Specific Learning Disability Supplementary GuideDyslexia .
Specific Learning Disability Supplementary Guide—Dyslexia: Frequently Asked QuestionsSpecific Learning Disability Supplementary GuideDyslexia:Frequently Asked QuestionsVirginia Department of EducationFebruary 20171
Specific Learning Disability Supplementary Guide—Dyslexia: Frequently Asked QuestionsAcknowledgementsThe Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) wishes to acknowledgeall those who provided assistance in the development and review of this guidance document,including parents, community stakeholders, professional organizations, and university faculty.Virginia Department of EducationDivision of Special Education and Student ServicesP.O. Box 2120Richmond, VA 23218-21201-800-422-2083Text Users Dial: 711(Relay)The Virginia Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin,religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, political affiliation, or against otherwise qualified personswith disabilities. The policy permits appropriate employment preferences for veterans andspecifically prohibits discrimination against veterans.For further information on Federal nondiscrimination regulations,contact the Office of Civil Rights at OCR.DC@ed.govor call 1 (800) 421-3481.You may obtain additional information at the Commonwealth of Virginia’s official websiteconcerning this equal opportunity policy.2
Specific Learning Disability Supplementary Guide—Dyslexia: Frequently Asked QuestionsTable of ContentsINTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5SECTION I:The Definition, Prevalence and Characteristics of Dyslexia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6SECTION II:The Initial Screening Process For Reading Difficulties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8SECTION III:Addressing Reading Disability In General Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10SECTION IV:Special Education Process For Suspected Reading Disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11SECTION V:Special Education and Section 504 Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13SECTION VI: References and Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16SECTION VII: Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Specific Learning Disability Supplementary Guide—Dyslexia: Frequently Asked Questions4
Specific Learning Disability Supplementary Guide—Dyslexia: Frequently Asked QuestionsIntroductionLegislation passed by the 2016 General Assembly (House Bill 842) requires every personseeking initial licensure or renewal of a license to complete awareness training on the indicatorsof dyslexia and evidence-based interventions and accommodations for dyslexia. In support ofthe regulation, this document, Dyslexia: Frequently Asked Questions is designed to be a resourcefor teachers, administrators and parents to address the educational needs of students withdyslexia. It provides information on the resources and services available to students withdyslexia through general education, as well as any student with dyslexia who may qualify toreceive services as a student with a Specific Learning Disability (SLD) under the Individuals withDisabilities Education Act (IDEA) or under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section504).This document should be viewed as a supplement to the Regulations Governing Special EducationPrograms for Children with Disabilities in Virginia (“the Virginia Regulations”), at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/special ed/index.shtml and the Virginia’s Guidelines for Educating Studentswith Specific Learning Disabilities at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/special ed/disabilities/learning disability/learning disabilities guidelines.pdf which serves as a resource for parents andeducators in addressing the needs of students with a specific learning disability.5
Specific Learning Disability Supplementary Guide—Dyslexia: Frequently Asked QuestionsSECTION I:The Definition, Prevalence and Characteristics of DyslexiaHow is dyslexia defined in xe?000 reg 8VAC20-81-10Virginia’s Guidelines for Educating Students withSpecific Learning Disabilities (the SLD Guidelines) athttp://www.doe.virginia.gov/special ed/disabilities/learning disability/learning disabilities guidelines.pdfis an additional resources provided by the VirginiaDepartment of Education (VDOE).In Virginia, dyslexia is recognized as one of theconditions under the category of specific learningdisability which is distinguished from other learningdisabilities due to its weakness occurring at thephonological level. According to the Individualswith Disabilities Education Improvement Act(IDEA) and the Regulations Governing SpecialEducation Programs for Students with Disabilitiesin Virginia (“the Virginia Regulations”) at 8VAC-2081-10,What is the prevalence of dyslexia inthe school age population?Federal and State statistics indicate thatapproximately 42 percent of students withdisabilities are identified with a specific learningdisability with a majority experiencing difficultywith reading. In the document, The State ofLearning Disabilities: Facts, Trends, and EmergingIssues, the National Center for Learning Disabilities(NCLD, 2014) identified dyslexia as the mostprevalent disorder under the subtypes of specificlearning disabilities. The NCLD document canbe found at 4-State-of-LD.pdf. It isestimated that dyslexia affects 10-15 percent of allschool aged children and 15-20 percent of the U.S.population evidence characteristics of dyslexia.