Canada’s first dyslexia center has a permanent home in Vancouver

The first center in Canada dedicated to supporting people with dyslexia find a permanent home in Vancouver with a focus on helping families and giving educators tools to support students with learning differences.

Neil Johnston, CEO of the Dyslexia Centre, said the organization hopes to address the gaps that can leave children with dyslexia struggling in the classroom without knowing why.

“About 20 percent of the population has dyslexia, 80 percent are undiagnosed,” Johnston told Global News.

Dyslexia affects how the brain processes information and can cause challenges with reading and writing, as well as executive function and mathematics, explains Johnston.

For children who are not diagnosed early, these challenges can also have a detrimental impact on their experiences at school.

“These kids haven’t had a good school experience. They’re in distress. They do need support. They don’t understand why the system isn’t helping them,” Johnston said.

The Vancouver Center will provide programs and services directly to families while also working with teachers and school districts to increase support for students with dyslexia.

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Johnston said one of his priorities is identifying students who are struggling early.

While families can seek a formal diagnosis, he said, the process can be time-consuming and expensive.

Screening can provide a quicker way to identify children who are struggling with reading and determine what support they may need.

“The science of reading tells us how children learn to read best,” Johnston said. “From K to 3, kids learn to read. And from Grade 4 onward, they read to learn. So we have to catch them early.”

He said teachers are committed to helping their students but may not always receive enough training about dyslexia and other learning differences.

“We have amazing teachers,” Johnston said. “They’re very committed and dedicated to what they do and they’re great at it, but we haven’t set them up for success.”

The center has collaborated with school districts and offers in-person and virtual programming throughout British Columbia, with the long-term goal of helping schools develop their own capacity to support students with dyslexia.

Johnston said there has been progress in B.C. in recent years, including greater recognition of dyslexia by the provincial government, but there is still a lot of work to be done.

For parents who see their child struggling at school, Johnston said it’s important not to ignore the signs.

“It’s heartbreaking as a parent,” he said. “We’re here to help. So come meet us.”

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