Increasing Awareness Webinar 3-12-15...Webinar Presenters •Patricia Anderson, Ph.D. •JuleMcCombes‐Tolis, Ph.D. •Margie Gillis, Ed.D. •PerriMurdica, Ed.D. 2 Join the conversation!

Identifying SLD/Dyslexia Webinar 3/11/2015

SERC ‐ 3/12/2015 ‐ serc.info/sldwebinar2015 1

IncreasingAwarenessofSpecificLearningDisabilities(SLD)/Dyslexia:ImplicationsforConnecticutEducators

Moderator: Donna D. Merritt, Ph.D.www.ctserc.org

Projects and Initiatives

SLD/Dyslexia Initiative

March12,2015

#ctdyslexia@ctserc

WelcomeandIntroductions

WebinarPresenters• PatriciaAnderson,Ph.D.

• Jule McCombes‐Tolis,Ph.D.

• MargieGillis,Ed.D.

• Perri Murdica,Ed.D.

2

Jointheconversation!

#ctdyslexia



WebinarAgenda

9:00‐9:10Introductions9:10‐9:20CSDEUpdates9:20‐9:45 IdentifyingSLD/Dyslexia9:45‐10:00 QandA10:00‐10:25LinkingAssessmenttoInstruction10:25‐10:40QandA10:40‐11:05ConsideringtheDistrictPerspective11:05‐11:25QandA11:25‐11:30Wrappingup

CSDEUPDATES 4



NewLegislation

PublicAct14‐39

AnActEstablishingtheOfficeofEarly

Childhood,ExpandingOpportunitiesfor

EarlyChildhoodEducationand

ConcerningDyslexiaandSpecialEducation

5

LegislativeLanguage

Notlaterthan January1,2015,theDepartment

ofEducationshalladd"SLD‐ Dyslexia"under

"SpecificLearningDisabilities"inthe"Primary

Disability"sectionoftheindividualized

educationprogramformusedbyplanningand

placementteamsfortheprovisionofspecial

educationandrelatedservicestochildren

requiringspecialeducationandrelated

services.6



CSDEActions

Assembledaninternal SpecificLearningDisabilities/Dyslexia(SLD/Dyslexia)advisorygrouptoaddresstherequirementsofthelegislationandconsidertheneedsofthefieldregardingtheupcomingchangeinthe“PrimaryDisability”sectionoftheIEPdocument.

Compiledanexternal SLD/DyslexiaWorkgroupcomprisedofawiderangeofstakeholderswhohavemetmonthlytoguideCSDE.

7

CSDEActions

RevisedIEPdocumenttoinclude“SLD/Dyslexia”inthePrimaryDisabilitysectiononpageone

RevisedIEPManual

CommunicatedchangestoelectronicIEPvendors

RevisedSEDACdatacollectionfilelayout

8



9

SLD/DyslexiaWorkgroupObjectives

ExploredissuessurroundingtheidentificationandinstructionofstudentswithSLD/Dyslexia

Reviewedandidentifiedasharedunderstandinganddefinitionof“dyslexia”

Identifiedpertinentlegislationandimplementationpracticesfromotherstates

Discussedevidence‐basedpracticesforthescreening,identification,andinstructionofstudentswithSLD/Dyslexia

10



FrequentlyAskedQuestions(FAQs)

1. Whatisdyslexia?

2. WhocanidentifyachildwithaSpecificLearningDisability(SLD)/Dyslexia?

3. WhatisacomprehensiveevaluationforachildsuspectedofhavingSLD/Dyslexia?

4. IsachildidentifiedwithSLD/Dyslexiaautomaticallyqualifiedforspecialeducationservices?

5. WhatisappropriatespecializedinstructionforastudentwithSLD/Dyslexia?

11


SLD/DyslexiaFAQsarelocatedunder

“EligibilityDocuments”followingthe

GuidelinesonIdentifyingChildrenwithLearningDisabilities:http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a

=2626&q=322672#Elig

TheresponsestotheFAQsarebasedon

informationfromtheLDGuidelinesandupdatedwithnewresearchandinputfrom

theSLD/DyslexiaWorkgroup.

12




ThecompleteCSDEWorkingDefinition

ofDyslexiacanbefoundastheresponse

tothefirstFAQ‐ “WhatisDyslexia.”

