Neuhaus Help Files

The search for a private school is something that is as individualized and unique as your child is! You need to find the one that is the best fit for your child and your family. One resource we can point you to if you are located in the Houston area is www.houstonprivateschools.org. There is a section on the left-hand side of the home page where you can narrow down your search based on specific criteria, such as a school for individuals with learning disabilities or dyslexia. If you are located outside the Houston area, you can try to narrow your search by using the National Association of Independent Schools website - www.nais.org.

Take a deep breath! You are doing exactly what you should be doing - educating yourself on the best way to help your child! Feel free to call us at any point with questions at 713.664.7676. Your child has truly endless potential! Right now you need to focus on learning as much as possible about dyslexia and getting your child the proper remediation and tools to become a good reader.

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) did a study that began in Connecticut in the 1970's and followed a group of children from kindergarten through college. The results showed "that of the children who were reading disabled in grade three, (and received no reading remediation)...74% remained disabled in grade nine. Because dyslexia is neurological in origin, it is a condition that an individual will always have, but research has shown that early intervention is the best way to prevent or minimize reading problems.

After your child has been tested by a professional for learning difficulties, the evaluator will make recommendations about what remediation is needed. Basic Language Skills (BLS) would be appropriate if the recommendations included such things as: working on decoding skills; using an Orton-Gillingham-based curriculum; learning Alphabetic Phonics; using a multisensory curriculum or strategies; learning with a strong phonetic approach to reading, etc. BLS is appropriate because it integrates all the above with comprehensive instruction in decoding, handwriting, spelling, fluency, reading comprehension, composition, and vocabulary.

A CALT is a person that has graduated from Neuhaus Education Center's Dyslexia Specialist Preparation Program (DSPP), or another accredited, multisensory reading intervention program and gone a step further. To be designated a CALT, the graduate must pass the national registration examination to qualify for the endorsement of the Academic Language Therapist Association (ALTA).

Basic Language Skills is an intensive, therapeutic curriculum that meets the guidelines of the Texas Dyslexia Legislation and is effective with students with dyslexia and other related disorders. The research-based curriculum shares similar philosophies and characteristics with other Orton-Gillingham-based curricula and provides instruction in phonemic awareness, letter recognition, decoding, spelling, fluency, comprehension, handwriting, vocabulary, and oral and written expression. It is designed to be taught by a dyslexia specialist 4 or 5 days a week for 50 - 60 minutes a day. While both are Orton-Gillingham-based, Basic Language Skills is a different curriculum than Alphabetic Phonics.