California Gov. Gavin Newsom revealed a comment his mom made “cruelly” in his upcoming memoir as the 58-year-old Democrat struggled with severe dyslexia growing up.
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School-Reported Reading Assessments Show Atypical Gains for Students With Dyslexia
Across multiple cases and school-administered reports, students who participated in NOW! Programs®, an evidence- and research-based approach grounded in developmental brain science, demonstrated:
- Significant percentile gains in reading and language performance
- Growth exceeding typical annual expectations, rate of growth as high as 91st percentile
- Sustained progress across multiple school testing windows
In several reports, students’ reading was previously below the 10th percentile and later they scored in the 50th to 80th percentile ranks, as documented by independent school assessments. The school-reported assessment outcomes align with federal and state expectations for evidence-based instruction under ESSA and IDEA, demonstrating measurable gains rather than reliance on compensatory strategies.
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Seeing Differently Due to Dyslexia
Barbara Wirostko, MD, FARVO, is a glaucoma clinician-researcher and Adjunct Professor of Ophthalmology and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Utah, Moran Eye Center in Salt Lake City. Outside of her ophthalmological work, she runs a national nonprofit charity supporting young adults with dyslexia who are pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). In this Q&A, Wirostko shares how personal loss led her to create a foundation that has transformed hundreds of lives.
How did you get into this work? I did not “choose” to do this work—it essentially evolved out of need. In 2014, our son, Joseph James, died suddenly in a car crash. He was a junior at Montana State University (MSU), studying mechanical engineering. We asked our community to donate in lieu of spending money on flowers. What began as a local grassroots effort has turned into a national volunteer nonprofit, the Joseph James Morelli Legacy Foundation. Over 11 years, we have awarded close to $900,000 in 496 scholarships across 44 states.
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How to Support Students with Dyslexia
Key takeaways
- Dyslexia is a specific word-reading difficulty, not a problem with effort or intelligence
Dyslexia is a neurobiological learning disability marked by persistent challenges with accurate and/or fluent word reading and spelling, even with good instruction. It does not mean that a student isn’t smart, motivated, or capable. - Early identification changes trajectories — but it’s never too late to help
Strong, early screening systems and attention to risk factors (including family history) can prevent years of struggle and frustration. At the same time, the speakers emphasized that intervention remains worthwhile in later grades and adulthood; support can still make a meaningful difference. - Myths about dyslexia can delay or derail support
Common misconceptions — like “letters moving on the page,” that dyslexia can’t be identified until third grade, or that it only looks one way in English — can keep students from getting what they need. Clarifying what dyslexia is (and isn’t) helps schools focus on effective, evidence-based responses. - Instruction needs to make sound–print connections explicit and give students lots of practice
For students with or at risk for dyslexia, high-quality instruction includes explicit, systematic teaching of how sounds map onto letters and spelling patterns, coupled with ample practice in reading and spelling words in connected text. The goal is not only accurate decoding, but growing fluency, comprehension, and confidence. - Families, systems, and relationships are central to supporting students with dyslexia
Caregivers, often parents or guardians who notice early struggles, are key partners in identification and advocacy. Schools can honor that role by building coherent systems for screening, intervention, and accommodations, and by creating environments where students’ strengths are recognized alongside their challenges.
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Local mum helping kids after her daughter said ‘I’m not good at anything’
A dyslexic mum from Leamington is preparing to launch a safe, creative digital platform for children who struggle with words – whether that’s reading, writing, spelling, or expressing what’s going on inside – after securing backing from Innovate UK last year.
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Journey of a reader: from a struggle to a joyful sanctuary
Istill vividly remember the look of horror on my primary teacher’s face when she realised I hadn’t quite mastered the mechanics of reading. I had been happily ‘reading’ the story from the pictures, making it up as I went along, until she asked me to sound out specific words. I hadn’t a clue. As a child with mild dyslexia, it was a struggle and a ‘rude’ awakening; it took me much longer to read than my peers. Yet, once I finally broke the code, you couldn’t get my nose out of a book.
Eventually, I became an English teacher, and among my many roles in schools over the years, I have also been a teacher-librarian. The joy of reading, a fascination with books and a deep love for libraries have always been part of my life. Humans are hardwired to make sense of the world through narrative; we consume stories non-stop. However, there has been a significant shift in how we consume them – through film, TV, podcasts and audiobooks.
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