TheIEPManualcontainstheIDEA

definitionofspecificlearning

disabilitiesandtheinitialsegmentof

theCSDEWorkingDefinitionof

Dyslexia. 13

DEFININGDYSLEXIA 14



SpecificLearningDisabilities

UnderIDEA,“SpecificLearningDisability(SLD)meansadisorderinoneormoreofthebasicpsychologicalprocessesinvolvedinunderstandingorinusinglanguage,spokenorwritten,thatmaymanifestitselfintheimperfectabilitytolisten,think,speak,read,write,spell,ortodomathematicalcalculations,includingconditionssuchasperceptualdisabilities,braininjury,minimalbraindysfunction,dyslexia,anddevelopmentalaphasia.Specificlearningdisabilitydoesnotincludelearningproblemsthatareprimarilytheresultofvisual,hearing,ormotordisabilities,ofmentalretardation,ofemotionaldisturbance,orofenvironmental,cultural,oreconomicdisadvantage.”(34C.F.R.Section300.8(c)(10))

IEPManualandForms(CSDE,2006,2015)15

DyslexiaasaSubcategoryofSLD

• Dyslexia is a sub‐category of Specific Learning Disability (SLD) and has been added so that the Department can distinguish students with Dyslexia from other students with SLD who are reported in this disability category. For a child to be identified as “SLD/Dyslexia,” the child must first meet the overall eligibility requirements for SLD and then meet the more specific requirements for Dyslexia as follows:

• Dyslexia is included in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) as a specific learning disability (SLD). Dyslexia impacts reading, specifically decoding and accurate and/or fluent word recognition and spelling. Dyslexia is neurobiological in origin and is unexpected and/or inconsistent with a student’s other abilities despite the provision of appropriate instruction. Dyslexia results from a significant deficit in phonological processing (i.e., a persistent difficulty in the awareness of and ability to manipulate the individual sounds of spoken language).

Continued …IEPManualandForms(CSDE,2006,2015) 16



CSDEWorkingDefinitionofDyslexia:EssentialComponents

• IsaSpecificLearningDisability/NeurobiologicalinOrigin

• ImpactsReading• Decoding• AccurateWordRecognition• FluentWordRecognition• Spelling

• IsUnexpectedand/orInconsistentwithStudent’sOtherAbilities

• Persists DespitetheProvisionofAppropriateInstruction• ResultsfromSignificantDeficitsinPhonologicalProcessing

17

CSDEWorkingDefinitionofDyslexia:EssentialComponents(cont.)

18




• Earlyidentificationofphonologicalprocessingdeficitsandinterventionmayminimizeeducationalimpact

19


• Withouttargeted,systematicand explicitinstructionandtheprovisionofaccommodations,studentswithdyslexiamayhave:

• Reducedreadingexperiencesthatcanimpactthegrowthofvocabularyandbackgroundknowledge,

• Difficultywithwrittenexpression,• Difficultylearningasecondlanguage,and/or• Behavioraloremotionalreactions

20



IDENTIFYINGSLD/DYSLEXIA 21

Dyslexia:AddressedinLDGuidelines

SpecificWordDecodingDifficulties

• NonalphabeticWordReader

• InaccurateWordReader

• NonautomaticWordReader

SpecificReadingComprehensionDifficulties

• NonstrategicComprehender

• SuboptimalComprehender

MixedReadingDifficulties

• MixofBothWordRecognitionandComprehensionDifficulties

GuidelinesforIdentifyingChildrenwithLearningDisabilities(2010) 22



RedFlags:Pre‐School

• Maytalklaterthanmostchildren

• Mayhavedifficultywithrhyming

• Mayhavedifficultypronouncingwords(i.e.,busgetti forspaghetti,mawn lowerforlawnmower)

• Mayhavepoorauditorymemoryfornurseryrhymesandchants

• Maybeslowtoaddnewvocabularywords

• Maybeunabletorecalltherightword

• Mayhavetroublelearningnumbers,daysoftheweek,colors,shapes,andhowtospellandwritehisorhername 23

RedFlags:K‐3

• Failstounderstandthatwordscomeapart;forexample,thatsnowmancanbepulledapartintosnowandmanand,lateron,thatthewordmancanbebrokendownstillfurtherandsoundedoutas/m//ă//n/

• Hasdifficultylearningtheletternamesandtheircorrespondingsounds

• Hasdifficultydecodingsinglewords(readingsinglewordsinisolation)

