UNDERSTANDING DYSLEXIA

BLOG POST BY PTAC MEMBER DARLENE SCHAFFER

“Do you really know what dyslexia is?” 

I can remember the day this question hit me like a ton of bricks. A colleague and I were chatting in the main office of our school prior to the first bell of the day. She asked me a question about dyslexia and how I, as a special education teacher, supported our students with reading disabilities. 

An innocent question in what started as a casual conversation between colleagues, but a question I actually experienced difficulty answering as the conversation continued. What I didn’t know until that very morning was that both of her sons lived with dyslexia and struggled in school. She was simply curious as to what strategies and interventions we used not only in our school but in schools across our district.  Her curiosity was based upon her perspective as both a teacher and a parent. What I also didn’t know that morning was that this conversation would become a turning point in my career. 

My take-away from our chat that morning was that I had LITTLE TO NO CLUE how to provide effective instruction to students who were diagnosed with dyslexia, what strategies worked, or what programs might reach them to help “break the code.” What I thought I knew about supporting kids with reading disabilities was now in question. This prompted my long journey into becoming a more effective practitioner in supporting students who are dyslexic. 

One of the first things I learned that I didn’t know previously was that as many as 20% of students (20 PERCENT) sitting in our classrooms may suffer from a language-based learning disability. This brought me to a troubling realization: in the largest school district in Pennsylvania, are we really providing targeted, appropriate instruction to students whose reading disabilities require such instruction? While we do provide reading support and deliver targeted interventions to students who struggle in reading, are they always the right ones? Unfortunately, I believe the answer is no. 

Another wonder: what legislation is in place in the state of Pennsylvania, if any, to support dyslexic students? With a quick Internet search all I found was Act 69 from 2014 that established a Dyslexia and Early Literacy Pilot Program “to provide evidence-based early screening and multi-tier support systems, using evidence-based intervention services for students with potential risk factors for early reading deficiencies and dyslexia.”  A link to the report outlining the results of the 3-year pilot is HERE. 

Unfortunately, there are currently no further mandates or legislation in place to provide assessment and/or appropriate interventions in the state of Pennsylvania for those who are dyslexic. How can this be? How many students are sitting in our classrooms who may be dyslexic and are struggling with decoding print as well as writing? 

It is imperative that we do our best to meet the needs of ALL students seated in front of us EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Dyslexia needs to be recognized as more than simply another way children struggle with reading.   Schools should be able to not only identify, but provide targeted, structured literacy instruction that meets the needs of not only dyslexic students, but all students. I am hoping this happens during my teaching career. 

I am grateful that there are resources available for teachers and parents who want to learn more about dyslexia and encourage my fellow educators, parents, and community stakeholders to take a moment to learn more.  A few are below:

International Dyslexia Association PA Branch:  https://pa.dyslexiaida.org/

Pattan: Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network:  https://www.pattan.net/Dyslexia

The Reading Well (contains a list of schools in PA that service students who are dyslexic):  https://www.dyslexia-reading-well.com/dyslexia-in-pennsylvania.html

My journey, two years later, brought me to finally learn how to deliver intensive, systematic instruction to students who so desperately need it. Am I making a difference in helping students read, write, and spell? I think so. The journey is not over, however. It will never be over until every student receives the type of instruction that helps them discover the joy of reading that many of us enjoy. ​

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