Published: July 13, 2008 11:45 pm      

Program could help dyslexic children

Proposal in conjunction with Hindman Settlement School in Knott County

ASHLAND — Families with dyslexic children are hoping to set up an after-school tutoring program in conjunction with the James Still Learning Center at the Hindman Settlement School in Knott County.

The program would help children with reading problems characteristic of dyslexia, a learning disorder that interferes with word recognition.

The program would be modeled after one in Boyd County several years ago, said Barb Worden, who is family liaison for Kentucky Impact and the mother of a dyslexic son. Worden directed the program.

The program would need at least 15 families to get off the ground, Worden said. A strong commitment is required because the program is almost entirely parent-run.

Parents tutor each others’ children for once a week for two hours over a 13-week period. Prior to that, the parents undergo a weekend training session in Hindman where they learn the tutoring system.

Worden recommends the program based on her own experience: her son achieved an approximately two-year reading level jump.

Parents will train in techniques used at the James Still Learning Center, which has a full-time school in Hindman, said development director Jeanne Marie Hibbard. That includes using all senses and movement to reinforce letter recognition.

The center has been using the system for more than 20 years, she said.

A side benefit of the training comes from learning the characteristics of dyslexia, she said. The condition is hereditary, and some parents end up discovering that they are dyslexic themselves.

Although the program would be based in Boyd County, families don’t have to live here. Worden anticipates hearing from families in the FIVCO counties and said those from Ohio and West Virginia could participate as well.

Interested families may call Worden at (606) 324-3005, ext. 4515 in the daytime and at (606) 329-2583 evenings.

More information about the James Still Learning Center is available at the school’s Web site, www.HindmanSettlement.org.