(Fletcher, Lyon, Fuchs, & Barnes, 2007; InternationalDyslexia Association at c Learning Disability means a disorderin one or more of the basic psychologicalprocesses involved in understanding or in usinglanguage, spoken or written, that may manifestitself in the imperfect ability to listen, think,speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematicalcalculations, including conditions such asperceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimalbrain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmentalaphasia” (emphasis added).In the Virginia Regulations at 8VAC-20-81-10,Dyslexia is distinguished from other learningdisabilities due to its weakness occurring at thephonological level. Dyslexia is a specific learningdisability that is neurobiological in origin. Itis characterized by difficulties with accurateand/or fluent word recognition and by poorspelling and decoding abilities. These difficultiestypically result from a deficit in the phonologicalcomponent of language that is often unexpectedin relation to other cognitive abilities and theprovision of effective classroom instruction.Secondary consequences may include problemsin reading comprehension and reduced readingexperience that can impede growth of vocabularyand background knowledge.What are the characteristics ofdyslexia?Dyslexia is characterized by difficulties in accurateand fluent reading and poor spelling. Inaccurateand dysfluent reading and spelling difficultiesoften observed in students who have dyslexiaare the consequences of deficits in phonologicalawareness and rapid automatized naming (RAN;6
Specific Learning Disability Supplementary Guide—Dyslexia: Frequently Asked Questionsi.e., the rate with which a person can name a seriesof visually-familiar stimuli like letters, colors,and numbers). Throughout the developmentfrom childhood to adulthood, the phonologicaldifficulties encountered by individuals with dyslexiaare manifested differently (Berninger, Richards, &Abbott, 2015; Norton & Wolf, 2012). See AppendixA for characteristics of students with dyslexia byage groups. Inaccurate and labored oral reading Lack of reading fluency Various degrees of difficulty learning thenames of letters and their associated sounds Difficulty learning to spell Difficulty in word retrieval and rapid naming(RAN) Variable difficulties with aspects of writtencomposition Variable degrees of difficulty with readingcomprehensionThe following characteristics are associated withdyslexia: Difficulty with the development ofphonological awareness and phonologicalprocessing skillsDifficulty naming colors, objects, and lettersrapidly, randomly and in a sequence (RAN)Difficulty accurately decoding nonsense orunfamiliar wordsAdditional resources:The Dyslexia Handbook: What Every FamilyShould Know, from the International DyslexiaAssociation - culty reading single words in isolation7
Specific Learning Disability Supplementary Guide—Dyslexia: Frequently Asked QuestionsSECTION II:The Initial Screening Process For Reading DisabilitiesWhat is the screening process forstudents with reading difficulties orreading disabilities, such as dyslexia inVirginia?Who is screened using thePhonological Awareness and LiteracyScreening (PALS) tool?The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE)requires universal screening of all kindergartenstudents at the beginning of the year to detectany student who exhibits early signs of readingdifficulties. Mid-year screening is encouraged,especially for those students who have borderlinescores. PALS 1-31 and PALS Plus are used or can beused with children in the first through eighth gradesto identify students at risk of reading difficulties.PALS K and PALS 1-3 (which is available free ofcost) are used to satisfy this purpose, but they arealso used to guide instruction and to monitor studentprogress. PALS Plus is also available (for purchase)for students in grades four through eight.In 1997, Virginia required early screening forreading difficulties and the Early InterventionReading Initiative (EIRI) was established. Thepurpose of this screening is to identify students atrisk for reading difficulty and to reduce the numberof children with reading problems through earlyscreening and identification, and to acceleratetheir acquisition of early reading skills by theend of each grade level, kindergarten throughthird-grade through the provision of researchbased reading instruction. The PhonologicalAwareness and Literacy Screening – Kindergarten(PALS-K) was developed as part of this effort andis considered to be a reliable criterion-referencedscreening, diagnostic and prescriptive tool to informinstruction.The PALS assessments are designed to identifystudents in need of additional reading instructionbeyond that provided to typically developingreaders. They also inform teachers’ instructionby providing them with explicit information abouttheir students’ knowledge of the basic foundationalskills of reading. Mid-year assessment and PALSQuick Checks allow for ongoing student progressmonitoring throughout the year. It should be notedthat some divisions may opt to administer additionalscreeners and use additional progress monitoringtools. For more information, see the PhonologicalAwareness Literacy Screening - https://pals.virginia.edu/. Additionally, the RTI Action Network, aprogram of the National Center for LearningDisabilities, provides information on other screeningtools for K-12 and may be a useful resource. Theirresources can be found at the following links:In 2010, the Virginia General Assembly passedSenate Joint Resolution 87, requesting the VirginiaDepartment of Education to study dyslexiascreening for kindergartners. The results of thestudy indicated PALS-K has been shown to be areliable and valid instrument for the identification ofstudents with reading problems. According to thestudy, common predictors of reading difficulty, suchas weaknesses in phonemic awareness and alphabetknowledge, can be identified using this instrument.The study indicated that a “rapid naming” (RAN)tool would be a possible addition to the PALSscreening process. To read the study and reviewthe recommendations, please see the documenttitled, Study of Dyslexia Screening for Kindergartners(SJR8, 2010) at a73e6/ FILE/SD4.pdf.18Since 2000, through a contract with the University of Virginia (UVA),the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) has beenprovided to school divisions at no charge to identify the studentsto receive reading intervention, while specifying the types ofdeficiencies to be addressed.
