(gentle music plays) >>I'm Darryl Owens.

Welcome to A World of Difference: Embracing Neurodiversity.

Viewers of a certain age may recall public service announcements from the '70s that promoted the importance of reading with the declaration that reading is fundamental, yet for some 20% of the population, the model might be better stated that reading is formidable.

One in five students has dyslexia, the most common language based learning disability.

In general, dyslexia impacts one's ability to read or interpret words, letters, and other symbols, yet it's no indicator of general intelligence.

Still, kids who can't read like their peers often suffer ridicule, battered self-esteem and withdrawal because they stop believing themselves smart and capable.

But with early intervention and the right support, struggling readers can make significant strides and discover reading to be less formidable and more fundamental to their lives.

On this episode, we take you to a Georgia private school for dyslexics, where focused remediation means nearly half the student body leaves every year ready to compete.

And then to a Florida public school classroom, where daily reading sessions are an opportunity to bolster dyslexic learners.

Next, our panel of experts shares practical strategies to help parents better support their struggling readers at home.

Later, you'll meet our latest difference maker, an award-winning fantasy in sci-fi writing duo of identical twins, who've discovered learning differences don't close the book on success.

First, we visit schools in Atlanta and Orlando that are equipping students with dyslexia with the tools they need to become better readers.

Senior correspondent, Cindy Peterson brings us the story.

(gentle music continues) >>Dyslexia is the most common learning difference with an estimated one in five people experiencing it in some form, from mild to severe.

In many cases, this trait develops in the childhood years, making standardized schooling difficult and may cause that child to fall behind or feel unintelligent.

So how does a child with dyslexia thrive in today's society?

We stop by the Schenck School in Atlanta, Georgia, where this private school was created specifically for kids with dyslexia.

>>Our mission has been to remediate dyslexics in the area of reading in a short-term couple of years way.

So it's more of a, kind of a remediation immersion experience where they come and they do reading all day every day, but they're able to be well remediated enough to where then when they leave us, they can go back into a mainstream setting.

>>The school serves around 250 students each year, with a 10:2 student to teacher ratio to focus on developing reading and writing skills using the Orton-Gillingham method.

>>You know, as we're teaching these phonics, we make sure to make it as multi-sensory as possible.

So when we're sounding out syllables, we're moving little chips down to hear all those syllables.

They're playing games together with each other, really just to get it in as many ways as you can, since we know everybody learns in their own special way.

We wanna make sure that we're helping them to be able to learn it in their best way.

You know, on a concrete academic level, I mean, I've seen kids go two grade levels of reading in one year and you just realize that that kid was kind of locked in their previous school environment.

And they came to us, we were able to see more how their mind could take it in and then they just flew.

And it's incredible.

>>On top of using these techniques to teach kids, preparing them to be integrated back into standardized schools is a top priority.

>>They need to learn to advocate for themselves.

So for those kids who are leaving, they need to know that they can go to their teacher and say, "Hey, I'm dyslexic and I need help with this."

So teaching them to know themselves as learners and understand what they like to do as learners and what they're comfortable with.

And also for our kids who are new in third grade are still kind of getting used to the way that we do things here, teaching them that it's okay to ask questions.

You know, it's okay to be wrong and it's okay to make mistakes because that's where learning happens and that's where growing happens.

>>The amount of growth and success stories the school has received is enumerable, leaving many parents astounded at their kids' transformation.

>>It was just really challenging because it was hard to read and like you just had to deal with people's laughing at you.

>>In kindergarten my teachers were noticing that I was struggling to read.

>>The one thing I did get was that I was going to be different and that I had to get tutored.

>>I never knew what phonics were until I came here and that just opened a whole world.

>>I love to read now, like I read every day after school and it it's fun.

It's fun now.

It's not bad.

>>It's been different because the teachers like know how to teach dyslexia.

And they're just like really like supportive, even though like if you're like not that good at reading, it's just, they really support you.

And even though they challenge you, but they're really loving too.

>>And it felt kind of like you were in a story, how you went from like, like an evil witch to like a prince, because it, I mean, it's magical.

It really is.

It's fun to be here.

>>We get parents who are in tears.

One of the most meaningful conferences that I've had was this parent was an educator at a nearby Atlanta school.

You know, we showed all the progress and we were like, "Look how great he's doing."

And she just wept and she said, "You guys have unlocked my child."

>>Although they can serve only unlimited amount of students at a time, the school invests in training teachers across the nation on how to implement these specialized learning techniques.

>>You know, one of the things we found out is that dyslexia is a little bit on a continuum, I always kind of say that A to Z.

And there are some students that might need it broken down a little bit more for, and then even more repetition.

