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Get to Know our Staff: Vennecia Jackson, M.D.

Get to Know our Staff: Vennecia Jackson, M.D.

by | May 19, 2021 | Dyslexia & Learning Disorders

Where did you go to college? Medical school?
I graduated from Elon College in Elon, North Carolina. It’s now Elon University. Back then, the Elon Children’s Home was better known than the school. I attended Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina.

What are your specialties?
Developmental and behavioral pediatrics. I serve as the director of diagnostic services at the Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia & Learning Disorders, and I am a staff developmental pediatrician. 

What role does a diagnostic developmental pediatrician play in early screening for learning differences?
Developmental pediatricians consider the whole child with learning problems through the lens of their abilities, gifts and struggles, opportunities and academic supports, developmental and life barriers, learning expectations, physical and mental health. 

We gather information that allows us to tell the child’s unique story, starting before their birth, including the influence of their family, educators, community and their individual experiences in school, on the playground (at play – a critical aspect of their job) and at home. Understanding the interplay between these and other factors, the learning and performing brain and the impact of their self-perceptions not only provides the basis for screening a child/adolescent for learning problems, but also informs possible diagnoses and next steps.

Why did you want to become a doctor? Have you always wanted to work in pediatrics?  
Mookie, Sisanume, Gloria Jean, David and Jo Nate were my neighborhood friends. They were creative and brilliant. We all got our vaccinations at the health department, but when we all contracted impetigo one summer, my grandmother knew if the sores didn’t heal quickly using her expert home remedies, my sister and I would need to go to our pediatrician to get a shot of antibiotics. We ended up needing the medicine and our mom was a unit secretary at the hospital and knew all the best doctors. My friend Mookie didn’t have a doctor, and no doctor would see her family or her. Her sores didn’t heal. Instead, the bone in her leg became infected. She couldn’t come out and play because she had a high fever. One day, the ambulance came to our neighborhood and took Mookie to the hospital. Not only did she lose her leg, but she couldn’t read our library books anymore or talk very well. Crossword puzzles and dominos now frustrated her. Even though I didn’t understand the “why” of what happened to Mookie, I decided it should never happen to another child. My mind was made up. No matter what it would take, and I didn’t have a clue what that was, I was going to be a pediatrician who made children well. 

What led you to  Scottish Rite for Children? How long have you been here?  
One of my mentors knew Jeff Black, M.D., the former medical director of the Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia & Learning Disorders. At the time, I was living in Tennessee and my mentor was aware that radical changes in the Tennessee health care system was impacting my practice of developmental pediatrics as well as training of residents at Quillen College of Medicine. There were simply not enough pediatricians who accepted insurance to care for the children in the East Tennessee tri-cities area. Jeff was looking to recruit a developmental pediatrician. On the recommendation of my mentor, he contacted me and asked if I would come for a visit. I did my homework on Scottish Rite and thought, “What great marketing.” I grew up in a family of Prince Hall Masons and knew there was something real and right about the organization. Admittedly, on my first visit to Scottish Rite, I knew I needed to see something different to take a break from the new “standard of care” in Tennessee, which was way below my standard. From the moment I walked in the door, my thinking was transformed. Not just because I was comparing it to the deteriorating and chaotic Tennessee health care system, but because Scottish Rite staff were unbelievably invested in providing the absolute best standard of care for the children they serve. Staff made eye contact and smiled at me, a stranger. When I wasn’t looking, God had a plan. This coming August will be my 27 year on mission at Scottish Rite.  

How has remote/virtual learning impacted students who might otherwise benefit from traditional, face-to-face services?  
Fractured educational care is how I think of the impact of COVID-19 on students, especially those who need heightened opportunities for success. I’ve seen Texas educators retool themselves in powerful and steadfast ways to meet the needs of their students. Yet, for too many of the children who struggle to learn, virtual learning has resulted in a drastic slowing of progress. 

These children most often require not only teaching that is explicit, highly structured and multisensory, and delivered in a controlled manner, but that also engages them through immediate feedback and affirmation. Children learn in context. A great deal of that context comes from their peers in the space of the classroom, where there are anticipated shifts in the routine that allow for various levels of interaction and opportunities to ask questions for better understanding. That context is exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to recreate virtually. Like many professionals, I have concerns that there has been time and progress lost to virtual learning that will be difficult to recapture. Then I remember the resilience of children and the teachers who are committed to educating them.

