Lieutenant governor of california, gavin newsom. Thanks for having me. Its fun. Thank you for being so open about this. Yeah, no, its interesting. The response has been interesting. Ive always been pretty honest about the fact i have dyslexia, but no one really paid much attention to it until i became mayor. And actually, one of the first things i did as mayor, the first public events, was visiting kids with dyslexia in the school, and everyone was shocked to know that i had this learning disability, which if i look back, was probably the best thing thats ever happened to me. Except a lot of kids would hear that and go, for me, its the worst thing. It was, and it was terrible growing up. Well, take me back. I think, for me, i think it was two things. One, it was very difficult for me, in terms of my own academic experience. School was a terrible and terrorizing experience. Ill just be candid with you. Spelling, reading, writing, i had speech therapy, i went through and i just, interestingly, in preparation to come here, i had not realized, i went to five schools in seven years. So i bounced around because, frankly, the schools, back then, didnt really focus on it, and they didnt want to focus on it even after they discovered that they should be focusing on it. So, my mother, to her credit, kept bringing me to new environments. But i wanted to make the point, it wasnt just about me. It was about my mother. She was a single mom with another daughter my sister and she didnt have dyslexia, but the impact it had on her is remarkably pronounced. And i think thats just another part of the story. We talk about the impact of the kids and our own struggles, but the impact in the household is very, very challenging. Well, its tough because shes fighting for you, she wants you to succeed. Youre coming home with bad grades and low selfesteem, and im sure that, just like every other kid, you didnt want anybody to call on you to read out loud. No. Are you kidding . You sit in the back of the class i mean, back of the class with eyes down, back of the class, acting like youre doing Something Else so no one would ever look up at you. Nothing more terrorizing, seriously, than going down the rows of desks, everyones asked to read a chapter in a book, and youre just staring at the clock, going, please, please, please get this period to end so i dont have to stand up in front of everyone. And ill never forget god as my witness mr. Morris class, ill never forget that moment where the clock didnt strike at the 50 minute to the hour so i can get to the next period, and i had to stand up, and people start laughing, and its one of those experiences i know its almost cliche, right . But its so indelible in my life because it was sort of an exp i was exposed to the rest of the classroom. What did they say . Just laughed at me. I literally couldnt read. Im shaking, and im trying to read, and i cant, and, you know, theyre laughing, and i put the stuff down, and if i could run out of class, i would, but i remember i didnt. And it was just one of those horrible experiences. And, you know, you feel dumb, you feel isolated, people call you dumb. Interesting for me, cheryl, i found out about it my mother hid it from me for years. I was diagnosed as dyslexic, but she didnt want to stigmatize me, and i appreciate that in hindsight. I lost her 15 years ago, so i dont have the benefit of talking to her about it today. But she didnt want to. And i remember coming home, and i found out i had dyslexia. I just thought i was, frankly, not that smart and was struggling and thought, you know, something was wrong with me. Before we run out of time, ive got to ask you, how does this affect you now . Do you read speeches . Yeah, i rarely read speeches, and if i do, theyre the worst things i ever do, cause theyre terrible. A teleprompter is easier than looking down at a piece of paper and looking up, cause ill lose my place. When i read, i underline. If i read the newspaper, i underline. When i read books dont ever lend me a book, because i will underline it. And what i do and this is the gift, i think, of dyslexia. At the end of the day i know the word gift is a controversial one because its really ways of overcompensating become gifts. They become attributes. They become advantages. But what im able to do is, after i read something, i have to read it again. And in reading it again, then it becomes indelible in my mind. Im able to take it away from the written word, and im able to connect it in a way where my memory is strengthened. Theres so many wonderful things that come from it being creative, learning how to fail, because that becomes an expertise of those that are struggling with learning disabilities. And understanding the importance of failure, in terms of ultimate outcome and success in life. And now, finally, in california, because of extraordinary leadership, decoding dyslexia, and other leaders, we have a bill that allows us to have a protocol in california, finally, to have our teachers and others take a look and begin to assess students in california that may suffer from the same struggles. Final question youre a dad four kids in your life. Yeah. You worried about this . Im not worried about it, but im focused on it. If our kids are just turned 6 and 4, 2, and a brandnew baby if theyre dyslexic, fabulous. And that just allows us to have the opportunity to see them grow a little differently. And im for different. Im for people being a little bit, you know im for authenticity. Im for personality. You are a message of hope, gavin. I appreciate it. Thanks for having me. Appreciate it. All right, and when we come back, youre going to meet an 11yearold girl with dyslexia whose Youtube Video went viral. She and her mother will join us in just a couple of minutes. Stay with us. Well be right back. singing i just cant wait to meet you, sweet child youre on the way, im filled with expectation, and youre growing everyday. instrumental welcome back to beyond the headlines. Joining me right now, 11yearold sophia granucci and her mother, lisa granucci. And thank you for coming all the way an hour and a half drive each way. So thank you for giving us that gift of your time. And, sophia, i saw your video that went viral about something you wanted your teacher to know. So tell me about first of all, tell me about the video. Well, that video would so my teacher would know that i have dyslexia. And so i wouldnt be going into her classroom and she wouldnt be able to know, and so she can help me, and i can have extra time on tests and be able to listen to my books and do have a special class during time the school hours. Schools hours, yes. Now, when did you know that you had a problem with reading . Were you little little . 