A Message of Hope Prologue by Dr. David Colachico

The field of education, in particular special education, is an ever-changing structure. Children with learning difficulties have a hard time struggling daily to maintain an adequate learning curve or to keep up with their peers. The cost of educating students with these difficulties is skyrocketing every year. So, what is the answer?

I have known Marianne Cintron for almost twenty years. I would describe her as a passionate educator; someone who has a yearning to help students with learning difficulties. While researching for her doctoral studies, Marianne discovered a teaching strategy that was designed to help the student who is struggling to keep up with the educational needs of the schools’ curriculum. I believe that Dr. Cintron has revealed something that can address the needs of this special population. A Message of Hope presents the education community as well as the parents with a unique approach that can be used to remediate the learning difficulties of these students. This book presents a technique whereby music and phonics are paired together to retrain the brain and to help the learner be able to isolate what is needed to be an effective A Message of Hope, How Music Enhances Reading for Dyslexic Students xiv reader. A Message of Hope is loaded with concise, useful information that can help the struggling reader excel in learning ways to overcome any problems that are happening in school or at home.

I applaud Dr. Cintron for her efforts to bring this information to the teaching population as well as to the parents who are working with students with learning problems. She has broken through the barriers that cause these students to be left behind or who fail each year causing self-esteem to plummet. But there is hope. A Message of Hope is a breakthrough that can remediate and reverse many years of difficulty that a child has been experiencing. The methods promoted in this book give the teachers and parents confidence that their child can and will be successful both in school as well as in life. There is optimism which is in this book. I truly feel that Dr. Cintron is on the cusp of something that will revolutionize the way children with learning difficulties are taught. I applaud Dr. Cintron for bringing this knowledge to the public. It is long overdue and should be welcomed with open arms by all who work with children who are struggling readers. Thank you, Dr. Cintron, for being an advocate and educator when time is ripe for the community to show we care.

David P. Colachico, PhD. Faculty Emeritus, Adjunct Professor Azusa Pacific University