How do you  help your  patients  feel  comfortable and confident?  
First, little and not so little ones must feel safe. Not just physically, but also emotionally. One of the ways to accomplish this is by asking developmentally appropriate questions that allow them to share their joys, thoughts, dreams and concerns. I get to lean in to hear what they are saying and take note of how they communicate and what they don’t share. Often, there is an underlying message that will require unpacking later. Spending time affirming who they are, their abilities and successes is critical. It is not unusual that they are surprised when I share the good and powerful observations that I’ve learned about them from their teacher and/or parents. Children are more insightful than adults give them credit. They know when they’re struggling and that something is getting in the way of them meeting their expectations and those of their parents and educators. In response to my question, “what’s hard for you?” the child will describe their struggle. I get to confirm their observations and explain their diagnosis, always in the context of their abilities and successes. They must know there is a plan to help them be better at the thing they believe will consume them. Discussing that plan so they understand they have it within them, with the right support, the power to change or improve their skills, performance and/or behavior. Empowerment and hope are hand-in-hand goals. 

What do you enjoy most about Scottish Rite?    
Undoubtedly, my Scottish Rite work family is what I enjoy most! These are folks who are also on a mission to change the trajectory of a child’s life. We believe in the children and families we serve, no matter where we are in the building. There’s an energy that flows through here. It connects us and reminds us why and how we serve those given to our care and one another.

What was your first job?  
There wasn’t one title for my first job. There were several tasks given to my role. I was responsible for prepping the primary food that would be cooked that night for customers. Notice I didn’t say I would be doing the cooking. It was also my job to restock items and to clean industrial sized cookware with copper bottoms. Making them shine was my delight. Counting the revenue from the previous night’s sales, assuring the cash register and monies balanced and preparing the paperwork for the bank deposit, were also my some of my responsibilities at times. 

What’s your favorite place to eat around here?  
My favorite place to eat is anywhere I can be with friends and family! 

Take Flight Approved as Dyslexia Intervention Program in the State of Alabama

Take Flight Approved as Dyslexia Intervention Program in the State of Alabama

by | Nov 20, 2020 | Dyslexia & Learning Disorders

At Scottish Rite for Children, our team of experts strive for excellence – making sure that every child receives the best care. As pioneers and innovators, staff from the Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders to share their curriculum for dyslexia with those around the country, with a goal of helping children who struggle with reading.

Recently, another state has approved Take Flight: A Comprehensive Intervention for Students with Dyslexia as a recommended dyslexia intervention for use in public schools. Along with Arkansas and parts of Colorado, Alabama is the latest state where the program has been approved.

This is an important distinction because many products are available for literacy education that do not address the specific needs of students with dyslexia. State approval affords school administrators, educators, trustees and especially parents the confidence needed to allow their students to receive this specific assistance. This approval also satisfies a legislative mandate.

Decades of scientific evidence regarding how the brain learns to read and, consequently, how to effectively teach reading, have traditionally not been incorporated systematically in the education system, particularly in the legislation surrounding instructional practices. Several states (and many more in the pipeline) have recently passed initiatives concerning the importance of the “Science of Reading” (SOR) and have mandated that public schools must use a curriculum based in the SOR for both reading instruction and intervention. This is a critical change because although many education systems mandate dyslexia identification and intervention policies, very few of them outline precisely what methods to use.

A key feature of this recent legislation is the thorough vetting of curricula before they are recommended for approval at the state level. Departments of education call for and review very extensive applications from publishers regarding curriculum content and structure, as well as scientific theory and empirical evidence supporting their program’s effectiveness. Members from our Center for Dyslexia completed the required applications and were notified that we were one of only four intervention programs were recommended by Alabama’s Literacy Task Force as meeting requirements of the Alabama Literacy Act – and Take Flight received the highest score of all intervention programs reviewed by the state. Our team will continue to seek state-level approval for Take Flight as legislature is passed in other states and the opportunity arises.

State approval of Take Flight is a reflection of the powerful efficacy of the curriculum and of the commitment to educational excellence by the State of Alabama.

Debra Buchanan, Ed.D., Joins the Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders at Scottish Rite for Children

Debra Buchanan, Ed.D., Joins the Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders at Scottish Rite for Children

by | Oct 1, 2020 | Dyslexia & Learning Disorders

Debra Buchanan, Ed.D., has been named the Administrative Director of the Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders at Scottish Rite for Children. Buchanan joins medical director, Sheryl Frierson, M.D., in leading the internationally recognized Center for Dyslexia while assisting in the development of new projects and helping to maintain the mission of giving children back their childhood.
 
“We are excited to have Dr. Buchanan on board,” says Medical Director of the Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders Sheryl Frierson, M.D. “Her extensive experience directing services for children with learning differences in local public school districts makes her an invaluable addition to the Center for Dyslexia.” 
 
Dr. Buchanan earned her Doctorate of Education from Texas A&M in Commerce, Texas and completed her Master of Education at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. She received her superintendent certification through Texas A&M Commerce and has completed Project Management Program (PMP) Training.
 
