The Dyslexia Initiative
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FOR PARENTS
The longer you're on this journey, the more tools you develop as you learn more about how to advocate for your child.
We will share the tools we've found to help you navigate this road here on this page. Some will be physical attached documents and PDFs and some will be links to specific resources.
To start off we recommend listening to a podcast by Emily Hanford on APM Reports that sheds light on proper reading instruction.
What the Words Say
Hard Words: Why Aren't Our Kids Being Taught to Read
https://www.apmreports.org/story/2018/09/10/hard-words-why-american-kids-arent-being-taught-to-read
At A Loss for Words: What's Wrong With How Schools Teach Reading
https://www.apmreports.org/story/2019/08/22/whats-wrong-how-schools-teach-reading
Sold a Story: a 6-part series from Emily Hanford
Part 1: The Problem
https://www.apmreports.org/episode/2022/10/20/sold-a-story-e1-the-problem
Part 2: The Idea
https://www.apmreports.org/episode/2022/10/20/sold-a-story-e2-the-idea
Part 3: The Battle
https://www.apmreports.org/episode/2022/10/27/sold-a-story-e3-the-battle
Part 4: The Superstar
https://www.apmreports.org/episode/2022/11/03/sold-a-story-e4-the-superstar
Part 5: The Company
https://www.apmreports.org/episode/2022/11/10/sold-a-story-e5-the-company
Part 6: The Reckoning
https://www.apmreports.org/episode/2022/11/17/sold-a-story-e6-the-reckoning
If you want to go straight to the Apple podcast here is the link:
What the Words Say
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-words-say/id81914987?i=1000487274272
Hard Words: Why Aren't Our Kids Being Taught to Read
At A Loss for Words: What's Wrong With How Schools Teach Reading
Sold a Story: a 6-part series from Emily Hanford
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sold-a-story/id1649580473
Additional resources about why your child may be struggling to read the books assigned at school can be further explained here:
The Purple Challenge Part 1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lxx7hs0qdKQ
The Purple Challenge Part 2:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2pRi_B_Oj8
We welcome your feedback as we both learn ourselves and work to serve you, and we appreciate your patience as we explore dyslexia resources across the country and expand our state findings.
Since we started in Texas, that's what we know the best, but we are young and growing quickly.
REQUESTING AN EVALUATION UNDER IDEA:
Sometimes it is up to the parent to request an evaluation under IDEA for a dyslexic child to be protected under Federal Law. This is a template you can use to make the request. Please note that this is a template and meant to be edited to what is applicable for your child. When completing the template, please note your state's term for the evaluation, for example, in Texas it is called a Full Individual Evaluation, or FIE for short.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT:
Did you know that the Fed issued a guidance letter in 2015?
Is your child enrolled in private school and you'd like guidance?
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oii/nonpublic/idea04.pdf
TEXAS:
In 2018 the Federal Department of Education issued a report citing the Texas Education Agency's (TEA) lack of compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This comes after the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) at the Department initiated monitoring following reports about the significant decline in the number of children identified as children with disabilities eligible for special education and related services in Texas.
This finding may be found at the following link:
https://www2.ed.gov/fund/data/report/idea/partbdmsrpts/dms-tx-b-2017-letter.pdf
This link includes the cover letter and full report.
The documents below will assist you in navigating the school process if you choose to have your child supported under IDEA, meaning Special Education with an Individualized Education Plan or IEP.
Remember, Special Education is a service, not a place. As someone near and dear to our hearts stated, "Our son has to be taught a certain way to learn, or course that means he belongs in Special Education."
The Texas Dyslexia Handbook revision was published in October, 2018 and then refreshed again in February, 2022. The online version, as well as a link to purchase a printed and bound version is at the following link:
https://tea.texas.gov/academics/dyslexia/
The TEA has a PowerPoint that coincides with a Webinar they presented on Dyslexia and Related Disorders in the Individualized Education Program (IEP)
Here is the link to the PowerPoint:
Here is the link to the Webinar:
https://register.gotowebinar.com/recording/4279769145135013891
The TEA's guidance on Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, and Dyscalculia in the Individualized Education Program:
A link to all OSER guidance letters: https://sites.ed.gov/idea/policy-guidance/
June 6th TEA Letter
October 19, 2020 Letter from OSERS to TEA stating continued non-compliance