So some students may need to be pulled out of a program like ours so they can get that extra remediation.

We do that here at Schenck, but we know that there are a lot of children in regular, schools, public schools including, that are dyslexic, where if they were given this good training, they could overcome dyslexia as well.

And we wanted to reach out to public school teachers who very often don't know what to do with their struggling readers, because they just weren't taught in teacher training programs.

So we wanted to share that information with them and how they can do that in their own regular classroom.

>>Because moving across country and attending a specialized school isn't in the cards for everyone, the teachers at Eccleston Elementary School in Orlando, Florida have created a special power hour for those kids who need a little extra boost.

>>When I'm working with students, we start, and a lot of the stuff is repetitious, just to better help those students get more practice with those particular decoding pieces of phonics.

So I like to highlight the actual phonics skill that we're working on or the sound, which is why some of the stuff I underline and I'll have them give the sound first, just so they're constantly practicing that sound.

Then I'll go ahead and let them blend the rest of the word.

And if they have some difficulties, sometimes kids struggle with being able to actually hear when they're breaking up the phonic sounds, which is why sometimes I'll have them hold the sounds into the next sound so they're actually able to hear what that word should sound like versus the different sounds broken up into pieces.

>>While power hour is not just for students with dyslexia, they have found that those specifically with dyslexic traits are benefiting greatly from these methods.

>>If we're starting to see that students aren't making the necessary gains that we would prefer for them to see, then we can start looking to see if we need to go into evaluating them and looking for an IEP or even a 504, because sometimes it's not necessarily that they have a issue with learning actually, but maybe they need a little bit more time to connect the thoughts and that's where the 504s come in and providing the accommodations.

And so with the IEPs, they get their own specialized instruction regarding whatever the evaluation comes back and the data shows that they need more support in, on top of the interventions that the school continues to provide.

So when it comes to children with dyslexia, the visual supports are helpful for them.

So like when a student didn't know a lot, my students struggle with the sound of E still.

So I'd always referenced back to the picture of the cat on the end of the chair.

So being able to have a visual support when you're teaching sounds and phonics to those kids with dyslexia will help them.

Also just body movements.

So if you were to give a kid, if you're teaching like high frequency words or something, if you were to give a body movement to go along with that, I've used that strategies with some kids when teaching high frequency words, that'll help them make the connection and remember as well.

>>It helps me know how to say words correctly, and it helps me know how to say 'em correctly.

And it helps me a lot, make me get to the higher grade.

It helps other people to learn too.

And it also helps everyone to learn the same way I feel.

>>Although a public school, Eccleston Elementary is proving that with a little extra help, every student can succeed, no matter their learning difference.

>>Public schools can help those that need a little extra boost just by providing the constant practice, just allowing them to get the opportunity to practice in isolation, practice embedded in words, and really just allowing the children to have fun with it.

Because the other piece is when they're struggling readers, sometimes they can feel defeated when it comes to reading, but if you can make it engaging, make it fun, let them understand that it's okay to make the mistake and we're gonna move on from here, then that'll really support kids with learning disability and just letting them know and reassuring them that we're gonna get through this together.

>>For A World of Difference, I'm Cindy Peterson.

(gentle music plays) >>Thanks, Cindy.

Next, our experts provide Cliff's Notes on helping your struggling reader turn the page on their troubles.

(gentle music plays) Rosemarie Dejarnett is the assistant department chair of general education and distance learning and professor of reading and literacy at Beacon College in Leesburg, Florida.

She created the Torch Lab curriculum that helps Beacon students continue working on literacy throughout their general education coursework.

Dr. Wendy J. Ross is a developmental and behavioral pediatrician and director of the Jefferson Center for Autism and Neurodiversity and an associate professor at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

She's a two-time CNN Hero for her work, helping families with autistic and neurodiverse children.

And Dr. Maureen Ruby is an associate professor and Isabelle Farrington endowed chair of social, emotional and academic leadership at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut.

Her work has focused on reading, special education, English learners, assessment, curriculum, and social emotional learning.

So let's start the conversation with Rosemarie.

At what point do children shift from learning to read to reading to learn, and how does dyslexia impact that?

>>So our reading to learn takes place between kindergarten and third grade, where our focus is really on phonemic awareness and phonics.

And then there's this belief that there's an automatic switch.

All the sudden after third grade, students don't need phonemic awareness and phonics instruction.

They're just automatically in fourth grade, ready to start reading for information and comprehension.

But what we've learned through the science of reading is that we really need to be continuing that phonemic awareness and phonics through our upper grades.

Students are still needing to practice that in order to be able to read effectively.

