It is estimated that over 40 million adults in America are dyslexic, meaning that just under 1 in 5 people have dyslexia. 20% of school aged children in the U.S. are said to be dyslexic. Astoundingly, 1 in 2 – that’s right,  50%, or more, African-Americans suffer from dyslexia.

Click here to learn more about a  first-of-its-kind screening tool, the Shaywitz DyslexiaScreen™, which enables schools nationwide and internationally to quickly and reliably screen all kindergarten, first and second grade students for dyslexia, allowing early support and intervention for the estimated 20 percent of the population who have dyslexia, including 80 percent of those with learning disabilities.

October is Dyslexia Awareness Month. To achieve the goal of early detection of as many children and adults as possible around the world, we are launching Dyslexia Diagnosis Day™, which will take place annually on the first Monday of October. This year’s second annual Dyslexia Diagnosis Day™ will take place on Monday, October 1, 2018. On that day, we recommend schools, districts, and other educational institutions purchase and/or use the Shaywitz DyslexiaScreen™ to begin the process of identifying students who may be at risk for dyslexia.

Early detection is the key to helping dyslexics become contributors to society. Early detection helps prevent children from being struggling readers. Early detection helps lessen some of the reading difficulties that children face and, importantly increases their self-awareness that they are intelligent and not dumb. The earlier in a child’s life dyslexia can be identified, the sooner interventions and accommodations can be put in place to help kids succeed in school.

Some of the smartest and most accomplished people in history and some of the world’s most creative people are dyslexic. Examples include Albert Einstein, Virgin’s Richard Branson, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Academy Award winner, Octavia Spencer, Jay Leno, Whoopi Goldberg, and Steven Spielberg, among many other greats.