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Students with Dyslexia Thrive at Lindamood-Bell Academy!

Oct 24, 2018
 
 

The Challenge

Students with dyslexia are often susceptible to falling behind their peers in academic skills. And it’s no wonder. It’s hard to keep up and get excited about learning when reading is labored and slow.

 

Extra help at school doesn’t always get to the root of reading issues. For example, students might get tutoring in reading and spelling rules and learn techniques for sounding out words. While these activities have value, they do not address the cause of a student’s problem.  Despite having extensive phonics instruction, dyslexic students often struggle to become fluent readers.

 

Students who struggle with reading may have weak symbol imagery—the ability to visualize letters in words. This difficulty is not only frustrating for a student, but prevents them from accessing school curriculum alongside peers. We believe that struggling readers, including those with dyslexia, can be making progress in their ability to read while they are in school.

 

Research-validated

At Lindamood-Bell, we develop the imagery-language foundation for language and literacy skills. The imagery foundation is especially important for those students who come to the Lindamood-Bell Academy with a profile of dyslexia.

 

Recent research with the University of Washington confirms the critical role of symbol imagery—the process of visualizing letters in words—in language processing for success in reading, especially for those individuals identified as dyslexic.

 

Diffusion MRI data collected on dyslexic students that underwent an eight-week period of intensive symbol imagery instruction showed significant reading improvement and large-scale changes in white matter in the brain. Read more and access the full article here.

 

The Right School for Every Student

We provide individualized school curriculum and our research-validated instruction that addresses the cause of poor reading. Lindamood-Bell Academy is an ideal setting for students previously diagnosed with dyslexia, ADHD and other learning challenges.

 

Our low teacher-student ratio allows us to provide a school that is highly customized to rates of learning, and each student’s curriculum is tailored specifically to their learning needs. If a student needs to spend more time on a subject, that’s OK!  Student days are infused with celebrations of their individual success and is non-competitive.  The individualized curriculum allows a student to make progress with content in various academic areas while simultaneously receiving remediation in the mechanics of reading if necessary. In sum, our Academy combines Lindamood-Bell expertise with curriculum. The learning needs of each child are addressed so they are ready to learn. And then they do.

 

Is Lindamood-Bell Academy right for your child? Call us to learn more, discuss your child’s needs, or to schedule an interview, 800-300-1818.

 


 

For a student with dyslexia, it can be hard to keep up with curriculum while making progress in reading. A specialist recommended that Brooklyn’s family check out Lindamood-Bell Academy. It turned out to be a great fit for meeting her learning needs, while nurturing her endless curiosity!

 

Connect with us
🎉 40 Years of Changing Lives Through Learning

🧠 2011: Georgetown University researchers publish a study showing changes in the brains of children with dyslexia following reading intervention.

Our next milestone highlights research conducted by Georgetown University's Center for the Study of Learning in collaboration with Lindamood-Bell.

Published in the scientific journal NeuroImage, the study followed children with dyslexia who received eight weeks of instruction using the Seeing Stars® program.

Researchers found significant improvements in reading skills, along with measurable increases in gray matter volume in the brain. Follow-up testing eight weeks later showed that these gains were maintained.

These findings offered encouraging evidence that effective reading instruction can help children with dyslexia improve their reading skills while also supporting changes in the brain.

Follow along as we celebrate 40 years of changing lives through learning!
🎉 40 Years of Changing Lives Through Learning

📖 Our next milestone takes us to 2010, when Nanci Bell published the Symbol Imagery (SI) Test.

This standardized assessment measures a student's ability to visualize the sounds and letters within words, an important skill for reading and spelling.

The SI Test helps educators identify and monitor skills that underlie word recognition, spelling, and reading fluency.

Follow along as we celebrate 40 years of changing lives through learning!
🐱 Calling all cat lovers! Celebrate National Cat Day with a FREE reading resource for parents and teachers, courtesy of Gander Publishing!

This Imagine That! lesson packet features five cat-themed stories for grades 2–6, vocabulary practice, puzzles, and a coloring page!

Perfect for use with Visualizing and Verbalizing® or with any student who could benefit from extra comprehension practice.

Download your free packet - follow the link in our bio, @lindamoodbellofficial!
🎉 40 Years of Changing Lives Through Learning

Our next milestone takes us to 2008, when Lindamood-Bell co-founder Nanci Bell was recognized by the California State Assembly as one of the state's Top 50 Women Business Leaders!

Follow along as we celebrate 40 years of changing lives through learning.
#LindamoodBell40 #LindamoodBell
🎧 New Podcast Episode!

How can art help students share their stories and make a difference in their communities?

Muralist Kyle Holbrook joins Lindamood-Bell for Schools Director of Development Dave Kiyvyra to discuss the Moving Lives of Kids Community Mural Project and the power of art to bring people together.

Hear how students are using creativity to express themselves and contribute to their communities.

Listen and subscribe at the link in our bio, @lindamoodbellofficial.
🎉 40 Years of Changing Lives Through Learning

📚 2006: What happens when an entire school district works to improve reading?

