Could it be
Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is of interest to
families
in Oregon and across the nation…
Decoding Dyslexia: Mission
1. Raise dyslexia awareness
2. Empower families to support their
children
3. Influence policy regarding best practices
for identifying, teaching, and supporting
students with dyslexia in Oregon schools.
SB 1003
•Starts 2018-19 academic year
•Each school district shall ensure that at least one K-5 teacher in each
K-5 school has received training related to dyslexia.
•Each school district shall ensure that every student is screened for risk
factors of dyslexia using a screening test identified by ODE when the
student is in Kindergarten/First grade.
•Screening may include:
1. phonological awareness
2. rapid naming skills
3. correspondence between sounds and letters
4. family history if identified at risk for reading difficulties and
doesn’t respond to additional instructional support
ODE shall provide guidance for notifying parents of students at risk for
reading difficulties.
ODE shall develop guidance regarding best practices for assisting
students who are identified as being at risk for dyslexia.
SB 221
Teacher preparation programs in the following areas must:
• Provide instruction on dyslexia and other reading difficulties
consistent with the knowledge and practice standards of an
international organization on dyslexia.
• Train teachers to provide instruction that enables students to
meet or exceed third-grade reading standards.
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Early Childhood
Elementary Education
Special Education
Reading Specialist
More information
• Go to Oregon.gov search: Dyslexia
• Upcoming Decoding Dyslexia information sessions:
1 in 5
What is dyslexia?
As defined by: The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) &
National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Dyslexia is characterized by difficulties with accurate
and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and
decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a
deficit in the phonological component of language that is
often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities
and the provision of effective classroom instruction.
Secondary consequences may include problems in
reading comprehension and reduced reading experience
that can impede growth of vocabulary and background
knowledge.
What is Dyslexia?
Dispelling Common Myths
•Dyslexia is NOT seeing things backwards
•Dyslexia is NOT rare
•Dyslexia is NOT a vision or hearing problem
•Dyslexics CAN read up to a point
•Dyslexics CAN become excellent readers
•Dyslexia is NOT a catch-all term
•Dyslexia DOES exist
•Dyslexic kids will NOT grow into reading
•Dyslexic kids are NOT lazy
•Dyslexia is NOT related to intelligence
5 things everyone should
know about Dyslexia
1. Inherited
• 50% chance
2. Process language differently
• Different nerve pathways
3. Brain difference
• Right hemisphere 10% larger
4. Directionality
• Confused in all directions
5. Memorization
• Difficulty with rote facts and random sequences
(Adapted from Susan Barton, Bright Solutions for Dyslexia)
Could it be Dyslexia?
Dys = difficulty
Lexia = language
Dyslexia affects all of language,
not just reading
Some Early Warning Signs
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Late to talk
Mixing up Sounds
Articulation Difficulties
Difficulty with Word Retrieval
Difficulty Rhyming
Trouble learning letters and sounds
Difficulty distinguishing left from right
Difficulty Tying Shoes / telling time
Family History of Dyslexia
Later Warning Signs
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Odd reading style
Terrible Spelling
Poor written expression
Difficulty memorizing arbitrary sequences
and rote facts
Messy rooms, lockers, backpacks
Homework Wars
Begin to hate school
Feel dumb or stupid
Varying Degrees
of dyslexia
 Double Deficit
 Deficient in both phonological awareness & rapid naming causes more
challenge than just one or the other
 Weak Visual Memory
 Difficulty remembering what common words look like, especially “sight” or
“red” words that can’t be sounded out.
 Weak Auditory Memory
 Difficulty remembering what is heard. Oral instructions & directions,
lectures, recalling multiple steps
 Slow Processing Speed
 Needs more time to take in information and produce a response. Includes
visual, auditory, phonological, motor, decision making, etc.
 Strong visual/spatial skills
 Can be challenging to keep letters & words 2D
Accompanying Challenges
for some with dyslexia
 Inconsistency
 ADD / ADHD
 Dysgraphia
 Chronic Stress
 Behavior issues
 Anxiety & Depression
Strengths of Dyslexia
“Dyslexia is like an island of weakness in a sea of
strengths” Dr. Sally Shaywitz
 Artistic ability
 Strong musical, athletic, and/or mechanical skills
 Excellent people skills
 Strong 3D visual-spacial skills
 Vivid imagination
 Creative global thinking
 Strong intuition & sense of curiosity
Famous & Successful
Dyslexics
•Albert Einstein
•Leonardo de Vinci
•Thomas Edison
•Henry Ford
•Benjamin Franklin
•Mark Twain
•Hans Christian Andersen
•Agatha Christie
•Vincent VanGogh
•Walt Disney
•Beethoven
•Mozart
•John Lennon
•Mohammad Ali
•Magic Johnson
•Henry Winkler
•Whoopi Goldberg
•Steven Spielberg
•Tom Cruise
•Jennifer Aniston
o Entrepreneurs 35%
Many successful dyslexic entrepreneurs attribute their successes to
their out of the box, big picture thinking and problem solving skills.
Dyslexia is not a bad word
•2.5-10 million kids affected, but most educators
can’t use the word
•Not using the word freely can leave kids to feel
shame and think something is wrong with them
•Labels can be liberating if context includes
challenges and talents & strengths
•Most student relieved to know they their challenges
have a name and they are not alone
Saying Dyslexia
 On October 23, 2015, U.S. Department of Special
Education released a statement encouraging school
districts to use the following words in an IEP
 Dyslexia
 Dysgraphia
 Dyscalculia
 Using these specific terms will aid in determining the
individual needs of students and assists in selecting
proper goals and interventions.
What to do?
 Diagnosis, Evaluation, or Screening?
 not a disease; can be overcome, but
not cured
 Identification & Interventions?
 as early as possible
 need to be specific for dyslexia and
student’s individual needs
 evidence vs. Research based –
Structured Literacy (OG)
 Foster Strengths & Gifts
Help at School?
 Pull-out/Push-in/Labs/Study halls
 must be specific for dyslexia
 must meet the student’s individual needs
 can harm more than help
 Learning Disability?
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SLD eligibility - Special Education
dyslexia affects ability to read/spell, not learn
can become a disability in certain contexts
difference in the way a person learns and thinks
 Accommodations – 504 plan
 FAIR means everyone gets what they need; not all the
same
 Eye Reading, Finger Reading and Ear Reading
 Additional time
Don’t Wait and See
 “Dyslexia occurs at all levels of intelligence and is
a persistent problem that does not represent a
transient developmental lag.” (American Academy of
Pediatrics, 2011)
 “Dyslexia is persistent: A student who fails to read
adequately in 1st grade has a 90% probability of
reading poorly in 4th grade and a 75% probability
of reading poorly in high school.” (Gabrieli, 2009)
Children don’t “grow out of” Dyslexia
Thank you for your time!
Respectfully,