• Hasdifficultyspellingphonetically• Readsdysfluently (choppyandlabored)• Reliesoncontexttorecognizeaword 24



RedFlags:4‐12

• Hasahistoryofreadingandspellingdifficulties• Avoidsreadingaloud• Readsmostmaterialsslowly;oralreadingislabored,notfluent

• Avoidsreadingforpleasure• Mayhaveaninadequatevocabulary• Hasdifficultyspelling;mayresorttousinglesscomplicatedwordsinwritingthatareeasiertospell

SourcesforCommonEvidenceofDyslexia:

CommonSigns,(n.d.).RetrievedJuly10,2006,fromTheInternationalDyslexiaAssociationWebsite.

OvercomingDyslexia:ANewandCompleteScience‐BasedProgram(Shaywitz,2003)

25

ScreeningforDyslexia

• Brief

• AssessSpecificSkillsHighlyCorrelatedwithaBroaderIndicatorofReadingAchievement

• PurposeistoIdentifyStudentsLikelytoBeinNeedofIntervention

LetterNamingFluency

PhonologicalAwarenessSkills

LetterSoundIdentification

SingleWordDecoding

RapidNaming

OralReadingFluency

Encoding

ReadingComprehension

Handwriting26



ScreeningforDyslexia:ExistingFrameworks

• MenuofResearch‐BasedK‐3UniversalScreeningReadingAssessments(CTDepartmentofEducation)

• http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/curriculum/language_arts/the_approved_menu_grade_k_3_reading_assessments.pdf

27

ScreeningforDyslexia:ExistingFrameworks(cont.)

• IfyourdistricthasalreadyadoptedoneofthemeasureslistedaboveaspartofyourSRBImodel,youaremorethanhalf‐waythere!

LetterNamingFluency(K)

LetterSoundFluency(K;1(F/W)

OralReadingFluency:(1‐6)

ReadingComprehension:(1‐6) 28



AugmentingExistingFrameworks

Consideraddingthefollowingtoyouruniversalscreeningprotocols:

• RedFlagChecklist

• COREPhonologicalSegmentationTest(K‐1)

• COREPhonemeDeletionTest(K‐3)

• COREPhonicsSurvey(K‐8)

•WordsTheirWaySpellingInventory:Elementary(1‐3)

29

ScreeningforDyslexia– AtRisk…NowWhat?• DistrictsmustdevelopdecisionrulesforinclusionofstudentsinSRBItiersofinterventionusingperformanceprofilesandcutpoints

• Non‐respondersorslowrespondersreceivingTier3interventionsshouldreceiveadditionaldiagnosticreadingassessments;ifadisabilityissuspectedatanypoint, thenthestudentshouldbereferredtospecialeducation 30



Dyslexia:AFormalEvaluationShouldInclude…

• assessmentof“redflag”areas(i.e.,addressspecificreferralquestions)

• focusedassessmentsofcomponentlanguageandreadingabilities

• inputfromaninterdisciplinaryteam(e.g.,speechandlanguage;specialeducation;reading;assistivetechnology,schoolpsychology)

31

Dyslexia:FormalEvaluation– Eli

Developmental HistoryReview of Educational

Records

Classroom Observations

Review of Formal Assessment Results

Identification

32



DyslexiaIdentification:SummaryofBigIdeas

11• Develop/AdministeraRedFlagChecklistforK‐8

22• AdministerEarlyScreeningtoK‐3

33• TrainFaculty:ClassroomObservationProtocol

44• TrainFaculty:DiagnosticReasoningforIdentification 33

QUESTIONSANDANSWERS 34



LINKINGASSESSMENTTOINSTRUCTION 35

Youhaveanidentificationofdyslexia.Youknowwhatthestudent’sreadingdifficultiesare.Nowwhat?

Threemainpoints:

1.Chooseaninterventionthatmatcheseachstudent’sprofile(i.e.,learning/language/literacystrengthsandweaknesses)

36



NowWhat?(cont.)

2. Monitoreachstudent’sprogressfrequentlyinordertoindividualizeandadjusttheinstruction.

3. Nurtureeachstudent’sassetsandtalentstocounterbalancelearningchallenges.

37

38

Reading is a multifaceted skill, gradually acquired over years of instruction and practice.

