Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability. People with dyslexia have difficulty separating the individual sounds in words. This makes learning to read and spell words difficult. It also makes it difficult to read quickly and smoothly.

People with dyslexia see things as other people do. They do not see things backward or in reverse letters, as is commonly thought.

• Between 15-20% of people have some characteristics of dyslexia.
• Dyslexia runs in families.
• Dyslexia occurs in all languages.

Difficulty:

• Delayed speaking in early childhood.
• Finding the right word.
• Reading words.
• Spelling.
• Learning letters and sounds.
• Reading quickly and smoothly.
• Memorizing facts, including math facts.

Email or call your child’s teacher and/or the school counselor or principal and share your suspicions.

Your school will contact you to schedule a Child Find meeting within 10 days. At this meeting, the team, which includes the parents or guardians, will decide whether or not to evaluate to look for a learning disability.

• When someone suspects a disability and makes a referral, a Child Find process is initiated. This can be as simple as an email or phone call.
• Within 10 days, a Child Find meeting is scheduled. A team, consisting of parents, guardians and school staff members, meets to review the referral and data to decide whether or not to evaluate.
• If the team decides not to evaluate, the parents or guardians will receive an explanation of the reasons behind the decision and a copy of the procedural safeguards.
• If the team decides to evaluate for a disability, the parents or guardians will receive a copy of the procedural safeguards. A parent will need to consent to evaluation of the child.
• Within 65 days of the referral eligibility meeting, the parents or guardians will be provided with the evaluation report at least two business days before the eligibility meeting. The team, consisting of parents, guardians and school staff members, will meet to determine whether or not the child is eligible as a student with a disability in need of special education.
• If the team decides the child is not eligible, the parents or guardians will receive an explanation of the reasons behind the decision and a copy of the procedural safeguards.
• If the team decides the child is eligible. An individual education program will be developed within 30 calendar days. The parent will receive a copy of the IEP at the IEP meeting or within 10 calendar days, along with a copy of the procedural safeguards.