Dysgraphia Information

(Excerpt from the Texas Dyslexia Handbook 2024)

The student who struggles with reading and spelling often puzzles teachers and parents. The student displays the ability to learn in the absence of print and receives the same classroom instruction that benefits most children; however, the student continues to struggle with some or all of the many facets of reading and spelling. This student may be a student with dyslexia.

TEC §38.003 defines dyslexia and related disorders in the following way: “Dyslexia” means a disorder of constitutional origin manifested by a difficulty in learning to read, write, or spell, despite conventional instruction, adequate intelligence, and sociocultural opportunity. “Related disorders” include disorders similar to or related to dyslexia, such as developmental auditory imperception, dysphasia, specific developmental dyslexia, developmental dysgraphia, and developmental spelling disability. 

TEC §38.003(d)(1)-(2) (1995) http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/ED/htm/ED.38.htm#38.003

The International Dyslexia Association defines “dyslexia” in the following way:

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge. Adopted by the International Dyslexia Association Board of Directors, November 12, 2002

Students identified as having dyslexia typically experience primary difficulties in phonological awareness, including phonemic awareness and manipulation, single-word reading, reading fluency, and spelling. Consequences may include difficulties in reading comprehension and/or written expression. These difficulties in phonological awareness are unexpected for the student’s age and educational level and are not primarily the result of language difference factors. Additionally, there is often a family history of similar difficulties.

Characteristics and Consequences of Dyslexia Primary reading/spelling characteristics of dyslexia are difficulties with:

• Reading words in isolation

• Accurately decoding unfamiliar words

• Oral reading (slow, inaccurate, or labored without prosody)

• Spelling

Individuals demonstrate differences in degree of impairment and may not exhibit all the characteristics listed above.

The reading/spelling characteristics are most often associated with:

• Segmenting, blending, and manipulating sounds in words (phonemic awareness)

• Learning the names of letters and their associated sounds

• Holding information about sounds and words in memory (phonological memory)

• Rapidly recalling the names of familiar objects, colors, or letters of the alphabet (rapid naming)

Consequences of dyslexia may include:

• Variable difficulty with aspects of reading comprehension

• Variable difficulty with aspects of written language

• Limited vocabulary growth due to reduced reading experiences

The following characteristics identify risk factors associated with dyslexia at different stages or grade levels.

Preschool

• Delay in learning to talk

• Difficulty with rhyming

• Difficulty pronouncing words (e.g., “pusgetti” for “spaghetti,” “mawn lower” for “lawn mower”)

• Poor auditory memory for nursery rhymes and chants • Difficulty adding new vocabulary words

• Inability to recall the right word (word retrieval) • Trouble learning and naming letters and numbers and remembering the letters in his/ her name

• Aversion to print (e.g., doesn’t enjoy following along if a book is read aloud)

Kindergarten and First Grade

• Difficulty breaking words into smaller parts, or syllables (e.g., “baseball” can be pulled apart into “base” “ball” or “napkin” can be pulled apart into “nap” “kin”)

• Difficulty identifying and manipulating sounds in syllables (e.g., “man” sounded out as /m/ /ă/ /n/)

• Difficulty remembering the names of letters and recalling their corresponding sounds

• Difficulty decoding single words (reading single words in isolation)

• Difficulty spelling words the way they sound (phonetically) or remembering letter sequences in very common words seen often in print (e.g., “sed” for “said”)

Second Grade and Third Grade

Many of the previously described behaviors remain problematic along with the following:

• Difficulty recognizing common sight words (e.g., “to,” “said,” “been”)

• Difficulty decoding single words

• Difficulty recalling the correct sounds for letters and letter patterns in reading

• Difficulty connecting speech sounds with appropriate letter or letter combinations and omitting letters in words for spelling (e.g., “after” spelled “eftr”)

• Difficulty reading fluently (e.g., reading is slow, inaccurate, and/or without expression)

• Difficulty decoding unfamiliar words in sentences using knowledge of phonics

• Reliance on picture clues, story theme, or guessing at words

• Difficulty with written expression

Fourth Grade through Sixth Grade

Many of the previously described behaviors remain problematic along with the following:

• Difficulty reading aloud (e.g., fear of reading aloud in front of classmates)

• Avoidance of reading (particularly for pleasure)

• Difficulty reading fluently (e.g., reading is slow, inaccurate, and/or without expression)

• Difficulty decoding unfamiliar words in sentences using knowledge of phonics

• Acquisition of less vocabulary due to reduced independent reading

• Use of less complicated words in writing that are easier to spell than more appropriate words (e.g., “big” instead of “enormous”)

