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Kindergarten and first grade years are exciting times for young students. They are being introduced to a world of stories, learning to sound out words and reading simple sentences.
And with the the help of their teachers and parents they are starting to write.
Sometimes that enthusiasm can be dampened when they struggle despite their best efforts. They may read slowly, mix up similar words and struggle to spell and write words correctly. Research shows that about 15 to 20 percent of students suffer from these issues and, in some cases, dyslexia may be the cause.
Dyslexia is a learning disability where the reader has difficulty with word recognition and decoding words, which is one of the building blocks of fluency. These difficulties with reading single words accurately and quickly affect reading comprehension, as well as spelling and writing skills.
Parents, if you find that your child, in any grade, is struggling with sounding out words, fluency or reading comprehension, please share these concerns with your child’s teacher.
If you suspect that your child may have a learning disability, you can request, at any time, an evaluation to determine if your child is eligible for specially designed instruction and related.
But even if that is not the case, Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) has diagnostic reading assessments, such as iReady, which are given to all students to help detect early warning signs of dyslexia or other learning disabilities.
“Timing is a critical component to success so the earlier we spot dyslexia, or any disability, the better,” said Patrick Salmasi, district director of the Department of Exceptional Student Education (ESE) at M-DCPS. “The goal is to provide students in need with intervention that is implemented as quickly as possible. Fortunately, the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) process implemented here at M-DCPS gets support to the student in need regardless of a formal diagnosis of disability, in this case dyslexia.”
M-DCPS has systems in place, including research-based interventions, to support students who have difficulty reading at grade level. We have adopted a phonics-based intervention program, Reading Horizons, for students whose reading assessments indicate that they need additional help.
Students who qualify for an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) receive services as outlined in their IEP. Tutoring is available district-wide, and we recommend that families connect with their school principal to learn more about the availability of tutoring services.
“Intervention provides the student with additional instructional time and focused practice related to critical reading skills,” Salmasi said. “It is an essential ingredient to student success.”
Part of the stigma associated with dyslexia is that children or adults who suffer from it are not bright or are slow learners, but research suggests quite the opposite.
The Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity has found that difficulties have no connection to their overall intelligence. While people with dyslexia are slow readers, they often, paradoxically, are very fast and creative thinkers with strong reasoning abilities.
ESE, in partnership with Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System (FDLRS), is hosting a series of parent workshops, “Supporting Dyslexia in the Home: Multisensory Reading Strategies” to strengthen the school-home connection by sharing resources and activities that assist parents with strategies that can help their children become fluent readers and improve their reading comprehension.
The next session will be on Mar. 15 and all sessions will be conducted via Zoom and are available in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole. Parents can register for the session by completing the form located at https://forms.office.com/r/yRjDdQyDHW.
When parents and teachers get help for these students early on it can make a big difference in the student’s academic progress in the future. With these workshops, parents can be active participants in helping their children overcome these obstacles. Becoming a proficient reader improves not only a child’s academic success but boosts their self-confidence as well.
Reagan Chalmers is executive director, Exceptional Student Education, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and LaKisha Richardson Jones is instructional supervisor, Exceptional Student Education Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
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