2nd to 3rd grade. I got diagnosed in 3rd grade. And at 2nd grade, i knew that there was something wrong, so i everyone was getting as and bs, and i was getting ds and fs. Oof. So, um was that frustrating for you . Yes, very frustrating. How did you feel about yourself at that time . Well, i felt i felt really, like, disappointed sometimes because i knew that i could do it. I felt like i just had to try a lot harder. Mmhmm. And, mom, youre watching her struggle. Yeah. Wow. So, as youre listening to her, take me back to those early days. You know, i had some concern, and every year, i would talk to the teachers, and i said, what can we do . What can we do . Just keep reading to her, just have her keep working harder, and i just thought they were the professionals and they were telling us what we needed to do, so i was telling her, you just got to work harder. You just got to try harder. And looking back now, and i think about how frustrating the tears at the homework table i feel awful about it. If i just wouldve known earlier. But who would know . I mean, its not something we talk about. Right. And so then, what happened to lead you to get a diagnosis . Well, just after not getting the answers and i knew there was something going on, and i spoke to a friend whose daughter had dyslexia, and so she led me to a private psychologist who evaluated her. And she was evaluated with the school prior, but they said that she was okay and she wasnt far enough behind. She needed to be three years behind in reading. Oh, no three years behind . Yeah, and she was only two years behind, so they said, shell be okay. Continue. And then i went to a private psychologist, and then they, hands down, diagnosed her with dyslexia. Wow. So when you heard that word, sophia, what did you think . Did it make you feel better . Well, i didnt know what that was, so i thought that id have to go into a special classroom, i had to have new friends and i wouldnt i would get, like, special, like, time after school and i would have to do more homework, and itd be harder. So i was kind of nervous. But then when i figured out when my mom told me what it was, i felt better, and i knew, okay, this is gonna be ill still be in the same classroom. Im just gonna have a little extra help, and i wont have to, like, go to a whole different classroom. Are you doing better now . Yes. How well . Well, now im getting as and bs instead of ds and fs. So i think that was just because i needed someone to read it to me, so and help get let me have extra time. And now im getting as and bs. Oh, congratulations thank you. So, we have about 30 seconds left. The Youtube Video youve heard from people all over the world. This is not just a california or United States problem. So, who have you heard from . Weve heard from all over a lot of people from australia, china, all over the country, canada. Its pretty impressive. Every day, i turn on my email, and we have a new comment about how inspiring it has been for them and how theyre gonna try harder and thanking sophia for making the video for them. Sophia, what do you want to tell kids out there in 10 seconds . I want to tell kids that dyslexia i have it, too. So its not like its just you. Okay, youre not alone. Right . Yeah. Thank you so much for sharing your message. All right. And we have a lot more to talk about. Coming up, youre going to meet the mother of a dyslexic child who decided that she had to take her fight to the state legislature to get services for children like her son. Also, youre going to meet a doctor considered to be the guru of dyslexia, working on sciencebased programs for decades. Stay with us. Well be right back. Every wonder what Nature Valley is made of . Thats what were made of. No artificial colors. No artificial flavors. No artificial sweeteners. Nature valley granola bars. And now introducing delicious biscuits with Almond Butter or peanut butter. Should be accessible to at pg e,everyone. Ve solar our partnership with habitat for humanity allows us to provide the benefits of solar power to the types of customers who need it most. Pg e provided all of the homes here with solar panels. The solar savings can mean a lot, especially for lowincome families. With the savings that i am getting from the solar panels, it is going to help me have a Better Future for my children. To learn how you can save energy and money with solar, go to pge. Com solar. Together, were building a better california. Welcome back. Were talking about a brainprocessing disorder called dyslexia, which frequently and sadly goes undiagnosed. Our guests today are dr. Sally shaywitz. She is author of the book overcoming dyslexia. And tobie meyer, who led the fight in sacramento to get a law passed to acknowledge dyslexia in the Education Code. So, thank you both for being here. This is your book. Youve got another one coming out. This is overcoming dyslexia, and the whole point of this show is to help people and talk about it. So, dr. Shaywitz, let me start with you. You