UISD spreads the word on Dyslexia

A local school district is looking to spread the word on a learning disability that many students are struggling with not only locally but all across the globe.

UISD Board members, educators and a representative from the City of Laredo came together at Judith Zaffirini Elementary for this year’s district-wide Dyslexia Awareness Proclamation.

According to school officials, one in five students suffers from dyslexia.

UISD has a population of 44,000 students and out of that number, over 1,000 are diagnosed with the learning disability.

Dyslexia is a disorder that involves difficulty reading and interpreting words; however, it’s much more than that.

UISD Dyslexia Coordinator Caryn fox says a lot of the times it can be something verbal where a child might have difficulties rhyming or putting words together.

As a mother, Guerra understands the struggle. Her son was diagnosed with dyslexia in the third grade.

Guerra says it was very difficult to find resources in Laredo for certified academic therapists.

She says the key to helping students is by identifying the signs early on.

Guerra says if children are not identified by the third grade, 75 percent of them will not catch up to reading level by ninth grade. It’s also twice as hard for them to catch up and twice more expensive to remediate.”

It’s one of the many reasons educators like Guerra recognize the value of awareness and how funds can provide resources and services.

Fox says, “Now that we have these licensed practitioners who are working with the community towards having some two-year training with therapy license, we're going to be able to help more and more students who continue struggling with reading."

Which is a relief for parents like Guerra.

If you believe your child may have a learning disability you can contact your child’s teacher, or principal so they can look into an evaluation.