DYSLEXIA

DEFINITIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF DYSLEXIA

The student who struggles with reading and spelling often puzzles teachers and parents. The student displays the ability to learn in the absence of print and receives the same classroom instruction that benefits most children; however, the student continues to struggle with some or all of the many facets of reading and spelling. This student may be a student with dyslexia.

TEC §38.003 defines dyslexia and related disorders in the following way:

“Dyslexia” means a disorder of constitutional origin manifested by a difficulty in learning to read, write, or spell, despite conventional instruction, adequate intelligence, and sociocultural opportunity.

“Related disorders” include disorders similar to or related to dyslexia, such as developmental auditory imperception, dysphasia, specific developmental dyslexia, developmental dysgraphia, and developmental spelling disability.

TEC §38.003(d)(1)-(2) (1995)

http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/ED/htm/ED.38.htm#38.003

The International Dyslexia Association defines “dyslexia” in the following way:

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological 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.

Adopted by the International Dyslexia Association Board of Directors, November 12, 2002

Students identified as having dyslexia typically experience primary difficulties in phonological awareness, including phonemic awareness and manipulation, single-word reading, reading fluency, and spelling. Consequences may include difficulties in reading comprehension and/or written expression. These difficulties in phonological awareness are unexpected for the student’s age and educational level and are not primarily the result of language difference factors. Additionally, there is often a family history of similar difficulties.

Texas Education Code §38.003:

Students enrolling in public schools in this state shall be screened or tested, as appropriate, for dyslexia and related disorders at appropriate times in accordance with a program approved by the State Board of Education. The program must include screening at the end of the school year of each student in kindergarten and each student in the first grade.
The board of trustees of each school district or charter school shall provide for the treatment (i.e., instruction) of any student determined to have dyslexia.

Texas Administrative Code §74.28:

The board of trustees of a school district or charter school must ensure that procedures for identifying a student with dyslexia and for providing appropriate instructional services to the student are implemented.
A school district or charter school shall purchase or develop its own reading program for students with dyslexia, as long as the program is characterized by the descriptors found in The State Dyslexia Handbook ~ Revised
2021.
Each school district or charter school must provide each identified student access at his or her campus to the services of a teacher trained in dyslexia and related disorders.
Each school district or charter school shall provide a parent education program for parents/guardians of students with dyslexia.

Teacher Training Requirements:

Teachers who provide instruction for students with dyslexia:

Must have valid Texas teaching certificates for the particular grade level(s) that they teach
Must be trained in dyslexia and related disorders
Must be trained in the program the district has developed or purchased for use with students with dyslexia as well as in instructional strategies that utilize individualized, intensive, multi sensory, phonetic methods

Contacts for further information:

State Dyslexia Consultant

Region 10 Education Service Center

400 E. Spring Valley Road

Richardson, TX 75083-1300

Texas Dyslexia Hotline: 1(800) 232-3030

Statewide English Language Arts/Reading Coordinator

Texas Education Agency Division of Curriculum

1701 N. Congress Avenue

(512) 463-9581

Dyslexia contacts at the Texas Regional Education Service Centers

Resources