SHE’S SO AWESOME. ALL RIGHT. WE’RE ABOUT 15 SECONDS AWAY. OKAY. OKAY.
ALL RIGHT. WHO SAYS YOU CAN’T
TEACH AND ENTERTAIN AT THE SAME
TIME? THAT’S THE GOAL WITH THE
MAGIC THEATER AT HEMISFAIR.
>> IT’S A KICK. IT’S KICKING
OFF A NEW SEASON WITH PROGRAMS
THAT RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT
ISSUES THAT KIDS FACE. ONE OF
THOSE ISSUES IS DYSLEXIA.
AND JOINING US NOW LIVE TO TALK
ABOUT THAT IS JASMINE DEAN.
SHE’S CEO OF CELEBRATE DYSLEXIA
>> AND SHE’S ALSO ON THE BOARD
AT MAGIC. ALL RIGHT. SO THANK
YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US
TODAY. WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT
THE D AND VINNY THAT YOU’RE
SHOWING SOON. WHAT IS THAT
STORY ABOUT?
>> WE ARE THRILLED TO BE
TALKING ABOUT ANY AND DENIS.
IT’S AN ORIGINAL PRODUCTION IN
COLLABORATION WITH CELEBRATE
DYSLEXIA, THE MAGIC THEATER,
ALL ABOUT A CHILD WITH DYSLEXIA
WHO IS DEALING WITH THE DAY IN
AND DAY OUT, STRUGGLE OUT,
WANTING TO BE SEEN FOR WHAT
HE IS. SUPER SMART. BUT ON ABLE
TO TRULY SHOW THAT AN
ADDITIONAL WAY BECAUSE
DYSLEXIA, REALLY A FACTS
READING WRITING AND SPELLING
AND MOST OF THE TIME IN SCHOOL.
THAT IS WHAT WE ARE GRADING.
SO IT IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO
REALLY BUILD A COMMUNITY AND
SPARKED THIS CONVERSATION IN
THIS DIALOGUE WITH THIS ISSUE
THAT REALLY AFFECTS ONE IN 5
PEOPLE.
SO THERE ARE A LOT MORE PEOPLE
OUT THERE THAT ARE REALLY
STRUGGLING WITH THIS THAT HAVE
NEVER HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO
FIND COMMUNITY.
>> THAT’S SUCH A GREAT POINT.
IT’S AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION
TO HAVE. IT DOES AFFECT SO MANY
PEOPLE DON’T. YOU KNOW, I THINK
A LOT OF KIDS FEEL LIKE THEY’RE
ALONE WHEN THEY HAVE THAT WHEN
THEY’RE DYSLEXIC. BUT HOW ARE
YOU ALSO TEACHING ADULTS TO
DEAL WITH CHILDREN WITH
DYSLEXIA?
>> WELL, THE WONDERFUL THING IS
JUST TRANSCENDS ANY AGE GROUP
BECAUSE DYSLEXIA IS HEREDITARY.
SO A LOT OF TIMES PARENTS HAVE
STRUGGLED WITH THIS. GRAND
PARENTS HAVE STRUGGLED WITH US
BUT NEVER HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO
REALLY PUT ALL OF THE
PIECES TOGETHER. SO IF YOU ARE
EVER IDENTIFIED WITH DYSLEXIA,
SO IT ALLOWS EVERYONE THIS
OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE AN HONEST
CONVERSATION, BUT ALSO LEARN
THAT IS A HALLMARK OF BEING
SMART. YOU WOULDN’T BE DYSLEXIC
IF YOU WERE SMART. AND THAT’S
ONE OF THE PARADOXES OF
DYSLEXIA. IT’S AN UNEXPECTED
DIFFICULTY WITH READING WRITING
AND SPELLING.
>> YOU IN PARTICULAR CAN TALK
ABOUT THIS BECAUSE YOUR CEO
OF CELEBRATE DYSLEXIA. SO CAN
WE JUST TAKE A STEP BACK FOR A
MOMENT? TALK ABOUT DYSLEXIA,
BUT ALSO RECOGNIZING THE SIGNS.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
THAT IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT
WE LOVE TO TALK ABOUT BECAUSE
IT’S SO IMPORTANT TO HAVE
EARLY IDENTIFICATION. WHAT WE
KNOW IS THAT IF A CHILD DOESN’T
GET WHAT THEY NEED BY THE AGE
OF 9 IN TERMS OF IDENTIFICATION
AND PROPER INTERVENTIONS, THEY
MOST LIKELY WILL NEVER READ AT
GRADE LEVEL. SO WE ARE REALLY
TRYING TO COMMUNICATE OUR
EFFORT TO EDUCATE OUR COMMUNITY
ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF IF YOUR
CHILD IS STRUGGLING WAS TELLING
IF THEY’RE STRUGGLING WITH
FLUENCY STRUGGLING WITH
READING.
>> BUT THEY HAVE SO MANY OTHER
STRENGHTS. IT VERY WELL COULD
BE DYSLEXIA. AND THE EARLIER
THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE
BETTER IT IS A MESS THAT THEY
CAN GROW OUT OF IT OR DEVELOP
OUT OF IT. CITING PATIENT IS
CRUCIAL FOR THE THOSE
INTERVENTIONS TO TRULY BE
EFFECTIVE. BUT HOW DO YOU
IDENTIFY THAT? IS IT WHEN YOU
NOTICED, DO THEY SPELL A
CERTAIN WAY TO THEY MISSPELL
WORDS A CERTAIN WAY. HOW TO HOW
TO TEACHERS AND PARENTS FIGURE
OUT IF THEIR CHILD IS
STRUGGLING WITH US.