The Many Strands that are Woven into Skilled Reading(Scarborough, 2001)

BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE

VOCABULARY KNOWLEDGE

LANGUAGE STRUCTURES

VERBAL REASONING

LITERACY KNOWLEDGE

PHON. AWARENESS

DECODING (and SPELLING)

SIGHT RECOGNITION

SKILLED READING:fluent execution andcoordination of word recognition and textcomprehension.

LANGUAGE COMPREHENSION

WORD RECOGNITION

Skilled Reading- fluent coordination of word reading and comprehension processes

D

LC

RC

38



Garden Variety Poor Readers: Majority of

poor readers(weak phonologprocessing AND

comprehension-related issues)

Specific Comprehension

Deficit(weak vocabulary, syntax, discourse-level processing

and comp strategies)

Dyslexic/RD(phonological

processing problems - including

decoding and encoding)

Skilled readers

PoorComp

GoodComp

Poor Word Reading Good Word Reading

SimpleViewofReading(DxLC=RC)(Gough&Tunmer,1986)

Phonological Skills

Language Comp Skills (non-phonolog)

39

OneSizeDoesn’tFitAll

Astudent’sdifficultiesmustbeidentifiedandinterventionsadjustedtomeeteachone’sindividualneeds.

40



LiteracyHowReadingWheel

41

PhonemeAwareness

Phonemeawarenessisanawarenessofandtheabilitytomanipulatetheindividualsounds(phonemes)inspokenwords.

42



Research

• Phonemicawarenessconstitutesanecessaryunderlyingskillformappingalphabeticsymbolstospokenwordsandcanbedeveloped throughinstruction(Ehri,2004).

• Itisoneofthestrongestpredictorsofreadingsuccess(Blachman,1989;Adams,1990).

43

Research(cont.)

• Teachingphonemeawarenessreducestheincidenceofreadingproblems(Fowler,2001).

• Linkingphonemeawarenesswithletterinstructionfacilitatestransfertoreadingandspelling(Ehri,2004).

• Instructionalapproachesthatarethemostphonemicallyexplicithavethegreatestimpact(Torgensen,2002).

44



WhattoDo

• Picturesorts• SayItandMoveIt(Blachman,RoadtotheCode)

• Elkonin Boxes• Teacharticulatorygestures(i.e.,whatyourmouthisdoing)

45

PhonicsandSpelling

Phonicsisthestudyanduseofsound/spellingcorrespondencesandsyllablepatternstohelpstudentsreadwrittenwords.

46



PhonicsandSpelling(cont.)

Spelling,alsoreferredtoasencoding,isreciprocaltodecoding.Inordertospellaword,wemustfirstheartheindividualsounds,andthenwritetheletter(s)thatrepresentthesounds. Whenspelling,wegofromspeechtoprint.Whenreading,wegofromprinttospeech.

47

Research

• Systematicphonicsinstructionismoreeffectivethaninstructionthatincludesnonsystematicornophonicsinstruction

(NationalReadingPanel,2000).

•Wordrecognitionskillfosterscomprehension(Ehri,2004).

48



Research(cont.)

• Skillinwordrecognitionandreadingcomprehensionarewellcorrelated,especiallyinbeginningreaders(Shankweiler etal.,1999).

• Teachingthevowelpatternsensuresthatabout85%ofwordscanbedecodedaccurately(May,1988).

49

WhattoDo

• Practicethespeechtoprintmatch(mappingsoundstoletters).

• Beginwithclosedsyllablesbecausetheyarethemosttransparentandregular.

• Sequentiallyteachthesyllable/vowelpatternstomastery.

s a d

th i n

s l ee p

s t r ea m

f l u ff

50



DyslexiaandSpelling

• Individualswithdyslexiacanlearntodecodewordsaccuratelyandmostcanlearntospellphonetically.

51

DyslexiaandSpelling(cont.)

• Accommodatingforspellingdifficultyisessential!

• Gradeworkoncontent.

• Useassistivetechnologyandproofreadingassistance.

• Encouragestudentstoturninroughdraftssothatspellingerrorscanbecheckedandcorrectedspellingscanbeincorporatedintorevisions.

52



WhatItTakestoBeaFluentReader

• Accuracy – knowthesyllabletypesandspellingpatternsinordertodecode awordaccurately

• Automaticity– recognizeandapplythosepatternsinwordsinstantly– i.e.,lessthanonesecond(akarate)

53

FluentReading(cont.)