They're just using more challenging text, more challenging context, but they still need that phonemic awareness and phonics built into their curriculum.

So it's not so much, you know, we have reading to learn and then, you know, automatically there's this switch, instead we really wanna think about it as a continuous process.

>>All right, thank you.

Dr. Ross, let's talk practical reading strategies.

Should parents read aloud to their children?

And if so, should they read aloud to them often?

>>Parents should always be reading aloud to their children, even in utero, if possible, before they're born, so they get used to hearing your voice.

They - reading The final common pathway of reading is the ability to manipulate sounds and words.

So hearing, reading and being exposed to reading and book handling skills are really critical for future readers to be successful.

And it engenders a love of reading and a passion for it, which is really important.

And it also exposes children to a lot of ideas and vocabulary, which is also critical for their academic development.

>>So what are some tips for getting the most out of a reading aloud together?

>>Well, when I talk to parents as a general pediatrician about reading to their children, I usually recommend that reading should be an interactive process.

A lot of parents will just read, but I often have them stop ask the child to show them things on the page, ask the child questions about their expectations, about what might happen, what did happen, how a character might be feeling.

And if it's a rhyming book, it's always a good opportunity to pause and see if the child can remember or come up or rhyme and, you know, bring in that phonemic awareness piece.

Reading should be a social experience.

I mean, it's also nice to read more passively to a child at bedtime, but it's also great to make it an opportunity to interact with your child.

>>Thank you.

Dr. Ruby, for younger kids, what are some small steps that parents can take that will yield big improvements in their reading?

>>Well, I think that, I'm happy that you asked me the question about these young children, because it's absolutely critical to pay attention to these early years.

Maria Montessori said it best.

She called children sponges.

And early literacy development as our previous speaker said can start as early as in utero.

So when we think about young kids and we think about what is called the, are referred to as the big four, we're talking about vocabulary and language ability, phonemic and chronological awareness, letter knowledge and how print works.

And so what parents can do is exactly what we just heard, reading with their children and having conversations about the reading.

Oral language is at the heart of learning.

So talking with your students, not to your student or at them.

So for example, when you're in the grocery store, instead of just pushing the child around in the cart and throwing things in your basket, if you can just be a little bit more intentional about the experience for the child, and for example, while you all may not like avocados, I'll use that as an example, picking up an avocado instead of just putting it in the basket, saying, "Wow, look at this avocado.

"It's so dark green.

Here, hold it.

"I want you to feel the bumpy skin.

"This might be really delicious on toast.

"What do you think?"

So engaging the child in that activity.

Some parents may say, "I don't have time for that," but we can't not take the time for that.

Looking at things in the environment, if you're driving around or walking around, when you see a stop sign, pointing it out, telling your child what it means and why it's there.

And so these are just all natural things that parents can do to make language fun and a focus of the relationship.

>>Do you have burning questions about situations your neurodiverse family faces?

Our experts want to hear from you.

Visit our website, awodtv.org to ask a question.

We'll contact you to record you asking your question to air on our upcoming episode.

Our experts look forward to providing you actionable tips that make a world of difference.

(gentle music plays) Next let's meet our latest difference makers.

Imagine if you will, a set of identical twins.

They share everything, from DNA to clothing style.

And they share something else too, significant learning differences.

It's not the twilight zone you've entered, but rather the world of Brianna and Brittany Winner.

And the twins share something else too, a passion for fantasy and science fiction.

Indeed, the Winner twins penned their first sci-fi novel, "The Strand Prophecy," a book that racked up eight writing awards when they were 12.

And that was only the start.

They have gone on to publish more books, become fixtures at comic conventions and start a nonprofit, Motivate 2 Learn, to help other kids with learning disabilities.

As the Winner twins have shown, you can enter into another dimension of success and achievement if you harness your differences in imagination to dream up a narrative without limitations.

A World of Difference correspondent, Bassey Arikpo brings us their story.

(gentle music plays) >>You might look at Brianna and Brittany Winner and see a pair of twins going about their day, but you wouldn't know the extraordinary accomplishments they've achieved and the extraordinary challenges they face.

>>So Brianna and I as children were very similar, but also very different.

>>We always describe ourselves as complimentary opposites.

I was really into art and she was really into singing.

>>And then you were very shy.

>>I was.

I barely spoke and I was a tomboy.

I wore all black and green.

>>And I was a girly girl.

I was always all pink all the time.

And I was a social butterfly.

>>I'll tell you, even though we had those differences, the fundamentals of our twinship were always in creating and coming up with new ideas.

So we started creating different science fiction ideas, ideas for worlds, and basically verbally writing from the age of three on.

