Scout rides to
increase awareness of
dyslexia
by Catherine Hawley Alex Smyth, age 13,
in the seventh grade of Tillicum Middle School, is riding a tandem bike 800 miles
from Olympia to Sacramento, Calif., to call attention to dyslexia and other learning
disabilities. He has been planning the trip since January as his Eagle Scout community
service project. He belongs to Bellevue Troop 638.
He and his dad, Harold, leave tomorrow on an 800-mile trip that will take about
11 days. Mom Julie will follow in the car. Along the way they will meet with governors
from Washington, Oregon and California in each state capital. Alex will tell them
and others about the importance of identifying and treating learning problems
early. Why he's doing it: When Alex started
school, he had a hard time spelling and sounding out letters. He mixed up words,
saying ``hot'' when he meant ``cold'' or ``uncle'' when he meant ``grandmother.''
Alex was smart -- his score on an intelligence
test qualified him for a gifted program -- but he was frustrated that he couldn't
read or even spell his own name. He worked hard, spending hours at night practicing
his spelling, only to get most of the words wrong on the test.
In third grade, he was diagnosed with dyslexia, a reading impairment that may
be rooted in brain-structure differences. He also has attention deficit disorder,
which makes it hard to focus and remember details.
Alex learned techniques that help him, such as writing assignments on a computer.
He uses a hand-held spelling-checker that pronounces words so that he won't write
``sour trout'' when he means ``sore throat.'' Though he never had any trouble
talking, a speech therapist improved his spelling by helping him hear letter sounds
more clearly. He still takes longer than most kids to read and write, but he feels
good about his learning skills. If there's
one thing Alex wants people to know, it's how important it is to diagnose learning
problems as early as preschool. Alex wishes he had gotten help before third grade.
``If a learning-disabled kid is caught by kindergarten or first grade, they go
on to lead normal lives,'' Alex said. ``If they're not caught by age 9, 75 percent
go on to have trouble for the rest of their lives.''
To spread the word, Alex is mailing letters to 600 preschools along his route.
He also has T-shirts and other materials to share. Alex hopes to dispel the notion
that people with learning disabilities are less capable than others.
``They're all great people,'' he said. ``They just
think different.'' With thanks to the excellent
and very readable Eastside
Journal (June 18th 2001). | 