• Prosody(IntonationandPhrasing) –groupthewordsingrammaticalentities– i.e.,elaboratednounphrases,prepositionalphrases,verb+adverbphrases

Agiganticpinetreeinmyfrontyardwascoveredwithsnowthroughoutthewinter.

54



DyslexiaandFluency

WhatToDo Developaccuratereadingusingdecodabletext.

Userepeatedreadingtodevelopprosody.

Understandthatoralreadingisdifficultformoststudents.

WhatNotToDo

Promotememorizationofsightwords.

Emphasizespeed.

Usethe3CueingSystemmodel.

Drillandkill.55

TextComprehensionandWrittenExpression

• Textcomprehension,theabilitytomakemeaning,istheultimategoalofreading.Itrequiresspecificskillsandstrategies,vocabulary,backgroundknowledgeandverbalreasoningskills.

• Writtenexpressionreferstoahighlycomplex,cognitive,self‐directedprocess.Componentsoftheprocessincludeplanning,drafting,sharing,revising,editing,evaluating,andpublishing.

56



TextComprehension

• Interventionmustoccurattheword,phrase,sentence,paragraph,anddiscourselevels

• Developstudents’ syntacticawareness(i.e.,sentencelevelcomprehensionskills)toensurethattheyarebuildingcoherence

• Teachtextstructures(paragraphs,narrative,andinformational)andgenres

57

WrittenExpression:AComplexProcess

Writingrequiresthesimultaneousandsequentialintegrationofmanysubprocesses:

• Lower‐level skills• Handwriting(grossandfinemotor)

• Spelling

58



WrittenExpression:AComplexProcess(cont.)

• Higher‐level (languageandhigherordercognition)

• Sentencestructure

• Textstructure(narrativevs.expository)

• Ideation

• Vocabulary

• ExecutiveFunctions(i.e.,attention,organization,workingmemory,self‐monitoring)

59

HandwritingInstruction

Handwritingautomaticityatanearlyage(writingalphabetlettersquicklyfrommemory)isastrongpredictorofthequalityofcompositioninolder,normallydevelopingwriters.

Ifletterproductionisautomatic,thenthechildisabletoattendtohigherlevelcomposingprocesses,suchasdecidingwhattowriteabout,whattosay,andhowtosayit.

Spear‐Swerling,2006

60



It’s AllAbouttheTeacher!!

“Oneofthemostimportantconclusionsfromresearchisthatforchildrenwithlearningproblems,learningishardwork.Acorollarytothisfindingisthatfortheirteachers,instructionisveryhardworkandrequiresanenormousamountoftrainingandsupport.Childrenwhohavedifficultylearningtoreadorcompletingmathematicsproblemswilllikelynotbenefitfrom‘moreofthesame’butrequireanalternativemethodofteaching toassisttheirlearning.”

Semrud‐Clikeman,2005

61

KnowledgeandPracticeStandardsforTeachersofReading

Thedocumentservesasaguideinreviewingandaccreditingprogramsthatprepareteachersofreadingand/orprogramsthatspecializeinpreparingteacherstoworkwithstudentswhohavereadingdifficultiesanddisabilities.

https://eida.org/knowledge‐and‐practices/

TheInternationalDyslexiaAssociation 62



CommonElementsofSuccessfulInterventions

1. Theyincludemultipleinstructionalcomponents,butalwaysfocusonexplicitandsystematic instructioninphonologyandthealphabeticcode.

2. Theyareengaging andinteractive,oftenincorporatingmanipulatives.

3. Theyallowstudentsmanyopportunitiestorespond.

63

CommonElementsofSuccessfulInterventions(cont.)

4. Studentsareprovidedmanyopportunitiestopractice throughcumulativereviews tosupportmasterylearning.

5. Dataareusedtomonitorprogress andensureinterventionfidelity.

AlOtaiba,Connor,etal.,2009

64



‘StructuredLiteracy’ Interventions

Theseinterventionsuseanapproachthatincludesseveralimportantcharacteristics:

• Language‐based

• Diagnosticandprescriptive

• Systematic

• Explicitanddirect

• Sequentialandcumulative

• Immediatecorrectivefeedbackprovided 65

Dyslexia:ASeaofStrengths

Decoding

ConceptFormation

Reasoning

Critical Thinking

VocabularyProblem Solving

General Knowledge

Comprehension

In dyslexia, an encapsulated weakness in decodingis surrounded by many strengths (Shaywitz, 2003)).

