Dyslexia specialist at Kooralbyn venue - (Full text for Easier Reading follows)

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DYSLEXIA specialist Christina Alexander will be conducting two summer schools in January at the Kooralbyn International School.

Ms Alexander is fully qualified and has had 15 year's experience teaching children and adults with dyslexia and also formulating educational programs for those with learning difficulties.

She has also written a total of 35 books.

The course is for adults, parents, children, teachers, welfare and social workers and aims to provide remedial skills, using methods developed by Ms Alexander, required for the teaching and training of children and adults of normal intelligence who have dyslexia or learning difficulties, causing them to perform below their potential.

Ms Alexander said the course also intended to encourage a greater understanding and knowledge of dyslexia.

The schools will be held from January 17 to 20 and January 21 to 24.

"It's about time people with dyslexia came out of the closet," Ms Alexander said.

"For far too long they have felt threatened, embarrassed and frightened about being called dummies or just plain stupid.

"They are frequently of higher IQ than average and have to use clever subterfuge to fudge their way through life. This shouldn't have to happen.

"They should and can be using their natural ability to improve their own situation as well as that of their family and the rest of society.

"Our jails and youth detention centres have their fair share of people with learning difficulties and it is about time justice was done for the young ones, in that they should be able to read and write along with the rest of their peers at primary and high school and manage tertiary studies without props, according to their intellectual ability.

"One of my students had a severe problem when he came to me and now he teaches physics at a large high school.

"Others are on the verge of suicide.

"This is not good enough. Children with dyslexia end up at both ends of the school yard scale of bullying.

"The smaller ones get bullied and the bigger ones do the bullying.

"They are hiding the problem because of not receiving the help required.

Ms Alexander says with the teaching method she has developed over the past 15 years and if assessed early, there is no reason why these children cannot lead perfectly satisfactory lives without prejudice and fear of losing their job if the boss finds out that they can't read and numerate as well as the rest of them.

"All ages can do likewise without the pain of insultingly simple books which are ineffective.

"My experience shows that quick and easy remedies don't work and I disagree that the strong medication that some of these children are being placed on is needed.

"My teaching method, with love and perseverance, will win out in the end, and I believe that there is no necessity to produce drug dependent failures."

She said at the summer schools a large group of people involved with dyslexia could learn, network and appreciate that they are not only normal but also very able to make their mark in the world with confidence.

For information about the summer schools, phone (075) 44 6400 or (07) 3378 3915.

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