A 13-year-old with dyslexia has progressed from a non-reader to achieve 12th-grade reading proficiency in less than 10 months. Leaning on NOW! Programs by Dr. Tim Conway, experts say the feat is not a flash in the pan but is replicable across the board.
Dyslexic teen makes giant leap in under 10 months
According to a press release, the 13-year-old homeschooled student made the seismic leap in reading ability after following a daily structured literacy intervention. Dubbed Now! Foundations for Speech, Language, Reading, and Spelling, the program progressed the teenager from a non-reader to a 12th-grade level.
Designed by Dr Tim Conway, the literacy intervention forms part of NOW! Programs, a brain-based educational intervention system designed to help individuals with learning difficulties.
A close look at the program reveals that it builds phonological awareness before introducing letters and phonics. The evidence-based program dispels the need for memorization while mirroring the brain’s natural developmental sequence for learning to read.
By leaning on a “structured, measurable and evidence-based program,” NOW! Programs have found success in homeschool environments. At the end of the program, the teenager was able to read road signs and restaurant menus with ease, going on to read the entire Harry Potter series in six months.
“It wasn’t just a struggle with reading,” said Eshanne, parent of the student. “It was a struggle with living. Now she’s able to live like her peers.”
The results, according to Dr. Conway, revealed that dyslexics can build reading skills using the same sequence of learning as used by typical readers.
“Dyslexics do not learn differently, so we don’t need a different way to teach them,” said Dr. Conway. “We just need to give it the right learning experiences in the right sequence.”
Integrating NOW! Programs in public school special education
According to Dr. Conway, public schools adopting this approach do not need to overhaul their systems. The programs align with the five reading pillars, with the LipLetter Land app also raking in a streak of successes among young learners.
“Now! Programs, which maps to the five pillars of reading, can be delivered as Tier 2 intervention or high-impact tutoring within existing frameworks,” said Dr. Conway. “Our LipLetter Land app gives teachers and young learners an effective way to build the foundational speech and sound-processing skills needed for reading success.”
Already, there are plans to intensify teacher training and implementation support for the LipLetter Land app within current frameworks. The program still makes provision for high-impact tutoring, designed to be delivered outside school hours.
For nearly three decades, Dr. Conway has had a red-hot streak of conducting teacher training activities to integrate the sequence in public schools. Furthermore, Dr. Conway has given multiple guest lectures for the Special Ed department graduate-level courses.
For low-income families or underfunded nonprofits keen on implementing evidence-based foundations, the team disclosed plans to lower the entry barrier. Speaking with Charity Journal, the team highlighted partnerships with LifeLine2Literacy aimed at offering scholarships and community-based programs.
At the moment, an expensive private evaluation or consultation is not required to start NOW! Programs. The team offers a baseline assessment for free or at a subsidized cost to determine program eligibility.