>> SO IN THE STATE OF TEXAS NOW
IN KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST
GRADE, THEY’RE OUR SCREENERS
THAT TAKE PLACE. SO IT’S REALLY
IMPORTANT TO PAY ATTENTION TO
WHAT THOSE SCREENERS ARE.
>> TEACHERS REALLY ARE IN THE.
GROUND 0 OF THIS CONVERSATION
BECAUSE THEY KNOW WHAT THOSE
PROGRESS MEASURES ARE. THAT
CHILDREN SHOULD BE MEETING.
SO IF THEY SEE REPEATED ERRORS
IN SPELLING, PHONETIC SPELLING,
IF THEY SEE THAT THE KIDS ARE
REALLY
AVOIDING READING AND JUST
REALLY STRUGGLING IN THIS AREA.
RECOMMENDING EVALUATION FOR
DYSLEXIA IS REALLY IMPORTANT
THAT THE GREAT THING IS IS THAT
SCHOOLS WILL EVALUATE FOR
DYSLEXIA, BUT IT HAS TO BE
EXPLICITLY REQUESTED BY THE
PARENTS. WHAT THAT’S MY NEXT
QUESTION. JASMINE IS IS.
DYSLEXIA GOING UNDIAGNOSED?
>> AN ISSUE.
>> VERY
MUCH SO. SO WE KNOW
STATISTICALLY THAT ONE IN 5
PEOPLE HAVE DYSLEXIA. BUT IF WE
LOOK AT REPORTS, FOR EXAMPLE,
FROM THE TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY
IN REGIONS 20, WHICH IS THE
AREA THAT WE ARE IN BEXAR
COUNTY AND THE SURROUNDING
AREA.
>> 4.9%. THE STUDENTS ARE SO
THAT MEANS WE HAVE A LONG WAY
TO GO BEFORE WE REALLY HAVE ALL
OF THOSE STUDENTS IDENTIFIED
AND RECEIVING THE SERVICES THAT
THEY NEED TO BECOME
FUNCTIONALLY LITERATE AS THEY
GO THROUGH SCHOOL AND THEY
DESERVE THOSE SERVICES. IT’S
JUST A SHAME BECAUSE A LOT OF
WHAT HAPPENS, UNFORTUNATELY, IS
THAT CHILDREN, AS YOU SAY, AT
SOME OF THEM.
>> WANT TO AVOID READING.
THEY MIGHT BE AFRAID OF BEING
BULLIED IN CLASS. AND THAT’S
JUST TRAGIC BECAUSE IT HAS
NOTHING TO DO WITH THEIR
INTELLIGENCE. THEY JUST NEED
HELP
>> THAT’S EXACTLY RIGHT.
SO IF WE’RE NOT IDENTIFYING, WE
ARE EFFECTIVELY PUTTING THE
HANDCUFFS AND OUR THROUGH THEIR
EDUCATION, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT
THE AGE OF 9, THAT’S TYPICALLY
3RD GRADE. SO FROM 3RD GRADE
ON AND WE’RE STRUGGLING WITH
READING THERE REALLY AREN’T
ANY CLASSES THAT DON’T INVOLVE
READING MOVING FORWARD. SO IT
REALLY IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT
ISSUE AND SUCH AN IMPORTANT
TOPIC TO GET OUT THERE AND THE
STIGMA TYPES THAT IT SEEMS LIKE
YOUR STUDENT ISN’T TRYING HARD
ENOUGH. IT SEEMS LIKE THEY
MIGHT NOT BE SMART, BUT IT’S
ACTUALLY QUITE THE OPPOSITE.
THEIR BRAINS AROUND THIS YEAR
ALL DAY LONG AS SAFE ON SEPT
ALL OF THEIR VULNERABILITIES
CROSSING THAT THRESHOLD INTO
THE SCHOOL BUILDING AND THEY
JUST NEED TO BE TAUGHT IN A
DIFFERENT WAY. HOW TO READ THEN
WHAT IS BEING TAUGHT RIGHT NOW.
BUT ONCE THEY LEARNED HOW TO
READ AND LEARN HOW TO REMOVE
THOSE BARRIERS FROM WRITTEN
TEXT, THEY’LL THRIVE IN SCHOOL.
>> JASMINE DEAN, THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. YOU’RE
OBVIOUSLY THE CEO CELEBRATE
DYSLEXIA ON THE BOARD AT THE
MAGIK THEATER. NOW, IF PEOPLE
WANT TO KNOW ABOUT OTHER SHOWS
THAT ARE OUT THERE, OBVIOUSLY,
YOU KNOW, THE EDDY AND VINNY AN
IMPORTANT SHOW IF THEY WANT
TO LEARN ABOUT OTHER SHOWS THAT
THE MAGIC THEATER HAS COMING
OUT THE SEASON. GIVE ME THE
WEBSITE FOR THE MAGIC THEATER.
>> IT’S MAGIC THEATER DOT WORK.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT IT IS
SUCH A LOVELY TIME FOR THE
FAMILY TO GO OUT AND HAVE AN
EXPERIENCE THAT THEY CAN CARRY
WITH THEM AND AND TALK ABOUT
THEY HAVE THAT EXPERIENCE AND
JUST MAKE A PART OF THEIR
COMMON LANGUAGE AT HOME.
YEAH. MAGIC THEATER AND A G
I K YES. CORRECT. THEATER SAID
IT WOULD MAKE SURE PEOPLE AT
HOME KNOW THAT FOR. ALL RIGHT.
JASMINE DEAN, THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR BEING WITH US TODAY.
>> MY PLEASURE. THANK YOU.