WHAT IS DYSLEXIA?
dys: difficulty lexia: with words

The Texas Education Code §38.003 (State Law) definition of dyslexia as meaning a disorder of constitutional origin manifested by a difficulty in learning to read, write, or spell despite conventional instruction, adequate intelligence, and socio-cultural opportunity.

Crowley ISD follows a Response to Intervention model to meet the needs of struggling students beginning with the classroom teacher.

Recommendation for dyslexia assessment, as appropriate, may occur for students who do not demonstrate adequate progress following Tier 1 and intensified Tier 2 instruction. A committee of knowledgeable persons will determine dyslexia identification after reviewing all accumulated assessment data.

A student may be eligible for dyslexia instruction with:
1. Evidence of a deficit in one or more of the primary characteristics of dyslexia: 

• Reading words in isolation
• Decoding unfamiliar words
• Reading fluency (rate and accuracy)
• Spelling

2. Evidence of a deficit in phonological processing: 
• Phonological awareness
• Rapid naming
• Phonological memory

3. The above deficits are unexpected for the child’s age, educational level or cognitive abilities. 

A student may not be eligible if inadequate reading progress is due to: 
• Inconsistent attendance
• Limited background experiences
• Socio-cultural factors

Ways to Support Your Child at Home
• Communicate with your child’s teacher
• Read with your child daily
• Show patience and encouragement
• Help your child explore and develop talents and interests
• Create structure and routine at home
• Help your child manage homework
• Focus on your child’s abilities

PDF: TEA Dyslexia Handbook Update | Spanish | Text Version

OCR Note: If you are not able to read any of the PDF's above, please contact our special education department for a printout. 

Homepage: Dyslexia Handbook                                                                                                          
Homepage: International Dyslexia Association
Homepage: Region 10 Dyslexia Information
Homepage: Learning Ally 1in5 Initiative                                                                                                                         
Homepage: Texas Scottish Rite Hospital                                                                                                                         
Homepage: Neuhaus                                                                                                                                                             
Homepage: Esperanza                                                                                                                                                          
Homepage: Academic Language Therapist Association                                                                                             
Homepage: The Alliance for Accreditation and Certification of Dyslexia Specialists                                       
Homepage: Yale University Center for Dyslexia and Creativity

Homepage: IDA Fact Sheets on Dyslexia Website

The Texas Dyslexia Handbook (Revised 2007) breaks down common signs of dyslexia for different age groups. The Dyslexia Handbook stresses that these signs are associated with dyslexia only if they are unexpected in relation to an individual's age, educational level, and cognitive ability.

Pre-School
• May talk later than most children
• May have difficulty with rhyming
• May have difficulty pronouncing words
• May have poor auditory memory for nursery rhymes and chants
• May be slow to add new vocabulary words
• May be unable to recall the right word
• May have trouble learning numbers, days of the week, colors, shapes, and how to spell and write his or her name

Kindergarten through Third Grade
• Fails to understand that words come apart; for example that snow man can be pulled apart into snow and man, and later on, that the • word man can be broken down still further and sounded out as: /m/ /a/ /n/
• Has difficulty learning letter names and their corresponding sounds
• Has difficulty decoding single words (reading single words in isolation) - lacks a strategy
• Has difficulty spelling phonetically
• Reads dysfluently (choppy and labored)
• Relies on context to recognize a word

Fourth Grade through High School
• Has a history of reading and spelling difficulties
• Avoids reading aloud
• Reads most materials slowly; oral reading is labored, not fluent
• Avoids reading for pleasure
• May have an inadequate vocabulary
• Has difficulty spelling; may resort to using less complicated words in writing that are easier to spell.

Note: Individuals who are dyslexic will not exhibit all of the characteristics and signs associated with dyslexia.