and your husband have been working on this issue for decades. Why is this your passion . Well, dyslexia is our passion because we know it affects so many people 1 in 5, as you had mentioned. But as i testified to congress a year ago we always need more information, but in the case of dyslexia, we have enough knowledge to do better. So what we have is an action gap, not a knowledge gap. And we need to use the 21stcentury knowledge we have, and we have to make sure education is aligned with 21stcentury science. And, basically, dyslexia is very prevalent. We study the brain. We know where it is in the brain. We know so much about it, and yet kids were gonna hear go struggling. Teachers dont use the word. That should change now in california. And you had pointed to tobie, and youre absolutely right. cause you had this struggle with your son, so tell me about that. Yes, i did. When he was in the 1st grade, he became a different child. I couldnt get him out of the car in the morning to go to class. And, finally, one day, he told me he was not smart, and he would lay his head down on the table in class. We asked the school to assess him for a learning disability, and they found him ineligible. We hired a neuropsychologist and then eventually an attorney to secure services for my son. But this whole process cost us thousands of dollars in loans and a full school year at my childs expense. Oh, my goodness. Now, youve studied this, and fortunately, they were able to take out loans, but there are so many people you work with who are not that dont have any resources. And thats so true. And if you look at, for example, the nations report card, you find that theres 20 to 30 of children who are not at basic. And if you look at africanamerican, latino, native americans, thats even far larger. So we have an epidemic here. Oh, my gosh. Of dyslexia. And yet attentions not being paid. There are some schools, but theyre often very expensive independent schools. If we could have, for example, public Charter Schools for dyslexia, that would make a huge, huge difference, because these children and weve studied enough of the dyslexic theyre smart. They want to learn. They went to school with their mothers and fathers youre gonna learn to read. And were failing them. Well, that is its so sad, but you talked about action. You testified before congress. You worked with the california legislature, you and a team of moms and dads and kids. Tell me about that. Yes, that is correct. Jim frazier, the assemblyman. Yes, jim frazier decided that he would go ahead and author a bill that decoding dyslexia california would sponsor, and that bill was Assembly Bill 1369. And it had over 6,500 parents and children dyslexic children and organizations from all over california that lobbied for the support of the bill. And it passed unanimously through all the houses and eventually signed into law. Two parts, right . 2016, 2017. Thats correct. Two different laws. Theres phonological processing, which took effect on january 1, 2016. And the second law is that the state is required to develop program guidelines, and that will become effective by the Academic School year 20172018. And, dr. Shaywitz, we have about 10 seconds left. What is your advice to parents of dyslexic kids . Dont wait. We have a paper published just this fall that showed the achievement gap is present already in 1st grade, and it doesnt go away. So, parents, dont be afraid. And another thing parents are afraid of if your child has it, he or she has it, getting the diagnosis is a benefit. Its not gonna make the child dyslexic. Itll be a benefit. But itll bring benefits. And the child will know that he or she is not stupid. Oh, thats the best. Thank you both so much for all of your for teaching me about this so we could share it with other people. All right, we do have to take a break. Were going to put all of this resource information and i told you about overcoming dyslexia. Also, i got to show you the coolest hat ever. Got dyslexia . Youre in good company. So remember that. When we come back, youre going to meet a family who fought for years to get the help they needed for their teenage son who had a 3. 5 gradepoint average but couldnt read higher than 3rdgrade level. Were also gonna take you on a tour of the new dyslexic Research Center in San Francisco at ucsf mission bay and hear from the neuroscientist involved in a Pilot Project on reading disorders. Again again again again again . Again again General Mills is removing artificial flavors and colors from our cereals. So you can love cereal. Again here in vineland, home of progresso, we figured out how to get rich ingredients like bacon into 22 light soups, so if you want 100 calories or less per serving without giving up rich flavor do what we do. Make it progresso. Look at this sweet face. So sweet. Ok, were going to need a napkin gooey, flaky, happy. Toaster strudel. Welcome back to beyond the headlines. Were continuing our discussion on dyslexia. Now, youve heard that a new law is going into effect in the Education Code to acknowledge the reading disorder dyslexia in order to get services to the children who need them. Now, it comes too late for the courageous students who fought to graduate. I want you to meet one of those students who is a success thanks to his dedicated mother and his own hard work. When i was, like, in school reading, i knew it was difficult. 18yearold durrell struggled to learn to read, but hes worked hard and is excited about graduating from high school. Hes an artist, creating his own comic book. He wants to be an engineer and maybe own a Videogame Company after college. But its been a difficult journey to get this far. Durrell learns differently than some children. His mom noticed it when durrell was in 2nd grade. He was put in specialeducation classes, and she kept fighting to find out why he had trouble learning. The school would say, go to the doctor. The doctor would say, the school. Her battle continued as durrell kept being moved forward through school and into high school, never learning how to read above a 3rdgrade level in spite of his intelligence and very hard work. So, the whole 9thgrade year, 10thgrade year, this boy is getting 3. 