Who should call Literacy Builders?
Literacy Builders is committed to helping any child in grades K-8 that is struggling with his or her reading and writing development.  If you have questions about your child’s ability, we are here to help.  If you feel concerned, like maybe your child needs just a little something extra, we can help with that too.  Remember, we always begin with free advice.  If you have any doubts about your child’s literacy growth, you should give us a call.

Could my child be dyslexic?
The general population often perceives dyslexia to be a reading disability characterized by letter and word reversals.  The experts have a more detailed definition of what dyslexia is including things like “difficulty perceiving and manipulating sounds in words,” “difficulty relating letter and sound patterns,” and “difficulty storing and retrieving letter and sound patterns” all of which make reading, writing, and spelling words very hard for people with this condition. As you can see, dyslexia goes far beyond letter and word reversals.

At Literacy Builders, we see dyslexia as a severe reading disorder that often interferes with a child’s ability to write as well. We know that there are approximately 10 million children struggling with learning to read, however, not all of these children are diagnosed as “dyslexic.” We also know that upwards of 95% of these children overcome their difficulties. This information tells us that even if your child truly is dyslexic, it’s only a label. There are ways of overcoming this disability.

When we work with a child we suspect is dyslexic or exhibits dyslexic tendencies, we include direct instruction in phonemic segmentation and phonemic word analysis as part of the Reading Rx.

How much time should we expect to commit if we work with Literacy Builders?
Time is a very personal matter.  Without talking with you and meeting and assessing your child, it is hard to say what your commitment will be.  However, we can tell you these things:

• When you meet with us for a free consultation, we need about 30-60 minutes of your time.
• To evaluate your child, we need about 45-60 minutes of your child’s time.
• If your child starts to work with a Literacy Builders tutor, our sessions last 45 minutes.
• If you want your child to become a better reader, you must be prepared to make sure to allot time for reading aloud to your child and allot time for your child to read independently at home.  Our general guideline specifies that children read no less than 20 minutes a day at home.  (When you have a child that struggles, the more, the better!)