New York City Mayor Eric Adams has made teaching public school children to read – and particularly children with dyslexia – his signature educational initiative. But for decades, city schools have been relying on disproven reading methods. Teachers have been advised not to tell families when they suspect students may be dyslexic. And families that do receive a diagnosis that their children are dyslexic are often forced to hire pricey attorneys and sue the school district in order to send their children to private schools.

Experts estimate 5% to 20% of students may have some degree of the language-based learning disability. But the nation’s largest school system has historically been unable to identify students with dyslexia or offer the support they need.

For the last seven months, WNYC’s education reporter Jessica Gould has followed Matthew and his grandmother Trenace Green as they learned he had dyslexia, a revelation that sent them into a complex world of neuropsychiatrists, lawyers and private schools.