• Reliance on listening rather than reading for comprehension

Middle School and High School

Many of the previously described behaviors remain problematic along with the following:

• Difficulty with the volume of reading and written work

• Frustration with the amount of time required and energy expended for reading

• Difficulty reading fluently (e.g., reading is slow, inaccurate, and/or without expression)

• Difficulty decoding unfamiliar words in sentences using knowledge of phonics

• Difficulty with written assignments

• Tendency to avoid reading (particularly for pleasure)

• Difficulty learning a foreign language

Postsecondary

Some students will not be identified as having dyslexia prior to entering college. The early years of reading difficulties evolve into slow, labored reading fluency. Many students will experience extreme frustration and fatigue due to the increasing demands of reading as the result of dyslexia. In making a diagnosis for dyslexia, a student’s reading history, familial/genetic predisposition, and assessment history are critical. Many of the previously described behaviors may remain problematic along with the following:

• Difficulty pronouncing names of people and places or parts of words

• Difficulty remembering names of people and places

• Difficulty with word retrieval • Difficulty with spoken vocabulary

• Difficulty completing the reading demands for multiple course requirements

• Difficulty with notetaking • Difficulty with written production

• Difficulty remembering sequences (e.g., mathematical and/or scientific formulas)

Since dyslexia is a neurobiological, language-based disability that persists over time and interferes with an individual’s learning, it is critical that identification and intervention occur as early as possible.

The campus student success team determines whether there is an educational need for dyslexia assessment. Recommendation for dyslexia assessment should be based on the educational need of the student as outlined in The Dyslexia Handbook published by the Texas Education Agency.

Students will be assessed after the campus student success team determines there is an educational need, tiered interventions have been implemented, and students’ responses documented. Any student who may move into the district after the school year has started and has participated in or been previously assessed for dyslexia may require additional assessment upon entry to school.

The Referral Process for Dyslexia and Related Disorders

The determination to refer a student for an evaluation must always be made on a case-by-case basis and must be driven by data-based decisions. The referral process itself can be distilled into a basic framework as outlined below.

Data-Driven Meeting of Knowledgeable Persons

A team of persons with knowledge of the student, instructional practices, and instructional options meets to discuss data collected, including data obtained during kindergarten and/or first grade screening, and the implications of that data. These individuals would include the classroom teacher and other individuals who can review and analyze the student’s data, such as a campus administrator, special education teacher, reading interventionist, and provider of dyslexia instruction. This team may also include the parents and/or a diagnostician familiar with testing and interpreting evaluation results. Unless the student is already served under IDEA or Section 504, this team of knowledgeable persons is not an Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee or a Section 504 committee, although many of these individuals may be on a future committee if the student is referred for an evaluation.

When the Data Does Not Lead to Suspicion of a Disability, Including Dyslexia or a Related Disorder

If the team determines that the data does not give the members reason to suspect that a student has dyslexia, a related disorder, or another disability included within the IDEA and a need for special education and related services, the team may decide to provide the student with additional support in the classroom or through the RTI/MTSS process. The student should continue to receive grade level, evidence-based core reading instruction (Tier 1) and any other appropriate tiered interventions. However, the student is not referred for an evaluation at this time.

When the Data Lead to a Suspicion of a Disability, Including Dyslexia or a Related Disorder

If the team determines that the data does give the members reason to suspect that the student has dyslexia, a related disorder, or another disability included within the IDEA and a need for special education and related services, the team must refer the student for a full individual and initial evaluation (FIIE). In most cases, an FIIE under the IDEA must be completed within 45-school days from the time a district or charter school receives parental consent. The student should continue to receive grade level, evidence-based core reading instruction (Tier 1) and any other appropriate tiered interventions while the school conducts the FIIE. If an LEA suspects, or has reason to suspect, a student has dyslexia and may be a child with a disability under IDEA, the LEA must provide parents with a form developed by TEA explaining rights under IDEA that may be additional to rights under Section 504; comply with all federal and state requirements, including this handbook, regarding any evaluation; and if the student is to be evaluated for dyslexia, evaluate the student in all other areas of suspected disabilities. The form can be located on the SPEDTEX website at www.spedtex.org. 

