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EARLY LITERACY AND dyslexia

About

This page was designed as a reference and resource for teachers and families. We are committed to keeping staff and families updated on our planning and alignment of ongoing work to meet the needs of students with dyslexia or reading difficulties consistent with dyslexia.

Dyslexia is a specific learning disorder that is neurological in origin and that is characterized by unexpected difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition, and by poor spelling and decoding abilities that are not consistent with the person's intelligence, motivation, and sensory capabilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological components of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge. (E2SSB 6162) This definition of dyslexia is adopted by the 65th Washington State Legislature, during the 2018 Regular Session.

Dyslexia is: (from the OSPI Implementation Guide: Early Screening of Dyslexia)

  • A difference that makes processing speech sounds difficult, specifically the ability to hear, substitute, and change individual sounds in words;
  • Characterized by challenges with reading and spelling, particularly with the connections between letters and sounds;
  • Likely to lead to problems learning and remembering vocabulary, understanding what is read, getting thoughts on paper;
  • Not related to overall intelligence; and
  • Not a visual problem or caused by a lack of motivation, interest, or exposure to rich literature, or ineffective classroom instruction.
     

Educational Service Center
14015 62nd Avenue NW
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Who do I contact?

Reach out to your child's teacher if you have questions about their reading progress.

Resources for Families

PSD is anchoring its approach to serving the needs of students with dyslexia in the following bodies of work: