For 12 year-old J.T. Mestdagh, reading was a mystery he couldn't solve. Diagnosed with dyslexia in fourth grade, J.T. struggled to read even the most basic words.

"I loved going to school, but it was difficult to go there and do tests because I had to have someone read to me in the classroom with all of the other kids," Mestdagh said.

J.T.'s parents Kristine and Jim Mestdagh were told their son would never read, but they refused to give up hope.

Kristine Mestdagh said, "It's just our nature not to believe what we're hearing. We had faith faith that J.T. was definitely going to be able to read."

The Mestdaghs had tried various programs designed to help children struggling with reading and writing, but nothing helped. A friend told them about something new. It was a program called the F.A.S.T. Reading System. The program was developed by Stephan Tattum, an educator at the Denver Academy in Colorado.

"What I'm doing is getting kids to move individual parts of the words. That's the very thing that prevents them from reading," explained Tattum.

Tattum met with J.T. for an hour a day for six days. The change was almost immediate.

"When I came out of the door, we were walking to our car, I was jumping up and down saying 'I can read!'" remembered Mestdagh.

Bolstered by that hint of hope, the Mestdagh family made a major decision. Kristine and J.T. would move to Denver, where J.T. could study the program full-time.

J.T. arrived in Colorado essentially a non-reader. When he returned home six months later, he was reading at a fifth-grade level.

As they were leaving Colorado, Kristine and Jim said J.T. became emotional. When his parents asked him what was wrong, J.T. explained he was upset his friends at home were not able to learn from the program too.

"I just wanted them to be able to experience and learn this and learn to read," said J.T.

It was a light bulb moment. The Mestdaghs immediately began making plans to help bring the program to Metro Detroit.

"The success is overwhelming. It just needs to be available and brought out to the communities, through the school systems, and these students can really prosper," said Jim Mestdagh.

Tattum has since made several trips to Michigan to help train teachers, including a recent workshop at the Grosse Pointe Academy. The program is not just for students with dyslexia. Tattum said it is helpful for anyone, including adults, who are struggling to learn to read.

The F.A.S.T. Reading System centers around a special magnetic board and color-coded letter combinations that help students learn to build sounds and words. Tattum said it helps students break the phonetic code in an interactive way. Students learn to read using a special series of books authored by Tattum. The adventure stories are designed to be engaging for students of various ages and reading levels.

J.T. Mestdagh continues to follow the program. His parents said the results have been nothing short of amazing.

"You can't tell somebody no. You just never know how far they can go," said Kristine Mestdagh.

J.T. agreed, "I can read. I love it!"

To learn more about the F.A.S.T. Reading System, click here.

Scholarships are available for two local teachers to attend a F.A.S.T. Reading System training from Jan. 14 to Jan. 18. For more information, call (586) 777-3968.

The Grosse Pointe Academy is hosting a free informational evening on the F.A.S.T. program at the Grosse Pointe Academy on January 17 at 7:00pm. Anyone is welcome.