Ravinia Reading Center, a local reading center in a suburb of Chicago, IL intends to help inform and encourage parents of struggling readers by publishing credible answers in a series of informative articles by Dr. Holly Shapiro. Dr Shapiro, Ravinia’s director, is a long-time phonics expert and speech language pathologist with a Ph.D. in Learning Disabilities. Headlining the new website, which launched in May, is a water-color flash experience, guiding concerned parents through “The Struggle to Read.” The interactive journey begins learning about the nature of dyslexia and reading difficulty. From there, parents can learn how children build new language skills like phonics and phonemic awareness, to finally achievie reading fluency. “The struggle to read is different for each child, but it’s always an uphill climb” says Ravinia Reading Center Executive Director Dr. Holly Shapiro. “Reading is a marvelously complicated skill and takes work to master. Literate adults take it for granted. They just need a reminder.”
In addition to the interactive feature, Dr. Shapiro has published in-depth articles on the site, including a reading primer for parents. Professionals in education and reading intervention may also find the article on reading fluency as a comprehension strategy a worthwhile read. Most of the site’s content is focused on addressing common misunderstandings about dyslexia, and guiding parents to substantive, peer-reviewed dyslexia resources. “We just want to make sure parents get on the right path to help their children read fluently,” said Dr. Shapiro. “There are a lot of reputable programs and providers that provide dyslexia help.“ Reading intervention providers, along with educational publications, are welcome to submit their websites for inclusion in Ravinia’s online dyselxia resources. Dr. Shapiro personally reviews and edits the directory to ensure its quality. Users can also turn to Ravinia’s Reading Blog for answers. The blog launched June 1st and invites visitors across the nation to “Ask a Speech-Language Pathologist” at Ravinia questions about reading intervention, programs and dyselxia. The dyslexia experts at Ravinia are even willing to offer personal guidance, privately via email...click to read more
Tags: Ravinia Reading Center, Speech-Language Pathologists, Dyslexia, Reading Development
