Nine-year old Aurora is full of vim and vigor. She likes volleyball and basketball, and loves swimming. But she didn’t want to go to school; in fact, hated it. “I didn’t know what I was doing wrong,” says Trisha, her mom. “She fought me every step of the way.” Yet, mom and daughter were determined to get to the bottom of this.
After multiple evaluations, there still was no conclusion. “She is very, very smart. Something just wasn’t adding up,” says Trisha. By the beginning of third grade, Aurora still didn’t know her letters or numbers.
“I was simply at my wits end” – that is, until July 2019 when they found Haley’s Hope! “Aurora has dyslexia. It was such a huge relief to know what the issues were. Then we could tackle them,” says Trisha.
Being a parent is never easy, and having a child with dyslexia can be difficult to comprehend. That’s why Haley’s Hope offers an introductory class for parents. “They handed me a page full of symbols – not letters, not words. They explained that this is what Aurora sees. I had no clue; nothing made sense on that page. That’s what Aurora had been facing every single day at school,” shares Trisha.
Twice a week, Aurora meets with a Haley’s Hope literacy coach for ongoing support to keep improving her reading and writing skills. So you may not be surprised that Aurora’s favorite new activity is reading books to her 18-month old sister.
Now that it’s almost time to head into fourth grade, Aurora is proud of the progress she’s made, and so is mom. Aurora started out with the basic foundation class at Haley’s Hope where she learned the ‘sound’ of each letter. She has graduated from three levels in just one year.
“It’s building her confidence. I’m just loving watching her grow,” says Trisha.
So what’s her plans for the future? Aurora explains, “I want to be a lifeguard when I’m 14. And when I’m older, help people adopt pets and rescue animals.” This we know for sure. Aurora is well on her way. Congratulations, Aurora. Job well done!