2. We don’t “diagnose dyslexia” in the school system.
We can identify the “characteristics of dyslexia” in the school system.
Dyslexia is not a disability category in special education.
Dyslexia falls under “specific learning disability” in reading in special education.
Dyslexia falls under “basic reading” with emphasis on “phonological awareness” in RTI.
We will talk about the screening tools for dyslexia today.

3. TN now has two dyslexia laws!
HB 1735 / SB – Dyslexia is Real law went into effect July 1, 2014.
Defines dyslexia
Requires professional development
Requires higher education and TNDOE to collaborate to provide professional development
Scientific research and brain-based multisensory intervention methods and strategies.

4. TN now has two dyslexia laws!
HB 2616 / SB 2635 – Say Dyslexia law went into effect July 1, 2016.
Requires dyslexia screening
Defines skills to be included in screening!
Requires dyslexia services through RTI2
Defines dyslexia-specific intervention

7. Dyslexia as defined in the Dyslexia is Real Law (July 1, 2014)
Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It 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.

8. Understanding Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a term used to describe a learning profile that includes deficits in phonological awareness (i.e. ability to hear and manipulate sounds in language.
Individuals with dyslexia have difficulties with accurate and fluent word recognition and have poor spelling and decoding skills.
Approximately 1 in 5 school-age children demonstrate some of the characteristics of dyslexia – some of these students have a formal diagnosis but most do not.
Regardless of whether a diagnosis has been made, educators should be aware of these characteristic in order to intervene appropriately and provide the necessary supports.

9. Understanding Dyslexia
Students who read “b for d” or “saw for was” do not have a vision problem- they see things just like everyone else.
To some observers, students with dyslexia may appear to be “reading backwards;” however, this is not the case.
Dyslexia is a language-based condition, as are all reading disabilities. Students with dyslexia struggle with the relationship between letters and sounds.
Because of this, they have a hard time decoding, or sounding out unfamiliar words, and instead often misread them based on over reliance on their sight-word memory.

10. Some Common Characteristics
Difficulty identifying or generating rhyming words (phonological awareness)
Difficulty with hearing and manipulating sounds in words (phonemic awareness)
Difficulty learning the sounds of letter (phonics)
Difficulty remembering names and shapes of letter, or naming letters rapidly
Misreading or omitting common short words
Difficulty with word retrieval or naming problems.
Difficulty sounding out words

11. Some Common Characteristics
Confuses letters that look similar to each other such as p/d/g/q and m/w/n
Many spelling mistakes
Excellent thinking skills
Sophisticated listening vocabulary
Often reads slowly and make frequent errors
Have you seen any of these characteristics before?

12. How is Dyslexia Identified?
Usually diagnosed by a licensed psychologist or neuropsychologist through an evaluation that includes intelligence, educational and language assessments.
BUT
Characteristics of dyslexia can be identified in the school setting after conducting short reading assessments, such as those measuring oral reading fluency.
By using reading assessment as part of the universal screening procedures through the RTI² Framework.

13. In Review: How is Dyslexia Identified?
Individuals with dyslexia often read slowly and make frequent errors. These results would then indicate the need for further assessment of a student’s phonics and phonological awareness skills.
In the early grades, measures of letter naming and letter sounds look at how quickly a student can recall phonetic information.
Students who perform poorly on these assessments may be at risk for or show characteristics of dyslexia.
Identifying characteristics are needed in order to provide appropriate interventions.

14. Screening as required in the Say Dyslexia Law (July 1, 2016)
The TNDOE will develop procedures for identifying characteristics of dyslexia through RTI2 universal screening or other available means.
Understanding Dyslexia document from TNDOE
Guidance document from TNDOE
Recommends use of Phonics and Word Reading Survey (PWRS)
Recommends use of Phonological Awareness Skills Screener (PASS)

15. Administering Recommendations
Suggested: 3 Probes Per Instrument That Is Used

16. Screening as required in the Say Dyslexia Law (July 1, 2016)
Dyslexia screening may be requested for any student by the student’s parent/guardian, teacher, counselor, or school psychologist.

17. Where do we begin? One Tool RTI² will use---
Screening for SPIRE
determine student’s percentage of accuracy for grade-level text and consider SPIRE if accuracy is less than 95%.
Administer the Downloadable Placement Test to determine which level with which to begin.

