Parent Support Group Information

In the upcoming months, the Ohio Valley Branch of the International Dyslexia Association has three parent support group meetings scheduled.

All meetings are held at the Oakley Community Center located at 3882 Paxton Ave. (inside Hyde Park Plaza near Bigg's) 45209.

Time: 7:00-8:30 p.m.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010- A Closer Look at Learning: How a Child Learns Best

Speaker: Barbara Hunter, Center Director for the Springer School and Center

Wednesday, February 23, 2011- Navigating the Special Education Process

Speaker: Sue Bitsko- Family Network Coordinator with State Support Team Region 13

Wednesday, May 4, 2011- Why Does Spelling Seem So Crazy?

Speaker: Alicia Sparks- Reading Consultant, Guest Lecturer and Teacher Trainer in Reading Instruction

For more information, contact OVB/IDA at 651-4747 or Mary Ellen Villalobos at mevillalobos@cinci.rr.com.

Dyslexia Awareness Rally in OH

Join us in Columbus for

Dyslexia Awareness Day Rally!

What: 2nd Annual Dyslexia Awareness Day Rally

When: Wednesday, October 6, 2010; 10 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Where: State House South Lawn, Columbus, Ohio

Next Wednesday, three Ohio Branches of the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) are hosting a rally to raise public awareness about dyslexia and spur legislation that will serve and protect dyslexic children in Ohio. Come and join us at the State House in Columbus, where an array of speakers will sound the call for supportive policies on behalf of thousands of citizens with this "invisible learning difference."

You'll also listen in on powerful testimonials from people with dyslexia, enjoy original artwork and poetry, hear a music performance by Kelly Fine & Company (a dyslexic college student band), watch a dyslexia simulation, and much more!

Special note: Janet Milkovich, Vice President of Public Policy and Advocacy at RFB&D, Recording For the Blind & Dyslexic, will speak at the rally. Be sure to look for Janet between 10:30 and 11:30 near the podium at the stairs of the State House South Lawn; introduce yourself, take photos and submit stories that we can share with the wider RFB&D community nationwide.

View the Event Poster Online from COBIDA.

Email Janet Milkovich or call (312) 660-1982

Call or email your State Representatives to let them know that you support dyslexia legislation in OH.

Rep. Ted Celeste: (614) 644-6005 district24@ohr.state.oh.us

Rep. William Batchelder: (614) 466-8140 district69@ohr.state.oh.us

We look forward to meeting you in Columbus for a great show of solidarity between RFB&D, the Ohio Branches of IDA, as well as dyslexics, their families, and special educators from all over the state.

A Walk in the Life of a Dyslexic Teen

Living "Lexi." A Walk in the Life of a Dyslexic Teen, written by Shelley Trammel and her daughter, who is dyslexic, takes the reader through the challenges and victories of a teenage girl with dyslexia.

Written in first person, Isabella describes her disbelief at not passing tests when she studied and studied, her frustration with feeling "less than normal," the strategies she uses to compensate in her daily life, and finally how she embraces her learning differences with the support of good friends and loving parents.

A quick read, Living Lexi, offers humorous insight for anyone with a pre-teen or teenage child with dyslexia.

OH Dyslexia Law Update

OH representative Ted Celeste (D-Grandview Heights) and Minority Leader Bill Batchelder (R-Medina) recently introduced a bill (HB 572) that would create a pilot project to demonstrate the effectiveness of dyslexia identification and research-based intervention programs.

The Bill would define dyslexia as a developmental disability recognized under state law and create a pilot program to determine if early identification and intervention can reduce costs down the road. The goal of the program is to demonstrate the impact these methods have on reducing future special education costs for those students. Funding would be drawn from existing state resources (Department of Education).

The bill will undergo committee hearings this fall, but hopefully with bipartisan support, it will be enacted quickly.

To help gain support for HB 572, contact your local state representative here.

To read the Columbus Dispatch article about HB 572, click here.

Worthwhile to watch.....

Videos about dyslexia from You Tube:

Nationally syndicated journalist, Nelson Lauver, speaks about his dyslexia here.

A message from the parent of a dyslexic child here.

Learn about famous dyslexics here.

Two More States Passed Dyslexia Law!

Hawaii and New Jersey have passed dyslexia law!

The time is now to let our OH representatives know that we wish to pass a dyslexia law in OH!

Locate your representative here.

This law would mandate teacher training in all OH colleges, early screening for dyslexia in our schools, and research-based intervention for students not meeting reading benchmarks.

To read more details about the proposed OH Dyslexia Law, click here.

FREE Dyslexia Presentation

Dyslexia Testing & Information Services, LLC and the Miamisburg City Schools are proud to offer a FREE 3 hour dyslexia presentation given by Susan Barton, a leading dyslexia expert and founder of Bright Solutions for Dyslexia.

When: May 7, 2010

Time: 6-9 p.m.

Where: Miamisburg City Schools Memorial Building

540 East Park Street

Miamisburg, OH 45342

Register online at:

www.Ohio.EventBrite.com

For questions or to register by phone, call:

513-616-0261

You'll learn:

Dyslexia's Inheritance patterns and the genetic link

The symptoms of mild dyslexia in adults

The classic warning signs in children

Why most dyslexic children don't qualify for special ed

Research-based "best practices" to improve spelling, reading, and writing

Why tutoring alone is not enough -- and much more!!!

Who should attend?

parents who are trying to determine if dyslexia is their child's issue, or who know it is and need to understand all the areas that it will impact, including math and memorization

teachers who don't understand why children who can't master spelling and struggle with reading don't qualify for special education services

reading specialists who need to know how to informally identify which of their struggling readers may have dyslexia -- and what to do to help them

principals who want to start early intervention programs to achieve the goal of No Child Left Behind -- that every student is reading at grade level by the end of third grade

resource specialists who need to know how to close the gap for students who have a learning disability

school psychologists who want to learn to distinguish dyslexia from other learning disabilities

speech language therapists who are often the first specialists to work with dyslexic children because of their difficulty articulating R's and L's, M's and N's, and S, SH and CH

pediatricians who are often asked by parents to test their children for dyslexia

counselors and psychologists who often deal with the lifelong emotional damage that undetected dyslexia and academic failure causes

Susan Barton is trained in seven different Orton-Gillingham-based programs and teaches several graduate-level courses through the University of San Diego.

Susan was recently inducted into the International Dyslexia Association’s Hall of Honor.