There's a viral post circulating on the Internet from a Texas special education professor: "It's OK to say dyslexia!" U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan tweeted shortly before his agency released guidance targeting the needs of the 2.5 million students with a...
The Moral Harm of Dyslexia Unawareness
Primum non nocere. – Latin Saying (First, do no harm) The Latin Saying Primum non-nocere may not have originated with Hippocrates, however the advice is also like a laser beam focused on the greatest harm that comes from dyslexia unawareness. A few days ago, a colleague sent me an article where Avengers star (Bruce Banner / the Hulk) Mark Ruffalo shared “The nun who was teaching me early on to read was very cruel because of my dyslexia…these teachings of Christ revolved around love and social justice, and then what I was seeing in that community, the way they did business, the way nuns treated children — all of that seemed to be at odds with each other. I lost my faith in that institution when I was very […]
Dyslexia Accommodations
Dyslexia is a specific learning disability protected under the American for Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act. Students with Dyslexia have average or above average intelligence, but may have difficulty with reading, writing,...
Improved College Board Guidelines for Test Accommodations
New from the College Board: "Beginning January 1, 2017, the vast majority of students who are approved for and using testing accommodations at their school through a current Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 Plan will have those same accommodations...
ADHD / Gifted 2E Guidelines from Department of Education – Schools
In breaking news, the US Department of Education and Office for Civil Rights have released their a letter from Asst Secretary Catherine Lhamon and its Students with ADHD and Section 504 Resource Guide HERE. For your convenience, we also include them below -...
Q & A: School Psychologist Asks: How Do I Identify Dyslexia? [Premium]
A School Psychologist asks… Q: How Do I Identify Dyslexia? You may be surprised to learn that psychologists may not know how to identify dyslexia in the school setting. You may be even more surprised to learn that a NASP consensus statement recommended school psychologists avoid the term “dyslexia” all together. Thankfully, not all school psychologists agree with this statement or practice and perhaps since the Secretary of Education said there was no reason not to “Say Dyslexia”, the consensus may change. One insightful school psychologist blog offered this warning citing the NASP report: Warning! Bad Thinking Ahead. Excerpt: “There are several problems with that advice, not the least of which being that it flies in the face of various state legislative and education department initiatives. First and foremost, […]