Literacy and Numeracy

I've written before about the first grader I coach in reading. He is Luis, and now it turns out that he is autistic based on a real diagnosis. Just another hurdle for this kid from our poorest ZIP code. Thinking back, it should have been clear something was amiss. The real clue was how his classmates would watch out for him, lend him a hand and worry over him. Aside from the kids, only his teacher paid attention until parent (or possibly, but unlikely, parents) bothered to check him out. So very sad.
Some think autistic equates to stupid or ignorant, but with Luis this is not so. When he comes downtown for the Reads program, he often gazes at the other office buildings in an obvious state of worry and talks in a language all his own - neither English nor Spanish, its just his, and he made it up.

Recently I have begun tutoring an adult - an entirely different matter, the organization trains one to tutor and tutors have to make lesson plans, etc. My "learner" has waited for two years to get a tutor. He is 37 years old. He writes pretty well since he had to write letters from prison, and can easily handle articles from the newspaper. He is finally getting the idea that he need not fear or hate reading. Math however is a subject that he completely slept through. Lost his house, his wife and his kid when he "went away" for a few years, and now is trying hard to get a real life again. Long road for him, I'm real glad to try and help.

Its amazing to me how critical it is to learn stuff, and how costly it is not to.