Photo by Erin Nelson.
Hettie Johnson, a speech language pathologist, speaks to parents about ways to enhance learning and retention during a dyslexia support meeting in Homewood on Aug. 20.
Though millions of children and adults have dyslexia, receiving the diagnosis can feel isolating.
When Homewood resident Ashley Berkery’s sons were diagnosed with the learning disorder — Noah, fourth grade, last October and Hart, second grade, in January — she felt like their family would have to figure it out alone.
“I was honestly kind of blindsided by it, didn’t know much about it,” she said.
But at the same time, there was also relief as the diagnosis helped her and her husband understand why homework had always been such a struggle at their house. Dyslexia causes problems with reading and processing language, making it difficult to keep up in the classroom.
“Once we realized that a lot of what was happening is that they weren’t able to do it, … I think it was a relief because we were able to get help,” Berkery said.
In September 2018, not long before Berkery’s oldest son was diagnosed, a handful of Homewood parents came together to create a support group called Embracing Dyslexia. Since joining that group, Berkery said she’s found support and a way to feel less isolated.
“[It] has just been such a blessing to know you’re not going through it alone … and other people feel your pain and they’re there to pick you up and support you,” she said.
Embracing Dyslexia meets monthly at a different member’s house, and it has around 40 parents who attend. Berkery said they sometimes have guest speakers with specialized knowledge on dyslexia, programs and resources. Other times, it’s the parents who share their stories or their tips on what has and has not helped their child or accommodations that make it easier to succeed.
The parents in the group range from those whose children have been diagnosed many years to those who suspect their child has dyslexia but haven’t been screened yet.
Hearing about resources from parents who have tried them is helpful, Berkery said. After her sons were diagnosed, they were able to get a tutor that specialized in dyslexia, and Noah is now at Spring Valley School, which focuses on students with learning differences.
They also celebrate the ways their children thrive, Berkery said, instead of only focusing on the negatives of dyslexia. While dyslexia can make some aspects of learning harder, it doesn’t affect a child’s brainpower or ability to succeed in other areas.
“It’s very common and it does not mean that your child is not intelligent,” she said. “It just means that they learn in a different way.”
Berkery said learning about the Embracing Dyslexia group was valuable for her family to navigate the decisions that came with their sons’ diagnoses.
“If somebody is newer to this, … they have the support so they don’t have to walk this alone,” she said.
Find the Embracing Dyslexia support group on Facebook, “Embracing Dyslexia in Homewood, Alabama,” and on Instagram @dyslexia35209.