Dr. Buchanan has spent 37 years in education and began her career as a special education teacher in Fairfax, VA. She has served in various leadership roles, most recently as the Executive Director of Special Education in Garland ISD. As an educator, she was named Teacher of The Year in Rockwall ISD and has received the Bravo Award by the Texas Council for Women School Executives. 
 
“I have worked with the Scottish Rite Center for Dyslexia for over twenty years in the role of school district administrator over Dyslexia, Section 504 and Special Education,” says Dr. Buchanan. “The Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders is renowned for its research in the areas of dyslexia instruction and therapist training and I am excited and humbled to join this amazing team.”

“We are fortunate to recruit a leader with Dr. Buchanan’s educational expertise, experience with the Scottish Rite Take Flight curriculum and her existing relationships with school districts,” says Senior Vice President of Operations Matt Chance. 

Information About Therapist Training

Information About Therapist Training

by | Sep 23, 2020 | Dyslexia & Learning Disorders

At Scottish Rite for Children, the Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders offers the Dyslexia Therapist Training Program for certified Texas public school teachers. This two-year comprehensive training is designed for teachers of students with dyslexia using proven intervention techniques and is accredited by the International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council.  

This training is master’s level work to the therapy level. National standards require a minimum of:  

  • 200 clock hours of instruction from Master Level Qualified Instructors
  • 700 clock hours of individual or small group therapy which can be achieved by 3 classes a day for 2 consecutive years of students
  • 10 demonstration lessons observed by the trainers

The program offers training in:

  • Educational identification of dyslexia
  • Characteristics of dyslexia
  • Take Flight: A Comprehensive Intervention for Students with Dyslexia, a multisensory, structured approach to teaching developed at Scottish Rite for Children
  • Classroom strategies and techniques used for students with dyslexia
  • How to conduct parent and teacher information seminars

Candidates for the training must be employed by a Texas public school, hold a valid Texas teaching certificate and have written support of their school district.

Graduates of the Dyslexia Therapist Training Program are eligible to sit for a national therapy certification exam at the therapy level. Fifteen hours of graduate-level credit are offered through Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas.

Scottish Rite for Children has trained hundreds of therapists since 1988.  In order to maintain therapist training, instructors must also be taught. The completion of the instructor level requires true commitment.  

Requirements include:

  • An additional 1,400 teaching hours of students.
  • A master’s degree.
  • Two to three years of additional classroom training.
  • A minimum of three supervised lectures at the introductory and advanced level of therapist training.
  • A minimum of 20 demonstration reviews.

Scottish Rite for Children has trained a number of instructors over the years, including a number of school districts in North Texas like Frisco, Plano, Garland, Lovejoy and Richardson.  Now, these districts have the expertise to train any additional therapists their district may need in-house. Likewise, the education service centers in Regions 7 and 8 are offering therapist training.

Through our commitment to therapist training, we are able to continue our mission of helping more children diagnosed with dyslexia or other learning disorders. 

Learn more about therapist training. 

Dyslexia – The Evaluation Process

Dyslexia – The Evaluation Process

by | Sep 16, 2020 | Dyslexia & Learning Disorders

At our Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders, our team is committed to helping parents and children understand the entire evaluation process. From arriving at our Dallas campus to your child going through testing and what happens once that is complete, we want to share with you what you can expect every step of the way. Learn more below.
 
The process

  • Parents/guardians apply for our services. Click here for the online application or call 214-559-7815 to have a copy mailed or emailed to you.
  • As part of the application, parents will send in educational information (report cards, benchmark measures, previous testing). We want to ensure we can integrate all previous pieces to get a good idea of what your child needs.
  • A few weeks after your application is approved, you will receive a packet of parent and teacher questionnaires in the mail. Once you complete all of these pieces, return them to us. We will schedule your child for evaluation soon after you return everything requested.

 
Day of evaluation – what can my child expect?

  • Upon arrival, you and your child will have your temperatures taken. Please make sure you are both are wearing a mask. Our Security team will direct you to the A bank elevators and to the fourth floor. Once upstairs, you will follow the signs to the Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders.
    • Just outside our doors, you will see the airplane mural. We firmly believe that each child has the potential to soar once we find the right path for them.
  • Each child will work with a team member who already knows a lot about them from the paperwork submitted beforehand.
  • Once in the testing setting, we have large safety glass partitions in place. At this time, we are able to remove our masks.
  • Testing will take two to four hours depending on your child’s age and academic needs. They will get a 10-15-minute break about halfway through.
  • While visiting with us for the first appointment, your child will also interact with our nurse. Nurse Marilyn will check their height, weight, vision and hearing – just like a school nurse.
  • During the second visit with us, which is currently online, we will visit with parents about all of your child’s hard work! We will discuss how to best support your child at home and at school. As a team, we will help determine what your child needs to make learning as friendly as possible.

 
What can parents expect?