Specific Learning Disability Supplementary Guide—Dyslexia: Frequently Asked grades-1through-3 and hrough-12.Assessments in each area must be conducted in amanner that is appropriate to the grade level ofthe child (Birsh, 2011). Any screening instrumentmust include the assessment of the core deficitsof dyslexia, such as phonological awareness andalphabet knowledge. For more information, see theInternational Dyslexia Association (IDA) revisedfact sheet, Testing and Evaluation, which can befound at l66t.What components of reading shouldbe included in the screening processwhen identifying characteristics ofdyslexia?Screening instruments must address all componentsof reading including phonemic awareness, phonics,fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension.9
Specific Learning Disability Supplementary Guide—Dyslexia: Frequently Asked QuestionsSECTION III:Addressing Reading Difficulties In General EducationWhat service delivery options areavailable for addressing readingdifficulties identified in the screeningprocess?to prior intervention, stability of the student’scurrent school and instructional environment, theintensity of the interventions, and the fidelity withwhich they are implemented, must be consideredin the decision-making process as addressedin Code of Virginia §§ 22.1-253.13:1 and 22.1253.13:2 at http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?121 ful CHAP0845 and http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?131 ful CHAP0123.The Regulations Governing the Standards ofQuality requires local school divisions to providereading intervention services to students inkindergarten through grade three who demonstratedeficiencies based on their individual performanceon a reading diagnostic/prescriptive assessmentas indicated in Code of Virginia §§ 22.1-253.13:1and 22.1-253.13:2 at http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?121 ful CHAP0845 and http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?131 ful CHAP0123.What happens if an intervention isunsuccessful or a disability such asdyslexia is suspected?If an intervention is unsuccessful and a disability issuspected, the intervention may need to be changed.If despite the provision of appropriate readinginstruction, the parents or educational professionalssuspect a disability, a referral for special educationevaluation may be made at any time during theintervention process. If a RTI or VTSS process isbeing used, the resulting progress monitoring datashould be included as a component of the evaluationprocess. Additional information about RTI or VTSSand the special education process may be found inthe following guidance document: RTI and the SpecialEducation Eligibility Process: Frequently Asked Questions(PDF) at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/support/virginia tiered system supports/response intervention/special ed eligibility faq.pdf.The delivery option for reading intervention mayvary and is determined by local division and schoolpolicies. Some schools may provide this instructionthrough a division or school specific interventionist,such as a reading specialist or Title 1 specialist, orunder a tiered system of support, such as Responseto Intervention (RTI) or the Virginia Tiered Systemsof Support (VTSS) framework as outlined inguidance provided by the Office of Special Educationand Rehabilitation Services (OSERS) at cltrs/guidance-on-dyslexia-10-2015.pdf. The frequency andthe duration of the intervention will vary accordingto the individual needs of the student. Factors, suchas the student’s baseline performance level, response10
Specific Learning Disability Supplementary Guide—Dyslexia: Frequently Asked QuestionsSECTION IV:Special Education Process For Suspected Reading DisabilityWhat is a referral to specialeducation?evaluation should consist of a complete profile ofthe individual student, to include observations ofthe student’s performance in the classroom andassessment in the areas of:A referral is the first step in the identificationprocess for special education. Anyone, includingthe parent or legal guardian, who suspects a studenthas a disability that may require special educationcan make a referral for an evaluation in writing orby speaking to the special education administratoror the special education administrator’s designee, asdefined by local policy. The referring source mustexplain the reasons that an evaluation is requestedand any efforts that have been made to address theconcerns (VDOE, 2010; see link to document below).Parent’s Guide to Special Educationhttp://www.doe.virginia.gov/special ed/parents/parents guide.pdf.What are the steps in the specialeducation evaluation process?Once the referral is received, in most school divisionsin Virginia, a school based team, including parents,will determine whether further evaluation is needed.If an evaluation is required, assessment componentswill