MISD Dyslexia Information

According to the International Dyslexia Association(IDA), the updated 2025 definition of dyslexia states, "Dyslexia is a specific learning disability characterized by difficulties in word reading and/or spelling that involve accuracy, speed, or both and vary depending on the orthography. These difficulties occur along a continuum of severity and persist even with instruction that is effective for the individual’s peers. The causes of dyslexia are complex and involve combinations of genetic, neurobiological, and environmental influences that interact throughout development. Underlying difficulties with phonological and morphological processing are common but not universal, and early oral language weaknesses often foreshadow literacy challenges. Secondary consequences include reading comprehension problems and reduced reading and writing experience that can impede growth in language, knowledge, written expression, and overall academic achievement. Psychological well-being and employment opportunities also may be affected. Although identification and targeted instruction are important at any age, language and literacy support before and during the early years of education is particularly effective."

According to the International Dyslexia Association(IDA) dysgraphia is a specific learning disability that affects how easily children acquire written language and how well they use written language to express their thoughts.

Dysgraphia is a Greek word. The base word graph refers both to the hand’s function in writing and to the letters formed by the hand. The prefix dys indicates that there is impairment.

Graph refers to producing letter forms by hand. The suffix ia refers to having a condition. Thus, dysgraphia is the condition of impaired letter writing by hand, that is, disabled handwriting and sometimes spelling. Impaired handwriting can interfere with learning to spell words in writing. Occasionally, but not very often, children have just spelling problems and not handwriting or reading problems.

COMMON RISK FACTORS

Preschool - Third grade:

• Failure to understand that words are made up of parts or individual sounds
• Difficulty learning the letter names and their corresponding sounds
• Difficulty reading single words in isolation
• Difficulty reading fluently
• Difficulty spelling phonetically

Fourth Grade - High School:

• History of reading and spelling difficulties
• Difficulty reading aloud
• Avoids reading for pleasure
• Difficulty learning a foreign language

https://tea.texas.gov/academics/special-student-populations/special-education/texas-dyslexia-handbook.pdf

If you would like to request a printed copy, please reach out to Alayna Siemonsma at Alayna.Siemonsma@misd.org.

MISD’s Dyslexia Interventionist’s Training

Texas does not have a certification requirement specific to teachers providing intervention to students identified with dyslexia. School districts must consider the needs of students and the qualification of teachers. It is important that teachers (general or special education) who provide instruction for students with dyslexia must have training in critical, evidence-based components, and delivery of dyslexia instruction.

Teachers must be trained by a regional education service center to utilize the program. They could also receive training from a trainer certified by Region 4 who is in good standing. MISD’s Dyslexia Interventionists are trained by a regional education service center and/or are trained by the parent company’s program trainer directly or MISD’s program trainer.

MISD Dyslexia Interventionists

Click on this link for the names and emails of each campus' Dyslexia Interventionists.

MISD provides dyslexia reading intervention that incorporates critical, evidence-based components of dyslexia instruction, including phonological awareness, sound-symbol association, syllabication, orthography, morphology, and reading fluency. This multisensory instruction is delivered systematically and explicitly by trained dyslexia teachers. The program uses prescriptive or individualized diagnostic teaching to the degree of automaticity. ~The Dyslexia Handbook (2024 Update)

Effective instructional strategies for teaching students with dyslexia and related disorders are crucial for supporting their reading and writing development. Here are some evidence-based strategies aligned with the critical components mentioned:

1. Phonological Awareness

• Multi-Sensory Techniques: Use visual, auditory, and kinesthetic-tactile methods to teach phonological awareness. For example, students might use sand trays to write letters while saying the corresponding sounds aloud.
• Segmenting and Blending: Practice breaking words into individual sounds (phonemes) and blending sounds to form words. Tools like Elkonin boxes can be helpful.

2. Sound-Symbol Association

• Explicit Instruction: Teach the relationship between sounds (phonemes) and their corresponding letters (graphemes) explicitly and systematically.
• Drill and Practice: Use repetition and drill exercises to reinforce sound-symbol associations. Flashcards or apps designed for dyslexia can be effective.

3. Syllabication

• Syllable Types: Teach the six syllable types (closed, open, vowel-consonant-e, r-controlled, vowel pair, consonant-le) to help students decode words.
• Chunking: Encourage students to break words into syllables or chunks, making them easier to decode and pronounce.