66




CONSIDERINGTHEDISTRICTPERSPECTIVE 68



PrimaryResources

• UsingScientificResearch‐BasedInterventions(SRBI)Framework

• PreventionandEarlyIntervention

• GuidelinesforIdentifyingChildrenwithSpecificLearningDisabilities(ReadingDisabilities)• DefinitionofSpecificLearningDisabilitieshasincludedthetermDyslexia(PublicLaw94‐142,IDEA1997,IDEA2004)

• ReadingWorksheet69

DistrictReviewofScientificResearch‐BasedInterventionProcessSRBIFrameworkandProcess

• Identifycurrentinstructionandinterventiontechniquesbeingusedindistrict

• Identifycurrentprogressmonitoringmeasuresbeingusedindistrict

• Ensurecoreinstructionisimplementedwithfidelity(Partnershipbetweengeneralandspecialeducation)

• Determineanychangesthatmaybenecessary

70



DistrictReviewofOurStudentswithSLD

Whoarethesestudents?• Whohaveweidentifiedashavingacode‐basedreadingdisability?

• Whoarethestudentsforwhomweareprovidingdirectandexplicitreadinginterventions?

Whoarethestafftrainedinexplicitsystematiccode‐basedinstruction?

71

ConnectingtheDotsThroughProfessionalLearning

KNOWLEDGE

UNDERSTANDINGAPPLICATION

72



PracticalConsiderations

• ConnectionstoLDGuidelinesandReadingDisabilities

• Staffconfidenceintheirknowledgeofdyslexia

• StaffcapacitytohavecollaborativeandresponsiveconversationswithfamiliesatPPTmeetings 73

ProfessionalLearning

EvaluationandIdentification• Staffneedtherightevaluationtoolsandprotocolstodetermineeligibility

• Reviewandrefineassessmentandevaluationprotocols

• Determineanynewassessmentsyouneedtoconductacomprehensiveevaluation

74



ProfessionalLearning

Programming• Improvediagnosticapproachesindesigninginterventions(connectassessmentandinstruction)

• Determineprotocolsforinterventionandprogressmonitoring(phonemicawareness,phonics,fluency)

• Sharpenstaffskillsindeliveringexplicit,systematic,code‐basedinterventionsandprogressmonitoring(fidelity) 75




WRAPPINGUP 77

AdditionalResources

SERCSpecificLearningDisabilities/Dyslexiawebsite

http://ctserc.org/s/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1344:specific‐learning‐disabilitiesdyslexia‐initiative‐related‐links&catid=150:specific‐learning‐disabilitiesdyslexia‐initiative&Itemid=110

SERCLib.GuideonSLD/Dyslexiawebsite

http://ctserc.libguides.com/content.php?pid=612445&sid=5061131



CSDEWorkingDefinitionofDyslexia*• DyslexiaisincludedintheIndividualswithDisabilitiesEducationAct(IDEA,2004)asaspecificlearningdisability(SLD).Dyslexiaimpactsreading,specificallydecodingandaccurateand/orfluentwordrecognitionandspelling.Dyslexiaisneurobiologicalinoriginandisunexpectedand/orinconsistentwithastudent’sotherabilitiesoftendespitetheprovisionofappropriateinstruction.Dyslexiaresultsfromasignificantdeficit inphonologicalprocessing(i.e.,apersistentdifficultyintheawarenessofandabilitytomanipulatetheindividualsoundsofspokenlanguage).

• Typically,studentswithdyslexiahavestrengthsandcognitiveabilitiesinareassuchasreasoning,criticalthinking,conceptformation,problemsolving,vocabulary,listeningcomprehension,andsocialcommunication(e.g.,conversation).Earlyidentificationandappropriateinstructiontargetingtheunderlyingphonologicalprocessingdeficitsthatcharacterizedyslexiamayminimizeitseducationalimpact.

79

CSDEWorkingDefinitionofDyslexia*(cont.)EssentialClarifications• Dyslexiaisnotprimarily theresultofvisual,hearing,ormotordisability;anintellectualdisability;emotionaldisturbance;alackofappropriateinstruction;culturalfactors;environmentaloreconomicdisadvantage;orlimitedEnglishproficiency.

