This is the page where we brag a bit and also let some of those who have experieinced the results we achieve tell you their story. Please enjoy the comments from parents and students concerning our Center and how it has helped.

What they say about the Center

Some Parent's Comments:

A "Lewis" testimonial about The East Central Illinois Children's Dyslexia Center:

We found hope and help at The East Central Illinois Children's Dyslexia Center in the spring of 2015, with a teary-eyed phone call to the center's secretary Helen. Helen must have heard the desperation in my voice because she kept me on the phone until I had a plan for my child. I suspected my child learned differently, because for years (ever since preschool!) his teachers indicated how surprised thew were that his test scores were so out of synch with where they thought he operated cognitively. His 4th grade teacher once said that he just couldn't figure my son out!

My prompt to call the center was a beautiful poem my son had written at school--just gorgeous phrasing and vocabulary--but the reversals and spelling and handwriting made it barely readable. I cried. There was something "wrong" that I had yet to name, something I finally felt I had to "admit" and I wanted him evaluated and helped as soon as possible.

It's been almost a year since that phone call, and we have been so fortunate to have our 6th grade son join the intensive program at the Center. The staff has uplifted him and our family in ways we are yet to fully appreciate, but for this I am certain: this tutoring is altering my child's trajectory as a person and a learner for his lifetime. He feels so good about himself as a scholar when he is in his tutoring session. As a family, we have come to understand that our son thinks differently, and that his way of thinking is not "wrong" at all. In fact, his dyslexia in many ways is also his gift. The Center has just allowed him to unwrap and understand this aspect of himself, and now better share who he is with the world. We are forever grateful.

Ali Lewis, Ed. D.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Director, University Primary School
Adjunct Faculty, Curriculum & Instruction, Educational Organization Leadership

More parent's thoughts:

My son really enjoys coming to the center. Everyone is extremely nice to our family, and he enjoys all the help and support he gets. He is always ready to come in. He feels like it's fun coming in instead of work. My son is now maintaining an A/B average at school.

Kelly A.

I feel the Center is a wonderful place and am grateful we have the opportunity to attend. The tutoring is exceptional! Words really can't express! I would and will recommend the Children;s Dyslexia Center of East Central Illinois to others.

Some Thoughts From Our Students
(Names withheld for privacy purposes) 

Before I started coming to the Center I had lots of trouble reading in the first grade. We start off each session with sounding out the alphabet and then we review the last lesson. Then, we learn a new sound and practice for a while. We finish by reading a book. I am reading much better at school and since I began coming to the Center, my grades in reading, social studies and science are all better than they were. I can understand what I read. Coming to the center has been very helpful. I would tell my friends and classmates to get out-of-school help or tutoring at the Dyslexia Center like I have done. Thanks to my Mom, my Grandma and my sister for getting me to tutoring.

Before I started coming to the Center I was not good at reading. I also did not like reading out loud at school. My classmates would laugh at me when I was picked to read. Things are very different since I came to the Center. My reading ability has improved and I like to read now. I would recommend coming to the Center to some one who has dyslexia. The one-on-one tutoring works much better than being in a reading class at school

Before coming to the Dyslexia Center reading was very difficult for me. I didn't want to stand up in front of the class to read anything. Now, thanks to my tutor, Mrs. Edwards, and all our hard work I now feel confidence in my spelling and reading. During our lessons, Mrs. Edwards taught me different techniques to heslp me. My favorite part was reading at the end of each lesson. What I want to tell others about coming to the Center is that it helps a lot. The tutors are super nice and Helen loves hugs. To anyone who has dyslexia, don't give up. You can work through it and become anything you want. Thank you to my parents for supporting me and taking me each week. Thank you to my tutor, Mrs. Edwards, for all the hard work you put into planning my lessons and trying your hardest to stump me. Thank you Helen for all the hugs. Most of all, thank you to the Masons, Brenda and the Dyslexia staff for believing in me and helping others with dyslexia.

This is just a sampling of the comments we get from students and parents concerning the results we have attained at our Center. If you were to come to the Center and talk with the parents, the students or just observe the goings on you would be amazed at the closeness of all involved. The support provided to all by all and, more importantly, if you talked to the parents you would hear their relief that they finally found something that is helping their child to rise above the struggles they have experienced. A comment we hear more often than not is: "Before coming here my child hated to read. Now, I can't get them to stop." Many of our students find that after receiving help at the Center they go from struggling to being on the honor role and from being shrinking violets to leaders. We are proud of our accomplishments and of our students for their continued efforts to improve.