  • Once we take your child back for their assessment, you will have between two and four hours in the waiting room.
  • The second appointment, which is currently provided online, is when you will do the work. We will ask you many questions to ensure we completely understand your child’s background and your current questions/concerns.
  • In the context of the second appointment (“Clinic Visit”), we will walk you through your child’s testing performance, as well as providing diagnoses and recommendations for next steps.
  • While visiting, we encourage you to ask questions. There can never be too many questions when it comes to your child and their needs.
  • You will receive a packet of information with helpful guides and a formal report to share with your child’s educators and whomever else might need to know more about how to support your child.
  • We encourage you to contact us if you have any questions along the way.

 
Learn more about the Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders.
 

Understanding the Basics of Dyslexia

Understanding the Basics of Dyslexia

by | Sep 10, 2020 | Dyslexia & Learning Disorders

In 1965, the Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders was established to help identify and treat children with various learning disorders. As pioneers in the field, the center has developed curriculum that is used across the country – helping children everywhere. As a condition that impacts 10-15% of individuals, it is important to understand the basics of dyslexia. Learn more below. Dyslexia Defined Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. The condition can best be described as an unexpected difficulty learning to read. Children with dyslexia struggle with phonology, or the recognition and manipulation of sounds in language. Dyslexia affects a child’s ability to decode words — to break them down into constituent sounds, or phonemes, and then to sound out novel words. That makes it hard to recognize words, to retrieve words, to read, to write and to spell. Some children with dyslexia just have problems quickly retrieving words. The result is a discrepancy between ability and achievement: a child who is struggling with reading despite having the intelligence to be a much better reader. Children identified with dyslexia do not necessarily have failing grades in school. However, because of their learning disability, they often struggle with reading, despite exerting a great deal of time and effort. Students with dyslexia often find it difficult to keep up with academic expectations around third grade when reading fluency (reading quickly, easily and automatically) is an expectation and can impact other areas of learning. While they may learn to read and compensate for reading weakness in other ways, children do not outgrow dyslexia. Dyslexia is Not: 
  • reading and writing letters backwards.
  • a vision problem.
  • due to lack of intelligence.
  • because the child doesn’t work hard or lazy.
  • caused by a lack of reading at home.
  • extremely rare.
What Happens in Dyslexia?
  • Most kids begin learning to read by learning how speech sounds make up words (phonemic awareness) and then connecting those sounds to alphabet letters (phonics).
    • They then learn how to blend those sounds into words and, eventually, they can recognize words they’ve seen many times before.
  • Kids with dyslexia have trouble with phonemic awareness and phonics. Reading doesn’t become automatic and stays slow and labored.
  • When a child struggles with these beginning steps in reading, comprehension may suffer and the child may experience frustration.
  • A common assumption about dyslexia is that letters or words appear reversed — that “was” appears like “saw.”
    • This type of problem can be a part of dyslexia, but reversals are very common among children through first or second grade, not just children with dyslexia.
  • The major problem for kids with dyslexia is in phonemic awareness, phonics and rapid word recognition.
Tips for Parents Can a parent or guardian request an evaluation? Yes. A parent/guardian may request to have his/her child evaluated for dyslexia and related disorders by staff at the school district or open-enrollment charter school. The identification and intervention process for dyslexia involve both state and federal requirements that must be followed. The evaluation, identification and provision of services for students with dyslexia are guided by either the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 depending on the data and the student’s individual needs. These two federal laws established the assessment and evaluation standards and procedures for students. A team of persons knowledgeable about the student, instructional practices and possible service options meets to discuss data collected and the instructional implications of that data. These individuals include, but are not limited to, the classroom teacher, administrator, dyslexia specialist and/or interventionist. This team may also include the parents and/or a diagnostician familiar with testing and interpreting evaluation results. If the school district has data to support refusal of the parent/guardian request, the procedural protections of IDEA and/or Section 504 must be followed. Parents or guardians must be given notice of their rights under Section 504 or IDEA with prior written notice of the decision. Also, the school district may provide the student with additional support in the classroom or through the Response to Intervention (RTI) process. Must a student fail a class or subject before being recommended for evaluation for dyslexia?  No. A student does not need to fail a class or subject, or fail the state-required assessment, in order to be referred for a dyslexia evaluation. According to TEC §38.003, which requires students to be screened or tested, as appropriate, for dyslexia and related disorders at appropriate times. Screening must occur at the end of the school year of each student in kindergarten and each student in the first grade. The appropriate time to possibly evaluate a child depends upon multiple factors, including the student’s reading performance, reading difficulties, poor response to supplemental, scientifically based reading instruction, teacher’s input and input from the parents/guardians. To the extent these factors give rise to the suspicion of a disability and possibly a corresponding need for special education services and/or accommodations, the student must be referred in accord with the relevant body of federal law (Section 504 or IDEA). Learn more about our Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders.