There’s been a hotbed of legal activity in the last year surrounding an important educational issue: support for children with diagnosed dyslexia and related reading difficulties.
The United States seems to be riding a wave of new laws that are sweeping state legislatures around the nation. 19 states now have dyslexia legislation and 13 more are currently debating it.
To look at the kind of things being discussed, let’s take a look at California.
- Early identification of reading difficulties, i.e. before Grade 4. Through Easyread, we help children up to age 15, and have found that the earlier you can intervene, the quicker the results. Plus, it’s always better for a child’s self-esteem to struggle for as little time as possible.
- Improved teacher training around literacy difficulties. It is surprising how little of a primary teacher’s curriculum is focused on struggling learners. It’s very unfair on them, and of course affects the children too.
- Evidence-based reading programs used as intervention. Easyread has spectacular independent research data results.
- Improved definition of dyslexia. Currently, the California Education Code calls dyslexia an “imperfect brain”!
What’s legislation like in your state?
—
Sarah Forrest is a Literacy Specialist for the Easyread System, a research-based online program that helps dyslexics and struggling readers. Get a free 10-day trial today at www.easyreadsystem.com
The ridiculous thing we experience not only in Chicago, Illinois but in the United States surrounds the fact that the IDEA (Individuals w/Disabilities Education Act) law, a Federal law, DEFINES dyslexia as a Specific Learning Disability, yet NONE of our administrators nor anyone we have had a chance to speak with about it are willing to discuss that dyslexia is in fact a “thing,” NOR that it is something with a special treatment which is not always related to/should be lumped in together with a typical “Special Education” classroom!