It is Dyslexia Awareness Month across Canada.

Dyslexia Canada has teamed up with IG Wealth Management to run this month-long campaign called Mark It Red in support of children working with the learning disability and to raise awareness that better resources need to be provided for teachers and parents to help teach these kids how to read and write at the same pace as other children.

"Dyslexia is a neurologically-based condition which makes it difficult for children to read, write, and spell. it's often thought of as just the reversing of the B's and D's but it is more typically characterized as a difficulty to decode or sound out letters and blend those letters to make a word," says Downey.

Dyslexia is usually found in 2-4 kids within every standard-sized classroom.

15-20% of the population struggle with this learning disability.

Dyslexia is measured on a spectrum from mild to extreme cases and there are many cases where the disability flies under the radar while kids are young and in school and then hopefully it gets recognized later in life.

When Kirsten was asked what the signs of Dyslexia are she said, "There's a wide range of signs. Some of the early indicators would be children struggling to learn their letters, children struggling to learn the sounds associated with letters. Not being able to rhyme, that's another sign. But often as a child starts to read, the really critical (sign) is that they lack the ability or they really struggle with decoding a word so breaking that word down into the specific sounds."

Kids can start experiencing these symptoms as young as 3 but it all depends on where they sit on the spectrum.

A child can be screened for dyslexia as early as kindergarten but testing for the disability doesn't usually occur until grades 3 or 4.

On a different note, Teachers are not being given the proper resources and training to help these kids keep up with the rest of the class and the Mark It Red campaign wants to raise funds and awareness to help give the teachers and parents the resources they need to help their children effectively learn to read and write.

Board Member of Dyslexia Canada, Kirsten Downey says, " The campaign is really to 'mark it red' throughout the month. So, people are trying to be a creative as they can be whether it's lighting up their houses red, asking different buildings within their communities to light up red. Really to drive awareness of dyslexia and the supports that are effective."

The campaign is encouraging cities and towns to light their major buildings and businesses in red to show support.

People can also use #MarkItRed on social media with a red-themed picture or a building that is lit up in red to help spread the message.

On October 17th, the City Hall Clock Tower in Moose Jaw will light in red all day.

As well, the Moose Jaw Public Library staff will be wearing red on October 20th and will also be renting out specialized reading kits in red bags at their front desk. 

People can show support by using #MarkItRed and also by donating to the campaign on dyslexiacanada.org.