Clarifying Dyslexia in Educational Practices

In 2015, the Office of Special Education Programs published a letter stating that school teams were “not prohibited” from using the term “dyslexia”. 

Unfortunately, this letter left many questions unanswered and is often misinterpreted.

Parents seeking out services for their children are still unsure how to advocate for appropriate services in their schools and communities.

School teams are still unsure about what they’re “permitted” vs. “required” to do.

Professionals are unsure who is qualified or responsible for identifying students with dyslexia and other learning disabilities. 

That’s why I invited Tom Parton to episode 178 of De Facto Leaders to discuss legal mandates, ethical obligations, and factors school teams should consider when making decisions about curriculum and assistive technology. 

Tom Parton is a private Speech Language Pathologist in Normal, Illinois. He retired after 35 years of public-school practice. Tom is President of Everyone Reading Illinois and is a member of ERI’s Legislative Committee. Tom has presented on autism and language/literacy topics at local, state, and national conferences. Tom participated in the ISBE Reading Instruction Advisory Group and Teachers of Reading Certification task forces. He is currently a member of the ISBE Dyslexia Handbook revision team. He is past-president of the Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association and is ISHA Honors Committee co-chair and a member of ISHA’s Leadership Development Committee. Tom is the 2024 chair of the American Speech Language Hearing Association Committee of Ambassadors.

This episode is part of the National Literacy Month series of podcasts, presented in partnership between the Be Podcast Network and Reading Is Fundamental (RIF).

In this conversation, we discuss:

✅What do federal guidelines require when it comes to identifying and serving students with reading/writing disabilities?

✅Picking the right battles to fight: Do we focus on the labels or the services and curriculum?

✅Who is qualified or responsible for diagnosing dyslexia?

✅The ethical problem with giving up on word-decoding in secondary school.

✅What skills do students need to effectively use assistive technology for reading, writing, and spelling?

Additional resources mentioned in this episode:

The Dyslexia Handbook from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) (https://www.isbe.net/Documents/Dyslexia-Handbook.pdf)

ISBE Comprehensive Literacy Plan (https://www.isbe.net/literacyplan)

The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) (https://dyslexiaida.org)

The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) Dyslexia Handbook (https://dyslexiaida.org/ida-dyslexia-handbook/)

The Reading League of Illinois (https://il.thereadingleague.org)

The Illinois SLD Support Project (https://sldsupports.org)

Dyslegia: State Dyslexia Laws (https://www.dyslegia.com/state-dyslexia-laws/)

Williams, V. (2023) Letter from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services on the use of “Developmental Language Disorder” for special education eligibility. Office of Special Education Programs. Retrieved from: https://www.asha.org/siteassets/advocacy/comments/OSEP-Response-Letter-to-ASHA-on-DLD-5.30.23.pdf

Yudin, M. K. (2015). Letter from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services on the use of “Dyslexia” for special education eligibility. Office of Special Education Programs. Retrieved from: https://sites.ed.gov/idea/files/policy_speced_guid_idea_memosdcltrs_guidance-on-dyslexia-10-2015.pdf

In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers develop a strategic plan for putting executive functioning support in place in collaboration with their school teams. You can learn more about that program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership

In this episode, I mention Language Therapy Advance Foundations, my program that helps SLPs create a system for language therapy. You can learn more about Language Therapy Advance Foundations here: https://drkarenspeech.com/languagetherapy/

You can get 25% off either program when you join between September 15-October 15. Just enter coupon code RIF25 on the checkout page to get this special rate. 

*If you’re already a member of either program and you refer a friend, tell them to email me at talktome@drkarenspeech.com if they join and let me know you referred them and I’ll send you a $100 referral bonus. 

Here’s what you can do right now to support this campaign and ensure you don’t miss any of these amazing interviews/commentary. 

1. Go to Apple, Spotify, or any other directory you use for podcasts and subscribe to the De Facto Leaders podcast.
2. Once you listen to an episode or two, leave me a rating and review. This helps get my show into the hands of people who need the information.
3. Do you have a colleague or friend who needs to learn more about the research surrounding language and literacy? Do you want to spread the word about practices and ideas you’d like to see in your school, community, or state? If so, tell them about the De Facto Leaders podcast so they can listen to all the episodes in this special campaign. 

Reading Is Fundamental is a nonprofit that focuses on connecting educators and families with materials and training aligned with evidence-based literacy instruction. Not only is their model aligned with the science of reading; they also offer unique book ownership solutions for professionals and families to address book equity issues. You can learn more about Reading Is Fundamental here: https://www.r...