Navigate Dyslexia: Forms, Downloadable Material, Check Lists
Navigate Dyslexia: Steps to Take
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Inform yourself and Understand your options. Become an effective advocate by understanding laws that support your child and the vast body of research on Dyslexia. Download our Dyslexia Roadmap
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Be Collaborative but Firm - Share evidence based ideas and help support positive outcomes. meet with your school principal, the school board and other decision makers. Download our Ideas for Collaboration (Coming Soon!)
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Understand What a Full Initial Eval under IDEA is (Child Find)- A Full Initial Eval under IDEA does not mean that the parent has to agree to services under IDEA - it is simply the most comprehensive place to start.- Under this process a parent is an equal member on the team deciding next steps which includes the opportunity to chose to decide appropriate placement which could mean under 504 or IDEA. The process under Child Find is just the first initial step but one that REQUIRES the parent as an equal member of the process. Parents should know that under IDEA parents are require participants, not so under Section 504. Before making decisions about their dyslexic child parents should should fully understand what unique rights IDEA provides - substantial assurances to fidelity, methodology, progress monitoring and accountability mechanisms to name a few). The Full Eval under IDEA is a comprehensive way to uncover the full scope of learning issues their child may be experiencing. We know that too many kids in Dyslexia programs, who never get full Evals, fail later because they always had deeper issues, either more severe RAN or co morbid Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia which were not explored when simply looking for Dyslexia outside of a Full Evaluation. There is NO way anyone can suspect dyslexia and KNOW FOR CERTAIN if the student has "mild" Dyslexia or ONLY Dyslexia - Congress intended under IDEA, that if you suspect disability. REGARDLESS of severity, a full eval under IDEA should be the parents option. Parents should expect that their students is evaluated for ALL suspected areas of need which includes Dyslexia evals, The dyslexia eval should be a part of the Full eval under IDEA when you suspect Dyslexia or they screen at risk for dyslexia...the starting point should be a full eval under IDEA and informed decisions can be made from there. IDEA says that Parents should be mandatory participants in deciding what is best for their child.
Dyslexia Handout
Downloadable Handout Contains Warning signs, What to do and links to outside resources.
Dyslexia Roadmap
Download this Basic Infographic to better understand your rights
Pediatricians Well Check Hand Out
Downloadable Handout Contains Warning signs, What to do and links to outside resources.
Helpful Videos
Some Favorite Books
The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan
Ben Foss
A groundbreaking book that reveals what your dyslexic child is experiencing—and what you can do so that he or she will thrive.
Dr Kelli Sandman Hurley
This must have Parent friendly guide to understanding and exercising how to get the services your child deserves.
Overcoming Dyslexia: A New and Complete Science-Based Program for Reading Problems at Any Level
Sally Shaywitz
This book offers information on how the brain works, reading problems, and techniques to overcome these problems caused by dyslexia. Both parents and teachers will find this book to be a useful resource. Some of the sections of the book include a home program to improve reading, a list of the most common problem causing words, and much more.
Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain
Maryanne Wolf
Maryanne Wolf sets the stage about the development of the reading brain from a cultural-historical perspective and then proceeds to biological and cognitive aspects. She then explores the puzzle of dyslexia. This is a must-read to help us understand how our brain evolved from 'reading' the hieroglyphics of years ago to understanding the sound-symbol correspondence used in the text of today, and then what happens when one can't learn to read.
