Basic Steps for Getting Dyslexia Help

Your child is struggling and you suspect dyslexia, but you don't know where to even start.  These 3 basic steps should get you on the right track.

1.  Get testing or screening.

• If your child goes to school, this documentation will be required for any special help or accommodations.  Find out what the procedure is for this at your school, as it can vary greatly from school to school.  Your child's school may or may not have someone who does this. 
• Depending on what state you live in, the school may not be able to name dyslexia, and your child may or may not qualify for special education services. 
• You may have to seek private psychoeducational testing, which should be accepted at all schools. 
• Private schools may accept a report from a dyslexia screener, but public schools will not. 
• Testing or screening is optional for homeschoolers, but parents may want to get confirmation of dyslexia so that they will know what kind of help their child needs. 

2.  Get the right kind of help. 

• Research has shown evidence that students who have dyslexia respond to a certain kind of reading and spelling instruction.  This is presently known as "structured literacy," but whatever program is used, you should look for words like explicit, multisensory, sequential, cumulative, systematic, individualized, diagnostic, and Orton-Gillingham based. 
• Public School:  You may or may not get the right kind of instruction in the public school from a reading specialist or special education teacher.  It really depends on what program they have been given to use and if they have been properly trained to use it. 
• Private Tutor:  Make sure the tutor you hire is knowledgeable about dyslexia and has training in structured literacy, as described in the first bullet point.
• Parent-as-Tutor/Homeschool:  There are programs designed for parents to tutor their own children, and they include the training the parent will need.  Some parents find it difficult to work with their own child, but it is an option worth considering. 

3.  Seek accommodations.

• Public School:  Follow procedure for your school.  If your child qualified for special education services, a team will probably put together an IEP (Individualized Education Plan), and this will include accommodations. If your child did not qualify for special education services, but you have documentation of need, your child should still be able to get accommodations, and a 504 Plan should be written.  This is basically an agreement of the accommodations.
• Private School: Though it may not be called by the same name, private schools can (and should) write 504 Plans. 
• Homeschool:  Learn about the accommodations that dyslexic students generally use and use them!

I will go into greater depth in future posts/videos, but this gives you an overview of the process.  It can all be very overwhelming, but knowledge is power!  Become an expert!  Educate yourself on the procedures at your child's school as well as everything about dyslexia.  The more you know, the better you will be able to advocate for your child. 

To watch a YouTube video of this post, click here.