1. My child is smart—so why can’t he read?   

If a person has good comprehension when listening to a story and can answer questions easily, but struggles when reading a story and answering questions, this indicates they are mentally capable, but need to be taught to read in a different way. They need specific intervention by a trained specialist to help them bring their reading level up to their comprehension level. 

2. I do not want my child to be tested because I don’t want her to be labeled.  

It’s understandable that you don’t want your child to be labeled. On one hand, labels can bring down the teacher’s expectations, thereby not encouraging the student to work harder to achieve success. One the other hand, testing can give some very helpful insight into the difficulties your child is having in school, and can bring accommodations that reduce the amount of school work or give more time for them to finish tasks. This can greatly reduce the stress and frustrations that many students with these kinds of difficulties can have. It is important to weigh both sides and assess what is best for your student.   The tests that we give at Door of Hope Learning Center are not for the purpose of giving a diagnosis. They are merely for us to assess their strengths and weaknesses in order to create an individualized program that addresses their specific needs. 

3. How long will it take to complete your program? 

Our programs are designed specifically for each individual. Some have mild issues that can be addressed in a short period of time. Others need more help for a longer period. We work one-on-one and assess the student often to assure they become strong and confident in their own time frame. Our goal is to make them an independent reader functioning at their maximum potential. 

4. Can you help someone who can read well, but doesn’t remember what they read? 

Yes. The program we use for this specific issue is called Visualizing-Verbalizing. It teaches students to picture what they are reading thereby strengthening their comprehension and their ability to recall information.   

5. Does your program help someone with a focus problem, or ADHD?  

Yes. The Visualizing-Verbalizing program we use has been affective in improving focus and attention. By creating pictures and verbally engaging in them, we are encouraging the brain to choose to pay attention to that and not all the other distractions. The ore we exercise the brain in this way, the better it gets at staying focused on what is most important.   

6. His teacher says there is nothing to worry about – his scores are not that low. I think with special help he could do much better. Could I be right, or should I not worry about it?