A catalyst for change

Parent to be honored for her work helping children with dyslexia

By Joyce Pickering
Special to The DC Examiner
Published: Tuesday, July 12, 2005 9:47 PM EDT

How can one parent advance the field of learning disabilities? Cinthia Haan, founder of The Haan Foundation for Children, can tell you. And she will at an upcoming conference sponsored by the International Dyslexia Association to be held July 21 to 23 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel.

Through her foundation and the research it promotes, Haan is changing the lives of countless children who, like her son, have the reading disability called developmental dyslexia. Recognizing the importance of her contributions, the International Dyslexia Association will honor Haan July 22 at its "Research-to-Practice" conference.

Haan's foundation gives hope to the millions of children who struggle with academic failure, and provides direction to parents, teachers and schools on how to ensure that every child becomes a proficient learner.

"There is no better time in our history to support rigorous science than now," said Haan. "Our educators are hungry for facts on what practices and programs work best in educating students in reading, writing, math and science, yet there are no clear answers.

"If America wants to remain the strongest country on earth, we need to educate our populace to carry us forward," said Haan. "With the NAEP [National Assessment of Education Progress] reports exposing the facts - 38 percent of our nation's fourth-grade students can't read grade-level books - it is not too great a leap to rationalize that the future of our great nation could be in jeopardy."

Study launched

Haan's foundation has launched the "Power4Kids Reading Initiative," which is conducting a landmark study in education - a large-scale, randomized, controlled, longitudinal field trial in the Allegheny school system in Pittsburgh.

The second-largest study of its kind to be conducted in public schools, the Power4Kids reading project will provide evidence of the effectiveness of quality remedial reading programs, and will determine common learning profiles of students and the best interventions for each. Regardless of the reason a child struggles to learn how to read, Power4Kids will provide information to close the reading gap in our schools.

Intense instruction

More than 800 children are participating in the study, which is being conducted in 23 school districts and in 50 schools. The main goal of the Power4Kids Reading Initiative is to teach children to become proficient readers. Students are receiving 100 hours of intense, small-group instruction. Some also are participating in functional brain imaging studies.

Initial results from Power4Kids will be presented at the July conference being conducted by the International Dyslexia Association here in Washington - an excellent opportunity to learn more not only about Power4Kids, but also about other important research findings and cutting-edge evidence-based practices.

This conference is for educators, psychologists, researchers, parents, physicians, speech-language pathologists, school administrators, social workers and individuals with dyslexia. The comprehensive conference program includes information on early intervention, effective treatment approaches, quality professional development, the interpretation of research, and the importance of accuracy and comprehension in reading.

The conference features keynote addresses by Dr. Glover "Russ" Whitehurst, of Institute of Education Services; Dr. Marguerite Barratt, National Science Foundation; and Dr. Peggy McCardle, of National Institute of Child Health.

The entire program (including attendance fees with discounts) can be viewed at www.interdys.org. Visit this site to pre-register online until July 18. Walk-in registrations at the Omni Shoreham Hotel are welcome during the conference.

Registration begins at 7 a.m. each day from July 21 to 23. The program begins at 9 a.m. To learn more about The Haan Foundation for Children and Power4kids, visit www.haan4kids.org.




More information

Dyslexia is a genetically influenced neurological condition that affects the processing of written language. Intelligent children with dyslexia have unexpected difficulties learning to read, write and spell. Many are above average in math and science, and many have creative and artistic talents. With appropriate instruction or remediation, they can function more effectively in school, college and careers. Some people with dyslexia are highly accomplished in their chosen fields.

To learn more about dyslexia, the International National Dyslexia Association and the conference at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, visit www.interdys.org.

Joyce Pickering is Executive Director of the Shelton School & Evaluation Center and a board member of the International Dyslexia Association.