School Solutions: Help for Students with Learning Disabilities

Dyslexia, auditory, and visual processing disorders affect 10 percent of children.

At the Triad academy, students work in small groups and use hands-on learning to increase children's reading and math skills.

WFMY News 2's Tracey McCain talked with students about how the program helped turn their disability into a school solution.

Alphabet chips, suffix cards and dictation books help students at the Triad Academy better say, spell and understand words.

The independent school in Winston-Salem only enrolls children diagnosed with dyslexia and other learning disabilities.

Class room sizes are small; the school averages four students to a teacher.

"The teachers focus on you and you can kind of learn at your own pace," said 5th Grade Student Max Beeler. "So you're learning at the pace that you need and you're not going at the same pace as someone way ahead of you so that's really helpful."

The low student teacher ratio helps students focus better. But its the visual and hands-on demonstrations that gets students involved and interested in learning.

"They see it, they hear it, they say it they do it. And that helps with retention of information," said Malloy.

Rather than studying history from a text book, students dress up like mid-evil knights and ladies to get the full scope of the time period and how people lived.

"We learn the same stuff but just in a different way," said Megan Almond, a student at the school. "And it's fun."

In art class, the same method applies. The school's teaching style is different but students say it's working.

"My writing has improved. I now enjoy writing way more now. It used to be a chore but now it's kind of fun," said Beeler.

The Triad Academy is listed as one of the top 10 recommended schools in the nation for children with learning disabilities.

They have an open house on Wednesday, May 27th and another on Sunday, May 31st.

Parents can see the classrooms, meet with teachers and talk with students already enrolled in the school from 11:00am to 1:00pm on Wednesday and from 3:00pm to 4:30pm on Sunday.

The school is located at 905 Friedberg Church Road. You can reach the school by calling 336-775-4900.