Dyslexia Services
Castro County SSA:
806-938-2143 ext. 2030
Keely Williams
Special Education Director/Diagnostician
Lindsay Wilhelm
Dyslexia/Special Education
Assessments and Identification
All public school students are required to be screened for dyslexia while in kindergarten and grade 1. Additionally, students enrolling in public schools in Texas must be assessed for dyslexia and related disorders "at appropriate times" (TEC § 38.00.)
Questions for Determining Dyslexia
Does the data show the following characteristics of dyslexia?
• Difficulty with accurate and/or fluent word reading
• Poor spelling skills
• Poor decoding ability
Do these difficulties (typically) result from a deficit in the phonological component of language?
Are these difficulties unexpected for the students age in relation to the student's other cognitive abilities and provision of effective classroom instruction?
Castro County SSA Dyslexia Program
Awareness for Educators and Parents
For more information on eligibility evaluation request, and services available under the IDEA and the Rehabilitation ACT, Section 504, and response to intervention, please visit:
https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/1180343/ARD_Guide_ENG.pdf
Effective Strategies
Explicit and systematic instruction in phonological awareness, phonics, and word recognition, spelling, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension is key to teaching dyslexia students, as well as:
Self-monitoring strategies
Memory techniques to remember processes
Explicitly teach and practice skills for organizing management and reviewing information.
Possible Accommodations
Copies of notes (e.g. teacher or peer-provided)
Note taking assistance
Additional time on class assignments
Reduce/shortened assignments ( e.g. chunking assignments into manageable units, fewer items given on a classroom test or homework assignments without eliminating concepts or student planner to assist with assignments)
Alternative test location that provides a quiet environment and reduces distractions
Priority seating assignment
Oral reading or directions or written material
Word banks
Audiobooks
Text to speech
Electronic spellers
Electronic dictionaries
Formula Charts
Adaptive learning tools and features in software programs
What is Dyslexia?
The current definition from the International Dyslexia Association states:
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 reduce reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.
Referenced in 2021 Dyslexia Handbook
Instruction:
Reading by Design
The region 4 ESC Reading by Design Program is a systematic, multisensory set of instructional routines. The program entails:
Phonological Awareness
Sound Symbol Association
Orthography
Morphology
Syntax
Reading Comprehension
Reading Fluency
Who Delivers Instruction?
Instruction is delivered 4 times per week for 45 minutes by a Dyslexia Specialist who has been trained in the program.