Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the child with dyslexic characteristics?

This is the child who has average or better intelligence and is emotionally stable but despite typical school instruction, is not able to read, write or spell to his/her capabilities.

Current brain research indicates that these children experience difficulties because the auditory and visual processing areas in the brain do not function the same as in those children without a learning difference. This causes an individual to perceive sounds, letters, visual images and other stimuli differently. Some of the characteristics are:

--Average and frequently above-average intellectual ability and creative intelligence
--Reading, writing and spelling problems
--Frequent reversal of numbers, letters or words (b for d, 18 for 81)
--Difficulty understanding what is read
--Poor handwriting
--Confusion with directions (e.g., left and right, up and down)
--Variable performance (good at something one day, poor at the same task the next)
--Short attention span and poor concentration
--Slowness in finishing work
--Poor organizational skills (cannot find homework, loses jacket, notebooks, etc.)

What materials and methods are used?

The school uses a multisensory, structured linguistic approach to language arts education. Teaching phonemic awareness (breaking apart and manipulating sounds in a word) is an integral part of the methodology. An explicit, systematic, multisensory teaching approach is also used to teach mathematics. Pre- and post-tests are given to measure progress. No child "fails," but rather s/he stays within a level until s/he reaches proficiency.

Current research in reading instruction supports the strategies used at the Settlement School. See Teaching Children To Read -- Publications and Materials at www.nationalreadingpanel.org and links to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Institute for Literacy and the U.S. Department of Education.

How does Hindman Settlement School's program help?

The Settlement School's program is helpful because it offers one-on-one reading instruction using an explicit phonics approach. The program is also effective because of the level of parent involvement. A parent of each child enrolled in an After-School Program is trained to tutor in weekend workshops and in regular weekly staff meetings to work as a paraprofessional tutor. Parents never tutor their own child. Parent involvement creates cost effective remediation as well as increasing the parent's level of understanding of the academic and social struggles of their child.

How can your child become eligible for the program?

A child is eligible for this program only after being screened and accepted. Screenings are conducted monthly at the James Still Learning Center. To schedule a screening, call 606.785.4044.

Who administers the program?

The parents in the After-School Program provide leadership and financial support for their individual programs. The Hindman Settlement School administers the Summer Tutorial Program and the Full-Time School is administered under a cooperative agreement between Hindman Settlement School and the Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative (KVEC).

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