Dyslexia PreScreening and Intervention

Early identification and intervention yields the best result

Most dyslexia is not identified until the third grade or later. By then, a child with reading problems has only a one-in-seven chance of ever catching up with his or her peers in reading.

Although it is never too late to begin intensive reading instruction, results are much better when instruction begins in the early grades. Results are likely to be best of all when preventive action is taken in pre-kindergarten.

Nemours BrightStart! developed processes for screening early literacy skills in pre-kindergarteners to identify those who may be at risk for dyslexia and other reading difficulties.

We do not diagnose dyslexia through Nemours BrightStart!; however, preschool-age children with results in the lower 20 to 25 percent of the screening scores typically need our educational intervention.

We have developed a unique and powerful curriculum designed to teach at-risk pre-kindergarteners, identified through the screening process, with excellent results.

We have transformed our program into a format that others can use themselves, with appropriate training. In this way, the power of the Nemours BrightStart! approach is now available and cost-effective for virtually any interested community.

Since 2005, we have:

• Screened over 9,000 pre-kindergarteners in Jacksonville, Florida
• Provided the Nemours BrightStart! Early Literacy Curriculum to over 1,500 at-risk children in their child care centers or preschools
• Averaged a 128% gain in reading readiness test scores for at-risk children, from before to after our unique educational program, compared with an average 25% gain on the same test for children not receiving that program
• Moved two-thirds of those at-risk children to the “average” range in their early literacy skills, following the Nemours BrightStart! specialized instruction
• Prepared the Nemours BrightStart! Early Literacy Curriculum for broader distribution to help others implement this successful program

Read more of this article here: Pre-K Screening and Intervention « Dyslexia (BrightStart!)