• Earlyidentificationofthecharacteristicsofdyslexiaiscritical,leadingtofocused,evidence‐basedinterventions,accommodations,self‐awareness,self‐empowerment,andschoolandlifesuccess.

• Withouttargeted,systematicandexplicitinstruction/interventionsalongwithaccommodations(e.g.,accessibleeducationalmaterialsincontentareasubjects),studentswithdyslexiamayhave:• reducedreadingexperiencesthatmayimpactthegrowthofvocabularyandbackgroundknowledge,

• difficultywithwrittenexpression,and/or• difficultylearningasecondlanguage.

• Studentswithdyslexiamaydemonstrateadditionalbehavioraland/oremotionalreactionstotheirdifficultywithlearningtoread.

*ThisworkingdefinitionwasdevelopedbytheConnecticutStateDepartmentofEducation(CSDE)withinputfromanexternalstakeholderworkgroupandisbasedonareviewofapplicableliterature,theIDEA,andcurrentdefinitionsinusebyotherstates,organizationsandlegislation.

80



ContactInformationDonnaMerritt,Ph.D.,SERC,[email protected],www.ctserc.org

StephenProffitt,SERC,[email protected],www.ctserc.org

PatriciaAnderson,Ph.D.,CSDEBureauofSpecialEducation,[email protected],www.sde.ct.gov

Jule McCombes‐Tolis, Ph.D., Independent Educational Evaluator/Professor of Special Education, [email protected], www.independentevaluatorct.com

MargieGillis,Ed.D.,ReadingResearcher,Learning How/Haskins Laboratories, [email protected],www.literacyhow.com,

Perri Murdica,Ed.D.,DirectorofPupilPersonnelServices,CantonPublicSchools,[email protected],www.cantonschools.org

Workgroup Member Title/Role Stakeholder Group

Dr. Patricia Anderson Workgroup Lead BSE Consultant – LD/Secondary CSDE

Michelle Baker Waterbury – Principal/Elementary Administrator/Reg Ed

Don Briere BSE Consultant – Literacy/SRBI/SPDG CSDE

Marie Broadway Meriden – (MS/SpEd) AFT

Linda Carabis RSD #10 – Director/Student Support Services CAS

Christine Carver Bethel – Superintendent CAPSS

Sarah Galatie Cromwell – Reading Specialist/MS ‐ HS CEA

Margie Gillis Haskins Laboratories/Learning How Reading Researcher

Bridgette Gordon‐Hickey LEARN – Director Student Support Services RESC Alliance

Joan Hofmann CSPD/University of St. Joseph/Special Ed CSPD

Gail Mangs BSE Consultant – Due Process Attorney CSDE

Maureen Masson SAC – School Psychologist, Stonington/Parent State Advisory Council (SAC)

Jule McCombes‐Tolis University of St. Joseph/SpEd, Rdg, CEEDAR Higher Education

Donna Merritt Facilitator – Consultant – SLD/SLP SERC

2014‐2015 SLD/Dyslexia Workgroup Members

82



Ann Marie Mulready CT Association for Reading Research/ K‐12 Independent Reading Consultant

Reading Instructor ‐ ES

Perri Murdica Canton – SpEd Director/LD Guidelines/SRBI

District SpEd Director

Cathy Osten State Senator CT General Assembly

Nancy Prescott Executive Director CPAC

Stephen Proffitt Logistics Coordinator – Consultant –CSPD/SpEd

SERC

Allison Quirion Parent/Decoding Dyslexia Decoding Dyslexia

Laura Raynolds SCSU – Reading/EL/Haskins Laboratories English Learners

Michael Regan CES – SpEd Director /School Psychology ConnCASE

Sally Shaywitz Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity Dyslexia Researcher/MD

Mary Jean Schierberl BSE Consultant – Due Process Attorney CSDE

Ian Spence Ben Bronz Academy – West Hartford Dyslexia Practitioner

Maria Synodi BSE Consultant – Early Childhood Special Ed

CSDE

Jennifer Webb Academic Office Consultant/English ‐LA/SRBI

CSDE

Joanne White Academic Office Consultant/English –Language Arts/K‐3 Literacy

CSDE

2014‐2015 SLD/Dyslexia Workgroup Members

83

ParticipantEvaluation

PleasetakeafewmomentstocompleteanevaluationofthiswebinarinSurveyMonkey.https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GGJ9MVM

Thankyouforyourparticipationandfeedback!