Dyslexia center coming to Penrose-St. Francis
BRIAN NEWSOM, THE GAZETTE
May 31, 2007 - 12:30PM
The Dyslexia Center at Penrose-St. Francis opens Friday with the goal of becoming one of the nation’s top institutions on reading disabilities. It is one of a few such hospital-based programs in the country.
WHAT IT WILL DO: The center will evaluate students for reading disabilities like dyslexia and provide intensive remedial programs, said director Lynne Fitzhugh. It plans to provide professional development for teachers and other adults and conduct research in the field. According to a news release, the center plans to “serve as a state resource on reading.” There will be five full-time employees, including Fitzhugh, a psychologist.
WHY IT’S NEEDED: As many as 15 percent of Americans have dyslexia, according to the Society for Neuroscience. Dyslexia is the most common cause for reading, writing and spelling problems, but it is no reflection of a person’s intelligence. The disorder is widely misunderstood and often goes undiagnosed, the society and Fitzhugh say. “Reading is breaking the code, and for dyslexic kids, they must have no stone unturned in how to break that code,” she said. By helping students overcome reading disabilities, she said, the center is contributing to their overall academic success. “Teachers teach because they want to help children, but I think too many teachers have come out of colleges of education without the training to teach all kids to read.”
WHAT IT COSTS: The center hopes to offer services on a sliding scale and provide need-based scholarships. Remedial classes don’t begin until this fall, and prices have not been set. Evaluations cost $800 to $1,100 for a complete psycho-educational evaluation, and $400 for a reading assessment. Training is one week long and requires five Saturdays during a school year. Tuition and curriculum cost $1,600. People can pay $150 for three hours of graduate-level credits, or $250 for five hours, through the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
WHO’S PAYING: The 3,000-square-foot space was donated by Penrose-St. Francis Hospital and is located there. The program is being funded by a $147,000 grant from the Penrose-St.Francis Foundation.