85, 3. 5. But he cant read. Finally, a doctor diagnosed durrell with dyslexia, a brainprocessing disorder. Donna learned from that doctor about an agency called dredf that helps families like hers. Dredf stands for the disability rights education defense fund. Eventually, dredf referred the case out for legal action. The case was resolved outside of court, and while the end result is confidential, donna says durrell is finally getting the help he has always needed. Most parents that come to me come to me after years and years of begging for help, just like donna campbell. She had been fighting for her son. He was in incredibly hard courses with very, very driven academic achievers. He is one of them. Hes very bright. He is incredible. But he couldnt read. Generally speaking, how any sort of legal action against a School District can help these students is by gaining services. So theres something called compensatory education to compensate for services that should have been provided that were not provided. Durrell goes to tutoring classes early in the morning and after school. He also turns in extra work to make up for low test scores. He volunteers at a charity. Hes working hard to be a success and a good role model for others like him. Never give up and always fight for what you believe in, because you could do anything when you set your mind to it. Keep fighting for your child. I mean, if you see something wrong, just try to find the help. Wow. That is an amazing family. Well, joining me in the studio right now is dr. Fumiko hoeft, who works at the Dyslexic Center at ucsf mission bay in San Francisco. And i want to thank you so much for being here. You were gracious enough to take us on a tour of the new center. It was very exciting. We saw your son tyga in there. Yes. Its kind of like the control kit, i guess. So, tell me about your sons. Tell me about tyga. Okay. So, i have two sons, one who is tyga, whos a 7yearold who reads like an adult, like i do or any other adult. The other one, who struggles to acquire the most basic skills, such as sounding out letters and learning to read. And what we want to do is learn how this is happening in each child with dyslexia. So, the brain mechanisms underlying dyslexia, how we can help each child, utilizing their strengths and not just addressing their weaknesses, because these are different for each child. And also, how we can identify each child early so we can prevent unnecessary failure from happening. Yeah, you heard some of the parents saying that you have to be three years behind before theyre gonna get any help. Thats just scandalous. That should not happen. Yeah. So that is what we want to address. And so ucsfs Dyslexic Center was established very recently with honorary chair gavin newsom as honorary chair and in partnership with Charles Armstrong school, which is a preeminent Dyslexia School in the bay area. Everybody there is dyslexic . Yes. So theyre in good company. They are the fortunate people who have absolutely amazing teachers and peers. And what were trying to do is, we combine cuttingedge technology and genetics and brain imaging, and we dont study just reading, but we study a lot of other things, from musical processing, speech processing, language, attention, visualspatial skills, social emotional skills all the important pieces for a child to succeed in this school. And what were trying to do is identify each childs profile, which is different for each child, as we all know, and what i call a neural fingerprint. And now, what do you do with that information . How is that gonna be implemented into action . So, what we want to do is not just do research for the sake of research, but we want to bring it rapidly and directly into the classroom. So, we take each childs profile so we can identify their strengths as well as weaknesses so we can address and maximize and optimize their chances to succeed. And so one of the projects, for example, that were doing is developing an app utilizing these neuroscientific findings so that we can translate it and bring it to underresourced areas so that we dont have to have a ucsf Dyslexia Center in your neighborhood but so everyone can participate and benefit. All right, were gonna look forward to those apps. Dr. Hoeft, thank you so much. And thank you for letting me go on that tour. Were gonna share that with our viewers. All right. Thank you very much for having me. All right. And that is it for todays show. We could do hours on this. For more information about todays program and the resources where you live, just go to our website abc7news. Com community. Were also on facebook at abc7communityaffairs. Follow me on twitter cherylabc7. Im cheryl jennings. Have a great week. Well see you next time. At sleep trains president s day sale, save up to 300 on beautyrest and posturepedic, get three years interestfree financing on tempurpedic, plus sameday delivery. Hurry sleep trains president s day sale ends sunday. Breaking news from hayward where Police Neighborhood body of a missing south bay woman. Investigators discovered stacy aguilars body yesterday afternoon. The cause of death has not been determined. The 22yearold san jose resident was last seen last weekend in this neighborhood at a party in hayward. Police believe she was murdered but theyre not revealing any details about their investigation and no one has been arrested. Hayward police say theyll hold a News Conference about the Homicide Investigation tomorrow at 2 00 p. M. Sergio quintana will have a live report at