The New Jersey state legislature
recently passed two new laws aimed at helping dyslexic children. One establishes the
definition of “dyslexia;” another requires that all school teachers receive
extra training in reading instruction, including dyslexia. A third law, which
will establish a pilot program for dyslexia intervention, is still pending.
A similar law was passed earlier
this year in Arkansas, and another bill defining dyslexia is now pending in
Pennsylvania.
These laws are needed because
parents in many states are often given contradictory and inaccurate information
when seeking help for a child who is struggling in school.Sometimes they are told that dyslexia is a “medical”
diagnosis, not something that the school can help with, despite the fact that
“dyslexia” is among the specifically enumerated disabilities listed in the
federal special education law (IDEA). Worse, some parents are told by teachers
or school administrators that there is no such thing as dyslexia; or perhaps
they are simply told that their school prefers not to use that word. The net
result is that parental efforts to seek help are frustrated, as they get caught
in a cycle of what one father called definition dysplacia.
The New Jersey law adopts the
following definition of dyslexia:
Dyslexia is a specific learning
disability that is neurological 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.”
The definitions included in the
new Arkansas law and the Pennsylvania bill are similar.
For information about all state
laws concerning dyslexia, and regularly updated information about new
legislation, visit the Dyslegia Legislative Tracking Site.
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