AUGUSTA – Governor Paul R. LePage has issued the following proclamation declaring October Dyslexia Awareness Month:
WHEREAS, Dyslexic men, women and children experience difficulties in learning to read, write, spell and in some cases, to use numbers because of a neurological, genetically-based learning difference; and
WHEREAS, the symptoms of Dyslexia include a delay in spoken language development, difficulties with concepts of sequence, time and space, and is characterized by difficulty with learning to read fluently and with accurate comprehension despite normal intelligence; and
WHEREAS, Dyslexia is the most common learning disability in children and persists throughout life with 20 percent of the population or one out of every five people in the United States; and
WHEREAS, when Dyslexia is not identified early, the emotional and social cost to the individuals and the economic cost to society are significant; and
WHEREAS, children with untreated dyslexia suffer devastating personal consequences as it is the primary reason teenagers drop out of school, is a contributing factor to juvenile delinquency, alcohol and drug abuse, suicide and can lead to adults unable to achieve at their fullest capacity; and
WHEREAS, Dyslexia is identifiable with over 90 percent certainty in children ages five and one-half to six and one-half; and
WHEREAS, proper diagnosis, early and appropriate intervention and support from family, teachers and friends will greatly increase a child’s academic success and self-esteem, however, it is never too late for adults with dyslexia to learn to read, process and express information more efficiently; and
WHEREAS, children with dyslexia who are identified as dyslexic and provided with effective, scientifically proven reading instruction in kindergarten and first grade, will have significantly fewer problems learning to read at grade-level than children who are not identified as dyslexic or provided help until third grade or later; and
WHEREAS, Dyslexia affected some of the world’s most famous artists, innovators and leaders, including Lewiston-born actor Patrick Dempsey and Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller, the 41st Vice President of the United States, and born in Bar Harbor, Maine; and
WHEREAS, October is National Dyslexia Awareness Month, reminding students and their parents that difficulties encountered in living with dyslexia can be overcome with early intervention and proper support which can lead to successes in adulthood; and
WHEREAS, during the month of October conferences are held around the United States promoting awareness, research and early identification of dyslexia.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, PAUL R. LEPAGE, Governor of the State of Maine, do hereby proclaim October 2013 as
DYSLEXIA AWARENESS MONTH
throughout the State of Maine, and urge all citizens to recognize this observance.