>>The twins have had their share of deeply unfortunate setbacks and obstacles.

However, these experiences have led them to an incredible epiphany.

>>So I am legally blind and hard-of-hearing.

And my identical twin, my genetic identical, is not.

>>Surprisingly.

>>Our learning disabilities are also opposite.

Mine effect my reading, handwriting, and processing of information, specifically with letters and spelling.

>>I have ADD and I didn't know this until after I wrote the book.

All of my teachers, everyone just told me that I had my head in the clouds and if I just tried a little harder to focus, and for many years, I thought of my ADD as just something to overcome.

It's not something to be even necessarily proud of to share, nothing.

But as I've gotten older, I realized that having ADD is actually a gift by imagination.

The way I see the world is formed by that.

And I couldn't write my books if I didn't have it.

>>While dealing with these setbacks, Brittany and Brianna would soon find out that ironically, reading and writing would become more than a childhood interest as their passion soon became a path for navigating past their learning and attention issues.

>>Our passion for storytelling was the first thing we really knew that we loved.

>>We ended up suffering from self-esteem issues, growing up from our learning disabilities.

>>We were bullied a lot.

>>And the way that we turned it around was really interesting.

We actually went to our dad and said, "Dad, we're stupid."

>>"We're not going to be able to do anything."

We really, and we really believed it.

And our dad said, "That's not true."

And he recognized that Brittany and I just love storytelling more than anything.

We did not like to read, because of course our dyslexia made it difficult.

So our dad had this idea of getting us intrigued and interested in reading by introducing us to comic books.

And we fell in love with them.

We loved the pictures, the colors, the stories, and we were able to understand what was going on and it made us want to read.

So he tricked us into it and it worked with a charm.

And that's what really got us interested in storytelling to begin with.

And so we decided we wanted to be superheroes.

>>And that inspired our first novel, which is about someone who actually doesn't have superpowers, but is a superhero.

And that is the book that ultimately started our careers.

>>Yep.

>>So for us, like this, our proudest moment was physically holding this book in our hands.

>>Yep.

>>Because when we had it, it showed us we did something.

It's a real novel.

>>Going through the unique experiences of children with disabilities revealed to them the lack of adequate resources in the school systems, leading to their vision of how to make a difference for younger students.

>>We are very blessed to have wonderful parents who believed in us and fought for us to be able to have access to tools to make our lives easier.

When we were in school, we had some really great teachers that helped us.

And we realized that not everyone has that, which is one of the reasons we opened our first nonprofit, Motivate 2 Learn, where we wanted to educate and advocate for other kids with learning disabilities so no one had to feel alone.

Our nonprofit Motivate 2 Learn, we opened when we were 14 years old with our first check we got from our first book sales.

So we went out there and we went school to school and we talked about having dyslexia and learning disability.

And we talked about writing and promoted literacy.

And we donated technology to the resource departments.

And we were in front of over 150,000 students live.

>>We came to schools that needed us, and we still do.

If a school needed an air conditioning unit-- >>We bought the air conditioning unit.

>>We bought the air conditioning unit.

If there were students that needed shoes, we would buy the shoes.

>>The twins have their sights set on continuing their passions, as well as tackling new goals.

>>We're gonna continue to be writing with our incredible writing partner, Todd McCaffery on our "Twin Soul Series", which is steampunk-- >>And continue in the pan children's series with "The Magpie's War" and next, "The Dove's Game."

And we have expanded into comics and it was just recently released, that we did the comic for the song, "I Love Rock 'n' Roll."

>>Inspired by the song, "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" by Joan Jett.

>>In a graphic novel anthology of the same name.

>>Of the same name.

>>So it's a lot.

>>It's called.

>>"I Love Rock 'n' Roll."

>>'cause.

Well, we also love rock and roll.

>>In March, 2022, we're going to be launching our new nonprofit called suddendarkness.org.

>>It's going to be a website, that'll be a resource for people who, or their families or anyone who wants to help, people who have had sudden, or, you know, rapid vision loss.

It is a real myth that dyslexia or any type of learning disability or neurodivergence stops you from doing anything.

The uniqueness of vision, imagination, experience, that all made us the writers we are today.

>>For A World of Difference, I'm Bassey Arikpo.

>>Thanks, Bassey.

And congratulations, Brianna and Brittany Winner for making a difference.

And that does it for this edition of A World of Difference: Embracing Neurodiversity.

I'm Darryl Owens.

I'll see you back here next time.

You can watch episodes of A World of Difference on the Beacon College Facebook and YouTube channels and on the show's website, awodtv.org.

The website also provides tip sheets and other resources for your parenting journey.

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