4. Orthography

• Spelling Rules: Teach spelling rules explicitly, such as rules for doubling consonants, adding suffixes, and vowel patterns.
• Word Sorts: Have students sort words by spelling patterns to help them see commonalities and differences.

5. Morphology

• Root Words, Prefixes, and Suffixes: Teach students to recognize and understand the meanings of common roots, prefixes, and suffixes. This helps in decoding and comprehension.
• Word Building: Engage students in activities where they create new words using known morphemes, enhancing their understanding of word structure.

6. Syntax

• Sentence Structure: Teach the structure of sentences explicitly, including subject-verb-object order, clauses, and phrases.
• Punctuation and Grammar: Use sentence diagramming to visually break down the components of a sentence, which helps in understanding syntax.

7. Reading Comprehension

• Questioning Strategies: Teach students to ask questions before, during, and after reading to enhance comprehension. Techniques like SQ3R (Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review) can be helpful.
• Graphic Organizers: Use graphic organizers like story maps or Venn diagrams to help students organize and retain information.

8. Reading Fluency

• Repeated Reading: Encourage students to read passages multiple times to increase fluency and confidence.
• Choral Reading: Have students read aloud in unison with a group to model fluent reading.

General Strategies

• Multi-Sensory Instruction (MSLE): Incorporate techniques like Orton-Gillingham, which is a multi-sensory, structured, and sequential approach to reading instruction.
• Scaffolded Support: Provide graduated support, gradually removing assistance as the student becomes more proficient.
• Individualized Instruction: Tailor instruction to the individual needs of the student, recognizing that each student with dyslexia may have different strengths and challenges.
• Assistive Technology: Use tools like text-to-speech software, audiobooks, and word processors with spell check to support reading and writing.

These strategies, when implemented consistently and tailored to individual student needs, can make a significant difference in the academic success of students with dyslexia and related disorders.

Ensures that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education (FAPE).

Provides individual supplemental educational services and supports in addition to what is provided to students in the general curriculum to ensure that the child has access to and benefits from the general curriculum.

An overview of the Special Education document is provided to parents in the IDEA Rights Overview Form.

Information for parents and the community regarding Dyslexia and Related Disorders. Dyslexia and Related Disorders: Information for Parents Form (English) (Spanish)

Questions for Determining Dyslexia

1. Do the data show the following characteristics of dyslexia?

• Difficulty with accurate and/or fluent word reading?
• Poor spelling skills
• Poor Decoding ability

2. Do these difficulties (typically) result from a deficit in the phonological component of language?

3.Are these difficulties unexpected for the student's age in relation to the student's other cognitive abilities and provision of effective classroom instruction?

Questions for Determining Dysgraphia

1. Do the data show the following characteristics and consequences of dysgraphia?

• Illegible and/or inefficient handwriting with variably shaped and poorly formed letters
• Difficulty with unedited spelling
• Low volume of written output as well as problems with other aspects of written expression

2. Do these difficulties (typically) result from a deficit in graphomotor function (hand movements use for writing) and/or storing and retrieving orthographic codes (letter forms)?

3. Are these difficulties unexpected for the student's age in relation to the student's other abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction?

• Academic Language Therapy Association - https://altaread.org/
• Bookshare - https://www.bookshare.org/cms/
• Dyslexia Contacts at the Texas Regional Education Service Centers - https://www.region10.org/page/resources-dyslexia-regional
• International Dyslexia Association - https://dyslexiaida.org/
• Learning Ally - https://learningally.org/
• Talking Books - https://www.tsl.texas.gov/tbp/reading_disabilities
• Texas College and Career Readiness - http://txccrsc.esc13.net/
• Texas - The Dyslexia Handbook (Revised 2024) https://tea.texas.gov/academics/special-student-populations/special-education/texas-dyslexia-handbook.pdf

• Play phonological awareness games
• Help your child master the alphabet letters and sounds
• Read to your child to model fluency skills
• Encourage your child to read books aloud
• Discuss interesting aspects of books
• Listen to audio books and stories
• Introduce new vocabulary words in books
• Subscribe to magazines that interest your child

MISD Contacts:

Kerri Clark-Executive Director of Specialized Learning

Alayna Siemonsma-Section 504/Dyslexia Services Coordinator

Region 6 Dyslexia Contact:

Angela Cameron