Trust Your Gut and Raise Your Voice | Missy Purcell

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Katie Megrian hosts Missy Purcell, a literacy and inclusion advocate, educator, and parent, to discuss what parents can do when they know something is wrong but the school data says their child is “fine.”

Missy shares how advocating for her dyslexic son’s right to read led her into parent advocacy, structured literacy work, and state-level dyslexia reform. She explains why grades can hide serious reading struggles, how dyslexic children often compensate, and why parents should trust their gut when reading, spelling, writing, or school avoidance feels off.

Katie and Missy discuss dyslexia, reading intervention, evidence-based instruction, Orton-Gillingham style support, IEP meetings, school pushback, dyslexia screening, and how to support children after a long, exhausting school day.

This episode is for parents of struggling readers, educators, and advocates who want to better understand dyslexia, the science of reading, structured literacy, and how to support children who learn differently.

Missy is the co-founder of Gwinnett Advocates for Dyslexia and serves as Education Chair with Decoding Dyslexia Georgia.

Missy’s links:

Website: https://misspurcell.com/

Instagram: @misspurcelladvocates

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/misspurcelladvocates/

X / Twitter: @MissyPurcell

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/missy-purcell-84061b143/

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Chapters:

00:00 – Opening: “I Shouldn’t Be the Most Knowledgeable Person in the Room”

01:18 – Meet Missy Purcell: Dyslexia Advocate & Educator

03:10 – Fighting the School System to Get Her Son Help

09:40 – When Good Grades Hide Reading Struggles

15:20 – How Parents Can Spot Dyslexia Early and Push for Support

33:59 – What Effective Reading Intervention Looks Like

36:20 – Why Dyslexia Laws Need Real Accountability

43:50 – How Parents Can Advocate With School Boards

50:20 – Being Brave When Your Child Is Being Failed

01:03:00 – Helping Dyslexic Kids Decompress After School

#dyslexia #scienceofreading #structuredliteracy #strugglingreaders #parentadvocacy