be determined by the school based team. TheLocal Educational Agency (LEA) must conduct acomprehensive evaluation which requires the useof a variety of assessment tools and strategies togather relevant, functional, developmental, andacademic information about the child. oral language comprehension and use processing and memory skills that includephonological awareness, phonologicalmemory, and rapid automatic naming specific areas directly related to reading,including fluency of reading (orally andsilently) single real words and non-words, aswell as sentences and paragraphs specific skills directly related to spelling andwriting information about the student’s cognitiveabilities medical, behavioral, social, and culturalfactorsFindings from a recent study reiterated therecommendations from Lowell et al. (2014) andindicated that letter naming fluency, phonologicalawareness, RAN or non-word repetition accuratelyidentified students at risk of dyslexia at the end offirst grade (Catts, Nielsen, Bridges, Liu, & Bontempo,2015). It is also recommended that in the assessmentprocess measures of working memory, word reading(i.e., real words and pseudowords), and spelling beused to accurately identify individuals with dyslexia(Berninger et al., 2006; Berninger, Nielsen, Abbott,Wijsman, & Raskind, 2008; International DyslexiaAssociation, 2014).For students suspected of having a specific learningdisability in the area of basic skills of readingor dyslexia, the assessment should include areasconsidered to be indicative of difficulties in thebasic skills of reading, as well as areas indicativeof reading difficulties in other areas such ascomprehension and/or fluency. If difficulty in basicfoundational skills of reading or dyslexia is evident,Lowell, Felton, and Hook, (2014) suggest that theRefer to Appendix B for the list of measurementtools for assessing those core deficits of dyslexia.This list is not exhaustive and is provided only as11
Specific Learning Disability Supplementary Guide—Dyslexia: Frequently Asked QuestionsIs a medical diagnosis of dyslexiaenough to make a student eligible forspecial education services?a resource.2 Additional information can be foundon assessment in the IDA fact sheet: DyslexiaAss
the regulation, this document, Dyslexia: Frequently Asked Questions is designed to be a resource for teachers, administrators and parents to address the educational needs of students with dyslexia. It provides information on the resources and services available to students with
"Dyslexia is a specific learning disability" one specific type of learning disability not the same as the term "learning disability" that qualifies a student for special education however, 80% of students with a learning disability have a reading problem may exist along with other conditions such as ADHD or an oral language disorder
Disability becomes more common as people age. In the 18-39 age range, 15.1% of Oregon adults have a disability. Among 40-59 year olds, 27.1% have a disability and among 60-79 year olds, 36.7% have a disability. Among Oregon adults age 80 or older, 47.1% have a disability.
Learning Disability Week 2021 is all about art and creativity! This year, we want to highlight all the fantastic art and creativity that goes on within the learning disability community by showcasing it across social media. We know that people with a learning disability are not represented enough in the arts, and we want to change this! Let's .
3 About People with Disability Australia 1. People with Disability Australia (PWDA) is a leading disability rights, advocacy and representative organisation of and for all people with disability.
AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC. 2012 PILOT LONG TERM DISABILITY PLAN I. PURPOSE Income protection during periods of Disability is a fundamentally important concern for pilots. This 2012 Pilot Long Term Disability Plan ("Plan") is intended to provide income protection for any Pilot Employee who incurs a Disability on or after October 1, 2012.
The Levels Of The Social Security Disability and SSI Application and Appeal Process How does the Social Security Disability Appeal Process work? Is it better to appeal or file a new claim if your disability is denied? How Long Are You Given To Appeal Your Social Security Disability Denial? Jewell, no. 15-5118. Archived on 6/20/17.
Meeting in Washington, DC, an invited panel of disability researchers and advocates explored the theme of partnering to use research findings to implement policy decisions. The specific topic was how disability researchers can work with disability organizations to advocate for policy change. The dialogue that followed illuminated common goals of
Playing Guitar: A Beginner’s Guide Page 7 Practicing Here are a few notes about how to approach practicing with the best frame of mind. First, don’t hurt yourself, especially when you’re just starting.