In 2006, researchers from Texas A&M University published a study in the American Educational Research Journal examining reading achievement in Colorado’s Pueblo School District 60, where Lindamood-Bell had been working with schools since 1997 to support students at risk of reading difficulties.

They examined reading scores for students in grades 3–5 over several years and found that schools using Lindamood-Bell instruction made significantly greater gains than schools across Colorado. Those gains increased over time, including in Title I schools.

It was encouraging to see these results, especially in a district where so many students needed additional reading support.

Follow along as we celebrate 40 years of changing lives through learning.

Tap the link in our bio, @lindamoodbellofficial,  to learn more about our work and research.
📣 FREE Halloween Download for Parents and Teachers, courtesy of Gander Publishing! 🎃
The Imagine That! Halloween lesson packet features four high-imagery stories written at a 2nd–5th-grade reading level.

👻 Enjoy stories about a giant pumpkin, a ghost, and even a rooster accused of being a witch!
🎃 Build reading comprehension with higher-order thinking questions.
🍬 Strengthen vocabulary skills with engaging activities.

Perfect for use with Visualizing and Verbalizing® or any student who could benefit from extra comprehension practice.
Download your free packet and bring some Halloween fun to reading! Follow the link in our bio, @lindamoodbellofficial
🎉 40 Years of Changing Lives Through Learning

🧠 2004: Georgetown University researchers publish an important study on adult dyslexia and Lindamood-Bell instruction.

Led by Dr. Guinevere Eden and published in the scientific journal Neuron, the study used brain imaging to examine changes in adults with dyslexia following eight weeks of intensive Lindamood-Bell instruction.

Researchers found improvements in reading skills along with changes in brain activity, showing that the adult brain can continue to change and develop with reading instruction.

More than 20 years later, these findings continue to offer hope for adults who struggle with reading.

For more about our evidence-based reading instruction, follow the link in our bio, @lindamoodbellofficial.

Follow along as we celebrate 40 years of changing lives through learning!
🎉 40 Years of Changing Lives Through Learning

Our next milestone takes us to 2002, when Lindamood-Bell reached another exciting first!

🇬🇧 2002: Our first international Learning Center opens in London, England.
The opening of our London Learning Center meant more children could benefit from individualized instruction to strengthen their reading and comprehension skills. It was another meaningful step in helping more students learn to their potential.

Follow along as we celebrate 40 years of changing lives through learning.

Explore Lindamood-Bell at the link in our bio, @lindamoodbellofficial.
🎙️ New Podcast Episode: Supporting At-Promise Students

In this episode, we’re joined by Khieem Jackson, Managing Director of Reaching At-Promise Students Association (RAPSA), for a thoughtful conversation about helping at-promise and opportunity youth thrive.
Together, we explore how the words we use to describe students can shape their experiences, and how literacy and learning can open doors to new opportunities beyond the classroom.

🎧 Listen and subscribe at the link in our bio, @lindamoodbellofficial.
Lindamood-Bell will be at the International Dyslexia Association 2026 Annual Reading, Literacy & Learning Conference, November 12–14 in Las Vegas.

Join Paul Worthington, Director of Research and Development, for “ADHD and Dyslexia: Untangling the Comorbidity Conundrum,” which examines research on co-occurring ADHD, dyslexia, and language-processing difficulties, as well as implications for intervention.

📅 November 12–14
📍 Las Vegas + virtual attendance available

Learn more about our presentation and where to find us at the conference at the link in our bio, @lindamoodbellofficial.
🎉 40 Years of Changing Lives Through Learning

📚 2000: Lindamood-Bell partners with juvenile justice schools in San Diego, California, for Project of Hope.

Through this partnership, Lindamood-Bell provided intensive reading and comprehension instruction to young people in the juvenile justice system.
Using the Seeing Stars® and Visualizing and Verbalizing® programs, Project of Hope helped students strengthen their reading and comprehension skills. An independent evaluation found significant gains, offering new hope and opportunities for their futures.

Follow along as we celebrate 40 years of changing lives through learning. 

Explore Lindamood-Bell at the link in our bio, @lindamoodbellofficial
Students with ADHD may need more than help with organization and study skills.

Our latest blog explores how individualized instruction can help students strengthen underlying learning skills, manage schoolwork, and become more confident, independent learners.

👉 Learn more at the link in our bio, @lindamoodbellofficial.
🎉 40 Years of Changing Lives Through Learning

📰 1999: Lindamood-Bell is featured in a Newsweek cover story on dyslexia.

The November 22, 1999, issue of Newsweek featured “Dyslexia and the New Science of Reading,” exploring how research was changing our understanding of dyslexia and reading difficulties. The article highlighted Lindamood-Bell’s unique sensory-cognitive approach to developing the underlying skills needed for reading and spelling.

This exciting milestone brought national attention to our work and new hope to students and families facing reading challenges.

Follow along as we celebrate 40 years of changing lives through learning. Learn more about Lindamood-Bell at the link in our bio, @lindamoodbellofficial.
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