18. SPIRE Progress Monitoring Tools
Decoding Assessments for each concept
Form A (Pretest)
Get a baseline for each concept prior to beginning work on the concept
Form B (Post-test)
80% is the target and you are looking for growth since baseline
Summary Form
Gibbs

19. PWRS

21. Orton-Gillingham Wilson SPIRE
This research product gave birth to Spire and Wilson reading intervention programs.
Fortunately it is also recognized as the best intervention to alleviate characteristics of dyslexia.
Wilson
Orton-Gillingham
SPIRE

22. Interventions - It is not necessary for a student to be identified with characteristics of dyslexia in order to receive appropriate intervention for a reading disability.
Intensive – given daily or very frequently for a sufficient amount of time
Explicit – skills are explained, directly taught, and modeled by the teacher
Systematic & Cumulative – introduces concepts in a definite, logical sequence; concepts are ordered from simple to more complex
Structured – has step-by-step procedures for introducing, reviewing, and practicing concepts and sound-symbol association
Multi-sensory (vision, hearing, touch) – links listening, speaking, reading, and writing together; involves movement and “hands-on” learning
Language- Based – addresses all levels of language, including sounds (phonemes, symbols (graphemes), meaningful word parts (morphemes), word and phrase meanings (semantics), sentences (syntax), longer passages (discourse), and the social uses of language (pragmatics)
Evidenced-based intervention has a demonstrated record of success when used for students with dyslexia or with characteristics of dyslexia.

23. Tennessee RTI Framework
Provides an avenue for struggling students to receive increasingly intensive intervention through general education in addition to their regular curriculum
Tier II and III interventions are research based, small group and are targeted to address individual students’ needs
Tier III is more intensive than those provided through Tier II – they may be more structured and explicit or have smaller group sizes.
If Tier II and III interventions are not successful, then a referral to special education evaluation should be made. This referral would explore the possibility of a specific learning disability in the area of reading.
There is no disability category specifically labeled dyslexia.

24. LEA responsibility if the student has characteristics of dyslexia…
discuss concerns during RTI School Level Support Meeting
notify the parents or legal guardian.
provide parent or legal guardian with information and resource material regarding dyslexia.
provide the student with appropriate tiered dyslexia- specific intervention through the RTI2 framework.
monitor the student’s progress using a tool designed to measure the effectiveness of the intervention.

25. From Dyslexia Services in RTI2 to SLD Services in SPED
Students showing characteristics of Dyslexia through school work, benchmark assessments and progress monitoring
will have evidence of characteristics of dyslexia
will need to receive interventions to address individual need
and will not have closed gaps even with dyslexia intervention
RTI2 data will then be used for eligibility determination.
A dyslexia evaluation by school psychologist will also need to be completed as part of this eligibility determination process!

26. Resources – www.understood.org
12 Tips to Help Kids With Dyslexia Learn Sight Words
By Kelli Johnson
learning-disabilities/dyslexia/12-tips-to-help-kids-with-dyslexia-learn- sight-words?view=slideview
8 Study Tips to Help Middle-Schoolers With Dyslexia
By Kate Kelly
home/homework-study-skills/8-study-tips-for-middle-schoolers-with- dyslexia

27. Resources – www.understood.org
Dyslexia: What You’re Seeing in Your High-Schooler
By Emily Lapkin
learning-disabilities/dyslexia/dyslexia-what-youre-seeing-in-your-high- schooler
Dyslexia: What You’re Seeing in Your Preschooler
learning-disabilities/dyslexia/dyslexia-what-youre-seeing-in-your- preschooler

28. Task – understood.org 5 Minutes
Pick one of the topics listed below
Use the article title to find the article on the web
Pick out 5 key things from the article that will help you in your classroom
Dyslexia: What You’re Seeing in Your Preschooler
12 Tips to Help Kids With Dyslexia Learn Sight Words
8 Study Tips to Help Middle-Schoolers With Dyslexia
Dyslexia: What You’re Seeing in Your High-Schooler
Be Ready To Share at the End of the 5 Minutes

29. Share Out – 5 Minutes
Find someone from another school and talk about 2 out of the 5 key takeaways that can help you in your classroom.