A CEO of a centre for dyslexia in Canada discusses plans for its permanent home in Vancouver, where it will provide support for families and educators. The Centre for Dyslexia estimates that 20% of the population has dyslexia, but 80% go undiagnosed, with many struggling in school due to lack of understanding. Neil Johnston highlights the importance of early identification and training for teachers on how to support students with dyslexia, citing a need to "catch them early" as children's learning styles change from reading to learn around Grade 4. The centre already offers programs across British Columbia and hopes to help schools develop their own capacity to support dyslexic learners in the long term.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
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Story summary
Canada's first centre dedicated to supporting people with dyslexia has been established in Vancouver, with a focus on helping families and educators support students with learning differences. The Centre for Dyslexia, led by CEO Neil Johnston, estimates that 20% of the population has dyslexia, but 80% of those individuals go undiagnosed. Dyslexia affects how the brain processes information, causing challenges with reading, writing, executive functioning, and math. If left undiagnosed, these challenges can lead to a poor school experience for children, who may be in distress without understanding why they're struggling. The new centre will offer direct programs and services to families, as well as work with teachers and school districts to improve support for students with dyslexia.
Written for “Dyslexia Centre Opens In Vancouver” on 2026-09-07,
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Canada’s first centre dedicated to supporting people with dyslexia is getting a permanent home in Vancouver with a focus on helping families and giving educators tools to support students with learning differences.
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centre → dedicate → differences
Neil Johnston, CEO of the Centre for Dyslexia, said the organization hopes to address gaps that can leave children with dyslexia struggling in the classroom without knowing why.
“About 20 per cent of the population has dyslexia, 80 per cent go undiagnosed,” Johnston told Global News.
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Johnston → say → News
Dyslexia affects how the brain processes information and can present challenges with reading and writing, as well as executive functioning and math, Johnston explained.
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Johnston → affect → reading
For children who aren’t diagnosed early, those challenges can also take a toll on their experience at school.
“These kids aren’t having a good school experience.
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kids → diagnose → experience
They do need support.
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They → need → support
They don’t understand why the system isn’t helping them,” Johnston said.
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Johnston → understand → them
The Vancouver centre will provide direct programs and services to families while also working with teachers and school districts to improve support for students with dyslexia.
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centre → provide → dyslexia
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Johnston said one of the priorities is identifying struggling students earlier.
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one → get → students
While families can pursue a formal diagnosis, he said the process can come with delays and costs.
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process → pursue → delays
Screening can offer a quicker way of identifying children who are struggling to read and determining what support they may need.
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they → offer → support
“The science of reading tells us how kids learn to read best,” Johnston said.
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Johnston → tell → us
“From K to 3, kids learn to read.
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kids → learn → 3
And from Grade 4 onwards, they’re reading to learn.
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they → read → Grade
So we’ve got to catch them early.”
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we → get → them
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experts → call → classrooms
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judge → open → protection
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He said teachers are committed to helping their students but may not always receive enough training on dyslexia and other learning differences.
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teachers → roll → dyslexia
“We have amazing teachers,” Johnston said.
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Johnston → have → teachers
“They’re so committed and dedicated to what they do and they’re great at it, but we haven’t set them up for success.”
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we → ’re → success
The centre is already working with school districts and offering programs in person and virtually across British Columbia, with the longer term goal of helping schools develop their own capacity to support dyslexic learners.
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schools → work → learners
Johnston said there has been progress in B.C. in recent years, including greater recognition of dyslexia by the provincial government, but more work remains.
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work → say → government
For parents who notice their child struggling at school, Johnston said it is important not to ignore the signs.
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it → notice → signs
“That’s heartbreaking as a parent,” he said.
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he → ’ → parent
“We’re here to help.
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We → ’re → ?
