MAUMELLE, Ark. – It’s the final day of Dyslexia Awareness Month and for one Maumelle school, the entire goal is to meet the needs of students battling dyslexia.

 

Friendship Aspire Lab School for Dyslexia is a private school dedicated solely to dyslexic students through 8th grade. With 36 full-time students and 27 satellite students, teachers and therapists dedicate each day to forms of teaching tailored specifically to their needs, whether they struggle with numbers, reading or writing.

 

“On Tuesdays I go to therapy and the therapy ladies are super nice to me and we always make little treats,” satellite student Carlaysia Dunbar said.

 

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Learning looks a bit different at this school, with a range of teaching from inside the classroom to therapy rooms. Students also learn through physical activity that stimulates their brains and tackles some of the learning curves they experience through dyslexia.

 

A group of parents sat down with KARK 4 News to share their stories of how the school has changed their kid’s education for the better.

 

Several said their student went years in elementary school without learning how to read, prior to coming to Friendship Aspire Lab School for Dyslexia.

 

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They all agreed that their students felt more isolated in their previous schools, where they did not feel the sense of community that they do now with other students who have similar needs.

 

“Coming here, it was life-changing for her,” Carmen Patterson said, referring to her daughter who is a student at the school.

 

This year, the school is starting to take students full-time through the Education Freedom Accounts, provided under the LEARNS Act. While EFAs do not cover full tuition, it does provide assistance to families having to make financial sacrifices for their kids to receive the education fit best for their students. Every full-time student at the school is receiving scholarship money through EFAs this year, according to the principal.

 

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Parents and faculty at the school said they look forward to seeing this continue to grow in the coming years, and they expect to see their enrollment continue to go up as more students learn about all that they offer.

 

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