Dr. Julie Porter, Head of School, Park Century School

My name is Dr. Julie Porter, and I am the head of school at Park Century School.

Park Century School is for students with language-based learning differences, specifically dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia and ADHD. Our program is tailored to meet each student’s individual needs, providing interventions to help with reading, writing and math skills.

Our success lies in helping students understand how they learn, as their brains are wired differently. For example, when you’re dyslexic, you see the world differently, so you think and learn differently as well. We need to teach in ways that align with their unique ways of learning.

Our success also comes from strong teacher training, structured literacy and evidence-based programming. We use a multimodal, multisensory environment, incorporating movement and executive functioning support, which is essential for managing learning differences. We also focus on strengths rather than solely on areas of difficulty.

Many parents come to us after being told by other schools that they can no longer meet their child’s needs, which can lead to frustration. These families often arrive with a sense of loss or trauma, and we spend time unpacking those feelings. We begin with assessments to understand specific areas like phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency and comprehension. With this foundation, we identify the root of learning challenges and apply evidence-based interventions.

We have to dig down deeper to figure out what we’re treating in a sense. It’s very similar when you go to a medical doctor. You go from test to test so that doctors can pinpoint what they’re trying to treat. So, once we know the diagnosis or what we’re really looking at, then, those programs come into place. For example, if a student has dyscalculia, we use a multisensory approach to teach math concepts without overwhelming visual information, helping students to engage and learn more effectively. It’s not worksheets or too many things on a page because they can’t discern how many things are on it.

These strategies are evidence-based. They don’t require them to read everything. The approach is seeing how their brain learns or sees it, and then delivering it in that way, depending on the issue. Some of our kids have expressive and receptive language issues. So, how does the language come in and go out? Each child has something unique to them. We spend a lot of time training and at work to understand these nuances.

The diagnosis can look different at home or the mall. We would like to know what it looks like in the classroom. Once we know what it looks like in the classroom, we know what we need to do to fill in the gaps; we want that early intervention to fill in the gaps early. The brain is soft when they’re young, so we can rewire it quicker. If we wait till they get older, it’s a little bit harder. Like Play-Doh, it’s soft and easy to mold when you have just opened it. That’s early intervention. We can go in and just mold it and make it play on the child’s strength. If we or the family wait longer, the gap gets bigger.

So, we decided a year ago to open an early literacy program. We used to only take kids in second grade because some research said you can’t identify dyslexia. But now we know you can identify it. Research tells us there are early markers, so why wait? Why wait for the trauma to come in when we can go in earlier? Other layers come later, and some are in the social and emotional realm as kids go through adolescence.

Our programs are similar to neurotypical schools, covering subjects like math, science, social studies and fine arts, along with physical education. While we follow state standards, our focus and teaching strategies are unique and aimed at addressing the needs of students who come in below grade level. We have to address those issues to get them to where they need to be.

You’re not going to go to another neurotypical school around us and see the same thing because if that worked, kids would stay at their school, right? They wouldn’t come to us. Additionally, our approach to reading includes structured literacy tailored to our students’ needs.

We had a third-grade student who came to us unable to read but with an incredible social personality. He had been asked to leave two schools prior. One spring day, he came running out, thrilled that he had read a chapter independently. That breakthrough moment opened up his world, allowing him access to the curriculum and a sense of achievement. His family saw his progress and became fully invested, making this a true success story.

Our students think differently and that diversity is the future, especially in creative and scientific industries. Supporting our students not only helps them reach their potential but also contributes to a better world, as neurodiverse thinkers drive innovation.

These kids should not have the shame that comes with their circumstances. Their families should embrace it and have that pride as their children see the world and learn differently, and that they will change the world.

So when I look at potential partners, why wouldn’t they want to be in on that? You can make a difference, not only in one child’s life, but that exponentially builds up and can go on. So by partnering with us, you can make a significant impact on both individual lives, families and society.

Early intervention is essential. If you’re considering support for your child, don’t wait. Even though it feels like it would be difficult, the earlier you do it, the more success you’ll have and the better it’ll be for the child. For instance, a kindergartener at our school still believes in his or her intelligence, while older students might already doubt themselves. Early intervention allows us to address needs before trauma sets in, helping children build confidence and avoid feelings of inadequacy. Using evidence-based strategies and early intervention can make all the difference.