What to Expect From Dyslexia in the Classroom

When the new school year starts, it’s so common to see proud parents post pictures of their kids on social media, complete with chalkboards that boast their age, grade, and career aspirations. It can be an exciting time for families. When you’re the parent of a student with a specific learning disability like dyslexia, each year that your child enters a new classroom can require some new learning for you as well.

From IDEA to FAPE to ADA, IEPs and 504s—there are many acronyms, provisions, and policies that you will want to get familiar with before your child enters the classroom. Many of these policies have been put in place to improve the educational experience of students with learning disabilities. However, you may want to enlist some more specialized help for your child with dyslexia; Dyslexia on Demand offers families some of the best opportunities to overcome the challenges that dyslexia presents. Read on to learn more about what to expect from dyslexia in the classroom.

IDEA is a good idea. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act recognizes dyslexia as a specific learning disability, and it helps to ensure that students are eligible for appropriate accommodations and educational services in their classroom such as assistive technology and other support services.  IDEA requires the creation of Individualized Education Programs for students to outline their specific educational goals as well as the services they should receive.

Find out about FAPE. The Free and Appropriate Public Education Act is a cornerstone of IDEA. In short, it provides that special education and related services for students are provided at public expense, at no cost to families. In addition, education is required to meet the needs of each child with a disability, helping each one to learn and develop appropriately. Do note that this refers to education provided by public schools.

About ADA: The Americans with Disabilities Act is aimed to achieve equality in educational settings for students with disabilities. It helps to provide things like accessibility, academic accommodations, inclusive learning environments, and protection from discrimination.

504 Plans & IEPs: Thanks to ADA, schools may have 504 plans for students with dyslexia. These are plans that outline the specific kinds of accommodations that a student ought to receive such as extended time for test taking, access to assistive technology, and preferential seating in the classroom.

More on accommodations from Dyslexia on Demand: Accommodations for students with dyslexia can help to foster a student’s success, but they don’t change the content of instruction or the skills and knowledge that are measured by classroom assessments. Accommodations can make it possible for students with dyslexia to demonstrate their learning without being hindered by their disability. And accommodations are not just for test taking time; they’re a key part of day-to-day classroom instruction. As a parent of a student with dyslexia, you have the ability to help create and select the kind of accommodations that will best suit your child in the classroom.

All of the accommodations and services that are required in public school classroom settings can be helpful for students with dyslexia; however, it is so important to get perspective on the bigger picture of how learning happens for dyslexic students. Enter: Dyslexia on Demand.

How can Dyslexia on Demand help? Rather than just accommodations, Dyslexia on Demand offers a comprehensive dyslexia therapy program for students that is foundational. We aim to help students with dyslexia achieve and maintain better skills with word recognition, reading fluency, and reading comprehension using a tried and true curriculum. In addition, we work to help students with the transition from a dyslexia therapy setting to real world learning.

Can Dyslexia on Demand help in my child’s classroom? So often, we are asked by parents whether we can help their students in the classroom setting. For students who attend private school or are homeschooled, we welcome opportunities to integrate dyslexia therapy into their regular school day. For private and homeschool, we can work to coordinate with campus professionals or parents to align what we are doing with our curriculum with what students are learning. In public school environments, Dyslexia on Demand can’t come into the classroom–unless it is part of a mediation or settlement agreement that has already occurred. That said, our experts work with many public school students before or after school in one-on-one sessions.

How can we connect our dyslexia therapy practices to the classroom? When a new school year begins—and even when a new calendar year or semester begins—it can be a great time to open up the lines of communication with your child’s classroom teacher. Start a conversation—in person, through video chat, or via email—that lets your child’s teacher know who you are and what your student needs. Be sure to review your child’s accommodations with both your child and his or her teachers.

Are you ready to work with Dyslexia on Demand? Our dyslexia therapy programs are intensive, and they produce results. Our certified academic language therapists (CALTs) help to provide the expertise, individualization, and therapeutic programming that your student needs to succeed in the classroom and beyond. Click to book a free consultation.