My Child May Be at Risk for Dyslexia.

What Should I Do Next?

1. Notice and document

Look for difficulties that are persistent, unexpected, or different from those of other children receiving similar instruction.

Record what you notice, including:

1. Difficulty learning letter sounds

2. Trouble sounding out unfamiliar words

3. Slow, effortful, or inaccurate reading

4. Persistent spelling difficulties

5. Difficulty remembering sequences or following spoken directions

6. Avoidance, frustration, or anxiety related to reading and writing

Save work samples, screening results, report cards, teacher messages, intervention records, and notes from meetings. Include dates whenever possible.

Remember to document strengths, too. Children with dyslexia have individual patterns of strengths and needs.

2. Talk with your child’s educators

Share your concerns with your child’s teacher. You may also want to include a reading specialist, an interventionist, a school psychologist, a special education teacher, or an administrator.

Ask the school team:

1. What reading and spelling difficulties are you seeing?

2. What screening or assessment has been completed?

3. What instruction or intervention is being provided?

4. How often is the intervention provided?

5. Who provides it?

6. How is progress measured?

7. When will the team review the results?

Ask for specific examples and copies of available data. Bring your own notes and work samples to the conversation.

3. Understand screening, intervention, and evaluation

These terms are related, but they do not mean the same thing.

Screening

Screening is a brief process used to identify students who may be at risk or who may need additional instruction. Screening does not diagnose dyslexia and is not the same as a special education evaluation.

Federal regulations state that instructional screening is not an evaluation used to determine eligibility for special education. Read the IDEA regulation about screening.

Intervention

Intervention is additional targeted instruction provided to address an identified area of need. Schools may provide intervention through a Multi-Tiered System of Support, often called MTSS.

Ask what skills are being taught, what instructional approach is being used, how frequently instruction occurs, and how the school will measure your child’s response.

Evaluation

A comprehensive evaluation collects information from multiple sources to understand a child’s strengths, needs, educational performance, and possible disability.

IDEA requires schools to use a variety of assessment tools and strategies. A single score or test cannot be used as the sole basis for determining whether a child has a disability or what educational support is needed. Read the IDEA evaluation requirements.

An evaluation related to suspected dyslexia may examine areas such as:

1. Phonological awareness

2. Sound and symbol knowledge

3. Decoding of real and unfamiliar words

4. Word reading accuracy

5. Reading fluency

6. Spelling

7. Oral language

8. Reading comprehension

9. Memory and rapid naming when appropriate

10. Educational history, family history, and response to instruction

The International Dyslexia Association explains the purpose and common components of a dyslexia assessment in Dyslexia Assessment: What Is It and How Can It Help?.

4. Request an evaluation when warranted

Under IDEA, a parent or a public school agency may initiate a request for an initial evaluation. Read the federal IDEA regulation on initial evaluations.

In North Carolina, parents should submit the request in writing. If a parent needs assistance completing a written referral, the school must assist.

The request does not need to be complicated. Clearly state that you are requesting a comprehensive evaluation because you suspect your child may have a disability affecting reading, spelling, written language, or another area of educational performance.

Keep a dated copy of the request and a record of when the school received it.

North Carolina timeline

North Carolina generally requires the evaluation, eligibility decision, and, if the child is eligible, IEP development and placement to be completed within 90 calendar days after the school receives a written referral. Certain exceptions may apply.

See the North Carolina Policies Governing Services for Children with Disabilities for the complete requirements.

You do not have to wait for MTSS to finish.

A parent may request an initial evaluation at any time. A school may not require a child to complete MTSS or another intervention process before considering an evaluation when a disability is suspected.

The United States Department of Education states that MTSS may not be used to delay or deny a full and individual evaluation for a child suspected of having a disability. Read the federal Child Find guidance.

Intervention and evaluation can occur during the same period.

If the school declines the request

A parent’s request does not automatically require the school to evaluate. If the school does not suspect a disability and refuses the request, it must provide prior written notice explaining its decision, the information used to make the decision, and the parent’s procedural protections.

Parents may ask questions, provide additional information, request mediation or facilitation when available, file a state complaint, or use due process procedures.

5. Check the whole picture

Reading difficulty should not automatically be attributed to one cause. Hearing, vision, speech, language, attention, development, health, emotional well-being, and educational history may all be relevant.

Talk with your child’s pediatrician about developmental, health, hearing, vision, speech, language, or emotional concerns. A pediatrician can help identify medical or developmental issues and make appropriate referrals.

A routine pediatric visit does not replace a comprehensive educational or dyslexia evaluation. Dyslexia is not caused by poor eyesight, although a child can have both dyslexia and a vision condition.

The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages families to talk with both teachers and pediatricians when they have concerns about reading development. Read Reading Disorders: What Parents Need to Know.

6. Next steps

Evaluation results can lead to an individualized plan based on the child’s documented needs.

Ask the team:

1. What specific skills will be taught?

2. What instruction, accommodations, and services will be provided?

3. How frequently and for how long will services occur?

4. Who will provide the instruction?

5. How will progress be measured?

6. How often will the family receive progress information?

7. When will the team meet again to review the plan?

Continue to keep copies of evaluation reports, plans, progress reports, work samples, and communications with the school.

Progress may take time. Recognize effort, growth, interests, and strengths, as well as reading and spelling development.