Mother launches Neurostars Phonics Factory to help kids with autism and dyslexia

Shecondria Duncan founded Neurostars Phonics Factory to provide multi-sensory, individualized lessons for children and families in Macon.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Former teacher and mother Shecondria Duncan has launched a nonprofit program called Neurostars Phonics Factory to help children with autism and dyslexia learn to read, write and spell.

Duncan says one of her biggest accomplishments was finding the right way to help her son learn. What she created for him is now giving families and kids hope through the nonprofit program.

She says she started this program to better help her son learn outside of public school teaching.

“I found a program that worked very well with the kids I was working with in elementary school, and I just wanted to try it with my son, and it just took off,” she said. “I said, ‘If it works for him, it can work for any child like him.'”

Duncan says her teaching consists of hands-on learning and teaching all the students at their own pace. She explains that all children learn in different ways, and that is what Neurostars Phonics Factory is all about.

“We use multi-sensory teaching styles,” she said. “So, we do tapping, pounding, they learn through hearing, through sight and touch. Basically, touching on all the senses they have to pick up those reading skills. We do work with kids that are older than K-2, that didn’t build on that skill. So, it’s not confined to kids that are in those grades, we can work even with adults that didn’t cover those skills,” said Duncan.

She says public school sometimes moves too fast for neurodivergent kids, but this program takes it one lesson at a time.

“You get four weeks or two weeks, or days sometimes to work on a particular concept, and as a class you move on,” she said. “You build groups and those small groups may still work on those skills, but it’s not as slow-paced as it probably needs to be. So, we focus on building the time frame around that child’s individual needs.”

Duncan believes this has positively impacted her son’s learning.

“It just didn’t support his needs,” Duncan said. “It didn’t support him like it needed to. So, it has allowed me to go back and close the gaps that he had.”

She wants parents to know that they will be bringing their child to a teacher who already understands their journey.

“There is nothing to be embarrassed about,” Duncan said. “I’ve been on this journey for 12 years. I am as patient as I can possibly be from working with my own kids, and I understand that there are kids that may look to be big kids, but they may need what they didn’t get when they were younger…so, it’s a safe place.”

If you or someone you know is interested, you can visit their website at neurostarsphonicsfactory.org.