SAISD 504/Dyslexia Newsletter

October is National Dyslexia Awareness Month. All across the country, communities will be making efforts to spotlight a range of dyslexic needs, struggles, and signs. Dyslexia is one of the most common language-based learning disabilities.

Do you think your child or student might have dyslexia? This fact sheet provides a definition of dyslexia, symptoms, prevalence, signs, and effects, as well as ways to help your child.

The U.S. Department of Education enforces Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a civil rights statute which prohibits discrimination in programs or activities against individuals with disabilities.

To be protected under Section 504, a student must be determined to: (1) have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities; or (2) have a record of such an impairment; or (3) be regarded as having such an impairment. Section 504 requires that school districts provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to qualified students in their jurisdictions who have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.

“Dyslexia” means a disorder of constitutional origin manifested by a difficulty in learning to read, write, or spell, despite conventional instruction, adequate intelligence, and sociocultural opportunity.

Texas Dyslexia Handbook 2021

Dr. Sally Shaywitz, co-director of the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity, estimates that 80 to 90 percent of children who struggle with learning disorders have dyslexia — as many as one in five children. Many dyslexic children go undiagnosed, she argues, and school failure that is attributed to environmental factors or intelligence is often undiagnosed dyslexia.

When Dav Pilkey was a kid, he was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia. He was so disruptive in class that his teachers made him sit out in the hallway every day. Luckily, Dav loved to draw and make up stories, so he spent his time in the hallway creating his own original comic books—the very first adventures of Dog Man and Captain Underpants.

He says ADHD and dyslexia are his superpowers. The creator of “Captain Underpants” and “Dog Man” told Understood that his ADHD “helped me to write stories that were not boring, and my dyslexia helped me too. It helped me to choose my words very, very carefully.”

The Florida Center for Reading Research is a multidisciplinary research center that focuses on investigating all aspects of reading and reading-related skills. Through rigorous and robust research, innovation, and engagement, FCRR advances the science of reading to improve learning and achievement from birth through adulthood. The FCRR website provides K-5 student center activities geared toward the 5 components of reading. The student centered activities are designed for student practice and extend their learning of what has been taught. Teachers can implement activities individually or with a small group of students. Accompanying these activities is a Teacher Resource Guide which is designed to support teachers in differentiating instruction by using the Student Center Activities that support building foundational reading skills. Educators can also find resources to support their knowledge and practice and improve reading outcomes for all students.

For more information, please access the following links:

K-5 Student Center Activities-https://fcrr.org/student-center-activities

Teacher Resource Guide-https://fcrr.org/student-center-activities/teacher-resource-guide

For Educators-https://fcrr.org/educators