication that local educators are not able to make their own
evaluations. ‘I like the extra hand to hold,” Wendy said.
Such expert analysis has not dissuaded some
from exploring alternative viewpoints. Rodocker is among those who view
dyslexia as less a disability than an avenue for unusual life
perception.
“Katie is a unique little girl,” the mother
said. “Some children are brought to earth and they know what their
purpose is. This is kind of weird, but she does talk to angels. I think
it has something to do with dyslexia.”
It is an extra-curricular viewpoint not advanced by DIA or the
Sorrentino's. They say, however, that many dyslexics are of
above-average intelligence and are thus often able to compensate for
their challenges, even without a diagnosis or special education.
“In a way, I think its a gift,” Rodocker
added. “Both of (my children) think differently because they have had to
struggle and they’ve had to find alternative ways to learn.”
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