You are here: Home » The Center » About the Center


About the Center
The Tennessee Center for the Study and Treatment of Dyslexia was established by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1993 to assist K-10 students with dyslexia, their teachers, and their families. Dyslexia is the principal learning disability contributing to limited overall development of literacy skills, despite good teaching, among intelligent individuals who want to learn. Low literacy has high cost consequences for society. But, students with dyslexia can learn to read and write effectively if identified early; if specialized approaches to instruction are provided, and if teachers and families are patient.

Our Mission Statement
The Center is dedicated to informing the public about the condition of dyslexia, to establishing reliable approaches to identifying students (K-10) with dyslexia, to educating teachers (pre-service and inservice) in best practices that promote literacy acquisition among students with dyslexia, and to enhancing the knowledge base regarding the nature of dyslexia, its biological substrate, as well as effective interventions.

How can we educate students with dyslexia?
We believe that the most efficient means for supporting students with dyslexia are to

a) Provide a clear description of the student's learning problem;

b) work with schools to design appropriate education intervention plans;

c) support school instructional staff by helping them understand the origin and nature of dyslexia;

d) assist teachers in effective use of specific instructional approaches;

e) recommend appropriate accomodations to assure that a student's general education does not suffer because of limitations in reading and spelling.

One Family's Experience
"When (my son) first started (at the Center for Dyslexia) he could not read, spell or do math. He would be in tears. After he started coming to the Center, he first improved in math and then in reading. He is still working on his spelling, but it too is improving. His self-confidence improved almost immediately - this has been the greatest improvement!"
(Athens, Tennessee - McMinn County).

In describing the change in her son over a two year period, this mother captured the primary reason for the existence of our program.
You are Visitor #110324 since December 10, 2004.
Home :: 615 / 494-8880 200 N. Baird Lane, Murfreesboro, TN :: Admin