Royse City Dyslexia Therapist Pens Children's Book Inspired by Her Own Reading Struggles

A Royse City ISD dyslexia therapist who spent years watching letters scramble across the page before finally learning to read in fourth grade has channeled that experience into a children's book now available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Walmart.

Ashlee Poor, a licensed dyslexia therapist within the district, published "The Letters That Danced," a story centered on Cutie Pie, a Jersey heifer whose letters "flip, twist, and dance," making reading feel impossible until friendship and creative supports help her discover her own strengths. The character-driven approach mirrors what Poor sees in her own caseload: children whose struggles are real, whose frustration is valid, and whose potential is far from exhausted.

"I work with students who struggle with reading, and my passion is helping them build confidence through literacy," Poor said. She designed the book to reach beyond the classroom bookshelf: "The book was written to encourage children who feel frustrated with reading, help families better understand dyslexia and promote confidence and perseverance in young learners."

Since publication, Poor has carried that message into the community. She held a book signing at Barnes & Noble and is working to coordinate visits with local campuses, positioning the title as a practical tool for teachers and caregivers navigating early conversations about dyslexia with children.

The book arrives from within one of the region's more structured dyslexia support programs. Royse City ISD uses individualized, intensive, multi-sensory instructional methods for students identified with dyslexia, a distance learning model at the middle school level to reach students across multiple campuses from a single trained teacher, and K-5 supports that include prescriptive tutoring and Leveled Literacy Instruction. The district maintains a formal District Dyslexia Plan. Last fall, RCISD invited the community to its Event Center on Nov. 6, 2025, for a simulation program in which participants completed exercises mimicking the reading, writing, and processing difficulties faced by individuals with dyslexia, showing the district had been building public empathy around the issue well before Poor's book went to print.

Poor's credential as a licensed dyslexia therapist also carries legal weight in Texas. House Bill 1886, effective September 1, 2017, requires universal dyslexia screening for all Texas public school students at the end of kindergarten and during first grade. The legislation further mandates that each regional education service center employ a licensed dyslexia therapist to support local districts and families. The bill's analysis noted that dyslexia affects between 5 and 17 percent of school-aged children and that early identification and intervention improve academic success.

The International Dyslexia Association puts the broader prevalence figure even higher, estimating that dyslexia affects 15 to 20 percent of the population, roughly one in every five people. It accounts for approximately 80 percent of all people with learning disabilities. Research indicates that with correct teaching methods, children with dyslexia can learn successfully more than 90 percent of the time.

Poor spent her own early school years on the wrong side of that statistic. She built a career, a classroom practice, and now a published book around the belief that the right tools, offered early enough, can close that gap entirely.