This like read to trying imagine.
Imagine trying to read like this. Is that better?
Some dyslexic students read entire sentences backward, invert words while reading or writing, and mix up letters and numbers. The most common characteristic, though, is difficulty breaking down the letters of written words into distinct sounds.
The disorder affects one in five people nationwide, so in a classroom of 30 students there's the potential for six students to struggle with dyslexia.
The earlier in life students are identified with the disorder, the easier it will be for them to cope with it as they advance in their education.
Three legislative bills aim to identify students with dyslexia early in their education and provide resources and best practices to schools from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
House Bill 2379 would require each Missouri public school to screen students for dyslexia and related disorders. Schools would also have to provide instruction and accommodations to any student determined to have dyslexia or related disorders.
Senate Bill 809 states a similar sentiment that all students should be screened for dyslexia and related disorders, and schools should provide treatment or accommodations. But the bill specifies screening should begin in kindergarten and before the student begins third grade, and schools should screen new students who haven't been screened previously.
HB 1928 would create a DESE task force including a full-time dyslexia therapist and a committee of legislators and various individuals involved with education, dyslexia and speech therapists, pathologists and specialists. The task force would make recommendations for a statewide system of identification, intervention and delivery of support for students with dyslexia and develop a report of the group's findings.
Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Springfield, who filed HB 1928, said he tried to pass a similar bill last session that didn't make it through. However, the Legislature padded DESE's funding specifically to hire a dyslexia therapist, and the department hired someone for the position who will start in the spring.
Burlison said he became interested in the issue when meeting with constituents. He said the traditional education system is "failing" dyslexic students. He hopes the bill will provide best practices to schools so dyslexic students are better served.
HB 2379, was filed by Rep. Kathryn Swan, R-Cape Girardeau, who was approached by Jewell Patek, the father with two children diagnosed with dyslexia, which inspired her to create a bill catering to the issue.
Patek, of Jefferson City, said he and his wife noticed their oldest daughter was falling behind in reading while she was in second grade.
"We met with the teacher, and she gave us a "one through 10 things to do if your child is having difficulty reading,'" he said. "It went something like this: one, make them read more; two, don't help them out; and, basically, three, yell at them every night. I proceeded for the next three months to do "em well. I followed those 10 steps very well. I wasn't accomplishing helping her read; I was just destroying our relationship. We'd fight every night. She went from loving to read to hating to read, and it was very difficult for us."
The Pateks decided to have both their daughters screened for dyslexia, and they were both medically diagnosed with the disorder.
His children receive accommodations from their teachers and have after-school tutoring twice a week.
Swan said she has heard positive feedback from other legislators about the bill and hopes to move it through the Capitol to the governor's desk this year.
Local schools aren't necessarily jumping on board, though.
Jefferson City Public Schools had limited comments on the issue. Amy Berendzen, assistant to the superintendent for school-community relations, said the district would like to reserve its comment because the bill has yet to be passed and the district is not sure how the proposed legislation could directly affect its students.
Blair Oaks Superintendent Jim Jones said he is not convinced the screening is necessary, and it could stall learning time if teachers have to spend a lengthy amount of time screening every student, he added.
"No one can argue that early intervention isn't critical," Jones said. "It could make a difference in the long run. But we could screen ourselves to death, not just for dyslexia but other disabilities and health issues."
Blair Oaks Elementary is already screening students in kindergarten through fourth grade for reading disabilities. The screenings aren't specifically for dyslexia, but they can flag students who may have the disorder, said Principal Kimberley Rodriguez.
"As far as screening every student, if we were to assess every child to that level, I'm not sure when we'd teach," she said.
Rodriguez said it would be helpful for the state to recognize dyslexia as a disability. Students with dyslexia are not eligible to receive help from the school's special education program. Rodriguez sees the disorder as a reading disability that should be recognized as such.
Dyslexic students at Blair Oaks receive help through Title I funding provided by the federal government targeted to help schools with high numbers of low-income families.
The students work with a Title I teacher who pulls them out of class for special help. The school also offers after school tutoring twice a week to about 60 students.
Rodriguez said her teachers wouldn't wait for a student to be medically diagnosed with a disorder before providing special accommodations. Teachers want to help every student succeed and will tailor assignments or tests to better the child's education, she said.
Many teachers use reading comprehension methods that align with tactics to help a dyslexic reader.
"Best practices are best practices," she said. "It helps all of our students."
Patek said he agrees accommodations provided to dyslexic students would be beneficial to all children. However, he is not buying into the argument that testing could be too costly or time-consuming for schools. With the number of online resources today, schools can use free online screening tools that would take less than 30 minutes for students to take.
While the screening doesn't equate to a medical diagnosis, it's a good jumping-off point to identify any students who are potentially dyslexic.
Swan said she doesn't want her bill to be burdensome or require a lot of additional resources. It's a concern that could hold up the bill, she said, and with the tight education budget every year she wasn't sure the Legislature could appropriate additional funds for screenings.
Swan and Patek maintain the disorder affects too many people for schools not to screen them.
"You spend 80 percent of your time at school, so your self-worth is defined by your school day," he said. "If your self-worth is driven down because you're not doing well, well, that's totally avoidable."