“I’d see a kid in a store, acting up, and it was easy to pass judgment,” says Melissa Israel. “I’d think the kid was unable to control himself, or that his parents didn’t know how to parent, or ­perhaps, he was a bad kid.

“I just didn’t know. Then I had my kid, and now I know exactly what the deal is.”

The deal for Melissa Israel and her husband, Tom, is their 10-year-old son, Vincent. For the Israels, the journey to discover what caused their son’s behavioral and learning problems has been long.

At age 3, Vincent started showing signs of hyperactivity, a symptom of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD). When he entered the challenging social environment of school, his list of AD/HD symptoms grew to include inattention and impulsive behavior.

They desperately sought out professional and medical opinions as they moved between public and private schools in an attempt to find a learning environment that would equip him with the ability to achieve academically, socially and emotionally.

“Anytime someone gave us a place to go or a person to see, we went. We knew there had to be an answer — a way out for him,” says Israel.

While Vincent was a student at Sandhills Classical Christian School, they were introduced to Jill Dejak, a teacher who specialized in working with children with learning disabilities.

The Israels found out that in addition to Vincent’s AD/HD, he was also dyslexic, and the problems he was having with other kids was caused by Asperger’s disorder, a type of autism.

Thanks to that serendipitous meeting with Dejak, Vincent’s life is changing — for the better.

Dream Realized

Dejak’s empathy for the “little kids” with learning disabilities is borne from her own journey as a frustrated youngster.

At 6, she was diagnosed with a learning disability, but not enough for a special-needs class. Throughout her early schooling, well-intentioned teachers tried to help her become a ­better reader, to no avail.

When Dejak was 22, married and living in Atlanta, she was accepted into a study at Emory University for adults who had learning disabilities. It was then that the veil of confusion and frustration lifted, and she learned she was dyslexic.

She learned to read, went to college and achieved a bachelor’s degree in special education in 1993. She completed her master’s in reading education in 2003, and in 2004, she opened a reading clinic specific to children with dyslexia and other language-based learning disabilities.

That reading clinic is how Dejak met not only Vincent, but also other children with learning disabilities. It was through her collaboration with staff at public and private schools and the persuasiveness of others in the community that she decided to start Longleaf Academy — her dream.

Multi-Sensory Approach

Dejak has served as principal of Longleaf Academy since it opened in 2008 in Southern Pines. It is a private, nonprofit day school for children with specific learning differences such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, AD/HD and other learning disabilities.

According to Dejak, 15 to 20 percent of children in conventional classrooms are diagnosed with specific learning disabilities; of that identified population, three of four are dyslexic. Dyslexia is not a result of low intelligence, but a left-brain, ­language deficit phenomena that diminishes a person’s ability to “break the alphabetic code.”

Children with dyslexia are often gifted in creativity and ­reasoning abilities; many are exceptional in art, while others in their ability to reason mathematically. However, if these intellectually capable children do not receive appropriate intervention, they never realize their full potential.

“The students that attend our school are intellectually capable children who require a different way of learning,” says Dejak. “Our teachers are trained in multi-sensory techniques that enable these children to grasp concepts and skills.”

The school’s approach requires students to engage the visual, auditory and kinesthetic/tactile regions of the brain’s left hemisphere to enhance the processing of both print (visual) and spoken (auditory) language.

The left hemisphere of the brain is where language memory is stored and retrieved. Language processing breaks down because these regions do not communicate efficiently.

According to Dejak, a multi-sensory lesson stimulates these regions of the left hemisphere simultaneously, thus enhancing the application and comprehension of written and spoken language.

Individualized Curriculum

Dejak says Longleaf ­students are all college bound. Their lack of success in conventional school is not due to their intellectual ­ability, but rather to their inability to process information from one area of the brain to the other for output — reading, writing, fact knowledge or arithmetic.

A student’s curriculum is structured and individualized based upon the student’s current level of ­academic achievement. All classes in language-based subjects maintain a 4 to 1 student/teacher ratio, another confirmed standard for children with learning disabilities.

In addition to academic studies, the staff at Longleaf works with students to develop their understanding of basic rules.

“We take the common sense rules and make a student apply them,” says Dejak. “They learn responsibility. If you do not have your homework, there is a consequence, and it is ­typically a consequence they do not like, such as no social time or a silent lunch. In a traditional school they’d get a zero. Here, zeros mean nothing to them. We encourage them to be responsible because it is the right thing to do. So far it’s been a successful approach.”

Scholarship Fund

Currently, there are 15 students enrolled at Longleaf Academy, which overlooks a pecan grove and a peaceful horse pasture. The school follows the North Carolina Standard Course of Study to provide the necessary competencies students will need upon returning to a conventional educational setting. Two teachers, two part-time teaching associates and an office administrator join Dejak, who also teaches.

Tuition to the school is $14,100 annually or $8,100 for half-day programs. Dejak says the cost falls within the normal range if compared to other schools like Longleaf that operate in the state.

“This is the second year for the school, and we have many in the community who are unable to take advantage of this opportunity due to financial hardship,” says Dejak. “The staff and board of directors decided to start a scholarship fund to help defray some of the cost.”

Dejak says the school will hold its first gala on May 6 at National Golf Club so others can learn how the school serves the community. She says the school has identified three families in most need of scholarships.

“Idealistically, I wish we did not even need this fund, and that we could work with every one of the kids who need our help, but that’s not possible,” Dejak says. “We ask the community for support to make a difference in the lives of area children. The gifts will give these kids a chance to be life-long learners.”

No Boundaries

Vincent Israel has spent two years at Longleaf and his opportunities for advancement have no boundaries.

To his parents, Vincent is a 10-year-old boy with a 70-year-old man’s mind.

“He’s mature beyond his years,” says his mother, ­noting his love of classical music and history. In addition, he is endowed with exceptional artistic talent.

“Now I understand what the deal is,” she says. “Though I will never understand what it is like for him, I do understand him. And, I realize that I will not always understand what is going on with him. But, I do know one thing for sure — and that is, he’s amazing.”

Israel credits Dejak and the other teachers at Longleaf for Vincent’s progress.

“He came here struggling. Now he has friends, and he is thriving. He realizes he can do this now,” says Israel while holding up a prized drawing of a bear that Vincent recently completed.

“Every one of us has struggled and burst into tears, but this school has given us so much hope for our kids,” she says. “The teachers are dedicated to lifting them from this maze so they can have opportunities where they may have never existed.”

To make a tax-deductible donation to the Longleaf Academy Scholarship Fund, which will benefit children with learning disabilities in the community, please contact Jill Dejak at 600 Valley View Road, Southern Pines, NC 28387 or call (910) 692-2665.

For more information about Longleaf Academy, visit www.longleafacademy.com.

Claudia Watson is a local freelance writer and may be contacted at cwatson87@nc.rr.com.