● Summer school for children with dyslexia and dysgraphia to be hosted by Professor Nancy Cushen-White, Ed.D, clinical professor at the university of California-San Francisco, a former board member of the International Dyslexia Association and the director of the Slingerland Institute
● Program is designed to give children with dyslexia and dysgraphia the opportunity to reach their learning potential by using the ‘Slingerland Multisensory’ approach – the aim being to help children with their reading, spelling, handwriting and dictation
● The summer school will have an emphasis on the logic and structure of English
Dubai, UAE – 3 May 2015: Dubai-based Lexicon Reading Center has announced it will partner with an international expert to host a summer school for children with dyslexia and dysgraphia. The month-long summer school from 8 August to 2 September 2015 will be conducted by Professor Nancy Cushen-White, the director of the Slingerland institute. The purpose of the school is to help children with dyslexia and dysgraphia advance their skills and gain confidence to enable them to reach their academic potential. Children will be selected for the summer school via a mandatory screening process that will take place on 3 and 4 of June, 2015 at the center.
Professor Cushen-White is the director of the US-based Slingerland Institute and is a previous member of the board of directors for the IDA (International Dyslexia Association). A certified educational therapist and literacy consultant for the Lexicon Reading Center, Professor Cushen-White has been running successful summer schools for many years. By using the Slingerland Multisensory approach in her methods, Professor Cushen-White will be providing a structured, sequential, simultaneous, multisensory teaching approach to help children with learning difficulties develop their speaking, reading, writing and spelling. This approach has been effective in accelerating the literacy skills of students with dyslexia and dysgraphia across all ages.
The summer school consists of two classes – beginners and advanced learners - and each child’s level will be assessed during the initial obligatory screening process at the end of May. As well as determining eligibility for the program, the screening sessions are designed to ensure the best possible learning outcome for the children by selecting those with matching needs. Each class will consist of small groups of 8-10 students to ensure learning on an intensive personal level and will run for three hours a day, five days a week (Saturday – Wednesday) over the month, reaching a total of 60 hours.
By the end of the program, parents should expect a significant improvement in their child’s literacy skills as well as a boost in confidence.
“By hosting this summer school, we are demonstrating how crucial intervention is for children with learning difficulties such as dyslexia and dysgraphia,” said Mr. Rudolf Stockling Msc (Psych), clinical director, Lexicon Reading Center. “With the recognition and support of parents alongside the accomplished Professor Cushen-White, children with learning difficulties are given the opportunity to perform at their optimum and achieve their academic potential. Building the awareness of dyslexia and dysgraphia in the UAE is important to ensure that every child is able to feel confident and happy in their academic development.”
The program fee for Lexicon Reading Center members will be AED 8,700, and for non-Lexicon students it will be AED 9,600. During the second week of the summer school, Professor Cushen-White will explain the principles and rationales of the program in a parents evening and she will then individually meet with parents after the summer school has been completed to discuss progress.
To register your child for the required screening sessions taking place on 3 and 4 of June, 2015, please contact the Lexicon Reading Center at info@lexiconreadingcenter.org or call +971 (0)50 795 4428. A deposit of 25 percent of the total cost of the summer school is required when registering your child and will be refunded in full if your child is not selected.