"It breaks your heart as a parent to see your child struggle." Carol Sue Burdock recalls. Currently homeschooling three children diagnosed with dyslexia, Carol recounts her family's long battle with the crippling insecurities, social stigmas and constant frustrations stemming from this widely misunderstood disorder.

This battle started soon after her 6 year old son, John, entered public kindergarten. After about a month, the pressure of trying to keep up with fellow classmates when not being able to grasp common lessons caused John to develop severe anxiety and stress. Carol remembers that “it escalated to the point where he started having nervous ticks.” The many days when he would come home crying, confused and discouraged led Carol to seek alternate education methods. “We decided then to pull him out because this was just not healthy.”

With careful consideration, Carol decided the best course of action was to homeschool John. Though the plan had always been to send John to public school, Carol felt it necessary to “pull him out and try to get him back to the child that he was before he started school.” After a short adjustment period, John began using a multi-sensory learning system at home. Though this type of program helped him with his reading, his writing and spelling mistakes still plagued him, leading to distraction and frustration. This struggle lead Carol to wonder if the symptoms he displayed while struggling with his work could stem from dyslexia, a developmental reading disorder resulting in problems with the brain's ability to recognize and process symbols. Desperate for a solution, Carol continued her search for the tools to help unleash all of her son's hidden potential.

In the fall of 2006, she came across a website promoting a computer program designed for children with developmental reading disorders. Focusing on word prediction and voice recognition, WordQ+SpeakQ would help John not only translate his thoughts into a cohesive manner but would also help him learn the correct spelling and pronunciation of words despite his dyslexia. With no risk and little to lose, Carol decided to download the free WordQ+SpeakQ 30 day trial.

Immediately after beginning the program, John showed notable improvement in his reading comprehension and creative writing. "The first thing I was just amazed at was the simplicity of getting the computer to recognize his voice." explains Carol. Having the software programmed with sentences he could easily read and understand helped him progress with the voice recognition. John's first assignment from Carol, using the WordQ+SpeakQ software, was to produce a creative narrative. Though it might have been a small piece, the success of John being able to work independently brought tears to his mother's eyes. "It was the first time he could actually be like 'Mom, I can't believe I wrote that'." Carol reminisces fondly. This significant achievement prompted Carol to implement the entire WordQ+SpeakQ program into her son's curriculum.

With three children now using the WordQ+SpeakQ program full time, Carol feels their success is due in large part to each child being able to learn at their own pace. In conjunction with the extra time and flexibility that homeschooling provides, the WordQ+SpeakQ program allows her children to develop reading and writing skills with no unnecessary pressure. “It takes away that feeling of ‘I’m dumb’.“ Carol explains, “They may learn in a different way but they are far from stupid.” Adaptable to each child's specific level and need, the children has been able to pursue their personal and academic interests with more enthusiasm and capability.

Though a common and often discussed learning disorder, the stigma of dyslexia is still widely seen throughout our society. Feelings of inadequacy and misconceptions of a lazy or unintelligent mind have created walls that sometimes keep those living with the disorder from reaching their full potential. The acceptance, education and positive reinforcement derived from these programs has help Carol push her children past these barriers toward rewarding, meaningful goals. "WordQ+SpeakQ really just saved us from a really dark place." Carol maintains, "We just needed the tools and that was just the answer."