Parents/guardians always have the right to request a referral for a dyslexia evaluation at any time. Once a written parent request for dyslexia evaluation has been made to the appropriate administrator, the school district is obligated to review the student’s data history (both formal and informal data) to determine whether there is reason to suspect the student has a disability and must respond within 15 school days. If a disability is suspected, the student needs to be evaluated following the guidelines outlined in this chapter. Under the IDEA, if the school refuses the request to evaluate, it must give parents prior written notice of refusal to evaluate, including an explanation of why the school refuses to conduct an FIIE, the information that was used as the basis for the decision, a copy of the Overview of Special Education for Parents form as mentioned above, and a copy of the Notice of Procedural Safeguards. Should the parent disagree with the school's refusal to conduct an evaluation, the parent has the right to initiate dispute resolution options including; mediation, state complaints, and due process hearings. When an LEA completes an FIIE, and the parent disagrees with the evaluation, the parent may request an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) at public expense. 

Both informal and formal assessments are evaluated in the decision-making process. A parent interview, classroom teacher checklist, samples of classroom work, and informal assessments conducted by the campus dyslexia teachers are all examples of informal pieces of information that are collected. Formal assessments conducted by the campus dyslexia teachers include the areas of phonemic awareness, letter ID, rapid naming of words, decoding words both real and nonsense, reading comprehension, and fluency/rate of reading.

Members of the ARD Committee comprised of parent, dyslexia therapist, diagnostician, general education teacher, and administrator review all collected data to determine if the student is exhibiting the characteristics of dyslexia. 

The dyslexia curriculum is written for a two-year time frame. Each student’s program is delivered through daily, small group instruction. Student progress is monitored by the dyslexia teacher. Possible length of time in the program may fluctuate from child to child depending on individual factors such as extended illness, excessive absences, and progress made within the curriculum.

The following factors may be used to determine when a child exits from dyslexia intervention: (1) completion of curriculum; (2) student demonstrating success in grade level material: (3) passing STAAR; (4) recommendation by the dyslexia teacher; (5) parent request; (6) moved from LPS; and (7) lack of appropriate progress within the dyslexia curriculum.

Dyslexia teachers monitor students who have exited the dyslexia program for a period of time. Student monitoring is a way to support teachers and students within the classroom setting. This tracking can look different for each student depending on the student’s needs. Tracking can take the form of checking the student’s grades each nine weeks, talking to classroom teacher(s) and/or meeting with the individual student informally, etc.

A dyslexia teacher is available to support students at the secondary campus.  Dyslexia teachers are encouraged to use their expertise to deliver instruction designed to help students transition their learned skills into regular education classes. Therefore, dyslexia instruction may look different from that which is provided at the elementary campus. A primary goal of dyslexia intervention is to promote independent problem solving behavior. Reinforcement of such behavior during dyslexia intervention helps the student transition this into his/her other regular education curriculum.

Students at the secondary campus that have completed the dyslexia program may still need reading intervention. This may be offered for a semester, during advisory or as a weekly 15 minute check-in. 

Other students may be monitored each 9 weeks to check in with teachers and grades. 

Students and parents are always welcome to contact their dyslexia teacher with any questions or need for support. 

For students in grades K-4th who struggle with reading and writing, there are interventions that might be available outside of the classroom environment. For example, students may receive additional help through targeted Tier 2 or 3 intervention. Accelerated reading instruction and tutoring are possibilities for students who are experiencing difficulty within the general classroom setting. Decisions to participate in these interventions are made when students demonstrate an educational need.

A teacher who has received extensive training in an alphabetic multi-sensory program will provide the curriculum for students.At LPS we have 2 trained dyslexia therapists that provide instruction. 

Contact the Program Coordinator and Dyslexia Teacher, Jenny Conley, at jconley@lpsfrisco.com if you have any questions concerning the dyslexia program.

All prior educational history including any previous interventions, assessment results, and past grade level performance information are collected upon a student’s enrollment at LPS. That information is reviewed to evaluate what, if any, additional information might be needed in order to make an appropriate decision concerning student placement. The student’s educational need will determine any program intervention.

LPS offers several interventions to support student success. Whenever children are placed into these interventions, it is done so with multiple considerations in mind: (1) what will benefit the child, and (2) what intervention is offered that will be delivered in the least restrictive environment.

Upon entry into the dyslexia program, parents will receive a Dyslexia Parent Handbook from the child’s dyslexia teacher. This handbook is designed to offer parents information about dyslexia as well as tips and suggestions for creating a positive home reading environment. In addition, a selected reading list for parents and children as well as a list of web resources is included. There are numerous ways parents may participate in daily support of their child’s dyslexia program. Providing a safe, risk-free environment at home can eliminate anxiety that a child might experience when homework is being completed. Consistency in completion of daily homework, building your child’s self-esteem by supporting daily learning, and helping to establish an independent attitude will benefit your child not only during dyslexia intervention but also throughout his/her life as he/she learns how to be a successful learner.