AN educator for many years, Stephanie Campbell knows all too well what it looks like when a child is struggling to learn, growing frustrated over a word, and feeling the quiet shame of falling behind in class.

It is for this and many other reasons she decided to publish her book, Alex and the Dancing Letters, which seeks to raise awareness about dyslexia, its signs, how individuals with the condition see words, and how educators can help children who learn differently.

Dyslexia is a lifelong, brainbased learning disorder that affects a person’s ability to read, write, and spell accurately. The neurodevelopmental condition changes how the brain processes written and spoken language, often resulting in individuals reading slowly, struggling to sound out unfamiliar words, or mixing up similar letters.

A long-time advocate for children who learn differently, Campbell said her interest in the special education field began at a very young age as she watched a relative struggle with reading, even as she experienced her own challenges with learning.

“I just started having this passion for learning and teaching young children. Even growing up as a kid in Jamaica, if I didn’t know it right off the bat when it was asked, just the way that you were spoken to, it sometimes made you feel ashamed not knowing something.

It just became something in my heart, and so I wanted to just help young children,” she told the Jamaica Observer.

Now living in the United States, she shared that she often sees these signs play out in the classroom, and over time, became increasingly concerned about how little understanding there is around dyslexia. While hosting webinars based in Jamaica, she said it also became evident to her that there exists a lack of information and resources on the island, and she simply wanted to help bridge the gap.

“I found that a lot of families in Jamaica were just really having a lot of difficulty even understanding what’s going on with their children. I also saw where they were having a lot of difficulty getting services, based on where they were, so I had my professors online, some therapists that I know here, and some of my colleagues just to come on and to give support to families.

I’ve done it for a while, but then I realised that I wanted to reach families in Jamaica in a bigger way,” said Campbell. “I tried to reach out to the Government to see what I could do as someone who was born in Jamaica and now educated in the United States…I have so many resources in terms of knowledge…but I’ve never really had anyone reach back out.

I think it’s a really great conversation to have around not just dyslexia, but around supporting children with disabilities, whether it’s a learning disability or cognitive,” she added.

CAMPBELL…for a child with dyslexia, seeing a character who faces similar challenges can build confidence

Campbell said that through conversations with Jamaican educators, she also found that geographical and financial challenges facing many families made accessing specialised support particularly difficult.

“What I’ve heard a lot is that they see signs, but there’s no help. They will often say, ‘Where do we go?’ because they are in the rural area and they have to go all the way to Kingston, or somewhere that’s out of their way and they have to pay some money, and they don’t have it.

It felt a little frustrating for me because it felt like I was giving information, and they were still pushing back to say, ‘We don’t have the support here,’” she said, adding that even when educators spot the signs, large class sizes and limited resources make it difficult for them to provide targeted support.

It is this gap that Campbell hopes to bridge. She shared that she did not write the book simply to tell a story about a child with dyslexia; she created a tool that can be used by parents and teachers.

“It will help educators in their classroom to see that they are able to find ways of seeing signs, recognising it, and the different things that they can do to help their students, even if they don’t have a special education person, or someone who’s there to necessarily support, but just to be confident that they can.

It will help them to be patient, knowing that their children are still very smart; it’s just that they learn differently,” said Campbell.

“Children are not all on the same trajectory. They are on different timelines as it relates to their learning, so somebody may learn the letter earlier, and another person may learn later. It does not mean that they can’t learn; it’s just that they learn differently, so that’s what the book is about.

It gives some strategies in there on how teachers can use it and get other readers in their classroom as well to recognise and support their friends that they see are struggling,” she added.

She stressed that the fight to help children who learn differently has to start with awareness, listing signs such as individuals experiencing difficulty learning letters and sounds, reading words, and challenges with spelling as major indicators. “I hope that this book, Alex and the Dancing Letters, will help children to recognise that they are not alone.

For a child with dyslexia, seeing a character who faces similar challenges can build confidence, reduce their feelings of frustration, and I hope it will help them understand that learning differently does not mean they are less capable,” she told the Sunday Observer.

“For parents and for teachers, this book increases, again, awareness and it encourages also conversation about how to better support children who struggle with reading…I want readers to walk away with empathy and understanding and hope. Children with dyslexia often work incredibly hard and may feel discouraged when reading is difficult. Through this book and Alex’s story, I want children to know that they are intelligent, that they’re capable, and they’re able to succeed. I also hope that the book helps families and educators recognise the signs of dyslexia and become stronger advocates for children who learn differently,” she added.

Alex and the Dancing Letters is available for purchase on Barnes and Noble, Amazon and other book retailers.