Key points:
- Evidence-based programs help children become confident, lifelong readers
- 4 components of an effective literacy ecosystem
- Empowering young minds with a proven literacy program
- For more news on literacy, visit eSN’s Innovative Teaching hub
November marks National Family Literacy Month, a fitting occasion as concern about reading instruction in U.S. schools goes from a simmer to a boil. For years, parents and educators around the country have been warning that prevalent approaches to literacy are not working, and state legislatures are responding. Just last month, Michigan enacted two literacy and dyslexia bills mandating evidence-based strategies, interventions, and resources for young readers.
This is a positive sign. As the mom of a child with dyslexia, I’ve come to understand just how vital this awareness is for children struggling to read. My son’s journey with dyslexia started when he was just four years old and in preschool.
I know the painful impact delayed intervention can have on dyslexic children. It wasn’t until I shared my worries about my son’s reading ability countless times throughout kindergarten and into first grade that his school finally acted. Educators assured me that his needs were being met with a 12-week Reading Recovery program based on the “whole language” approach. However, despite the hours of pull-out sessions every week, his reading progress was minimal. After sitting in on one of these sessions, it became clear to me that he was merely guessing words from picture cues rather than learning to decode them.
A “wait and see” approach wasn’t right for my son, and it isn’t right for any student with dyslexia. As with many other learning differences, experts agree that early intervention for dyslexia produces better outcomes. Some researchers have found interventions are twice as effective if they are made before fourth grade. In some cases, early, effective literacy instruction can shrink the gap between typical reading and dyslexia so much that it doesn’t appear on diagnostic tests.
My son didn’t know how to actually read; he was just smart and very good at guessing. And his teachers simply weren’t equipped with the right tools–approaches based on the science of reading–to help him.
Eventually, I felt I had no choice but to finally take my son for a thorough evaluation that revealed not only ADHD but also dyslexia and dysgraphia, a writing-related learning disability. It was a costly evaluation that wouldn’t have been necessary if educators were equipped to identify the early signs of dyslexia and act quickly, providing intervention to reduce deficits in reading.
After my son’s evaluation, I knew I had to take action. In 2018, I founded the Idaho chapter of a national network of parent-led movements to raise dyslexia awareness and inform policymakers on best practices for identifying, remediating, and supporting students with dyslexia. It was clear that too many families were being left in the dark, unaware of the crucial importance of early identification and appropriate interventions, and unsure how to advocate for their children effectively.
One of the biggest misconceptions about dyslexia is that it’s rare. In fact, nearly 1 in 5 learners may have some degree of dyslexia. Yet, despite its prevalence, schools in the U.S. are largely unprepared to meet the needs of these students.
The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) found that only about a quarter of teacher preparation programs comprehensively cover all five critical components of reading instruction–phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Even more alarming, almost 60 percent of these programs spend less than two hours total on dyslexia. This gap in training explains why many kids slip through the cracks. Yet research shows that if students had access to scientifically backed reading instruction, over 90 percent of them could become proficient readers.
This is especially urgent because dyslexia often goes undiagnosed. More than 40 million adults in the U.S. are estimated to have dyslexia, but only 2 million have been formally diagnosed. Many children, like my son, start showing signs of dyslexia as early as preschool. But without teacher knowledge, proper screening, and early intervention, these kids can struggle with reading well into adulthood.
Thankfully, there are solutions. The Orton-Gillingham approach, for example, a method of literacy instruction invented in the 1930s by neuropsychiatrist Samuel T. Orton and educator Anna Gillingham, shows special promise for students with dyslexia but also benefits other children. Modern variations on Orton and Gillingham’s work employ a multi-sensory focus that caters to each child’s unique needs. By engaging a student’s senses–auditory, visual, and kinesthetic–these kinds of structured, sequential literacy programs help readers make meaningful connections between letters and sounds.
When teachers are empowered with the right tools, students thrive. But, in order to implement such a solution in the classroom, teachers will need ongoing support and professional development. Teaching dyslexic students requires more than just following a curriculum. It’s about making ongoing adjustments and understanding each child’s unique needs.
In my son’s case, what finally helped him succeed was this type of targeted, structured instruction. Through evidence-based programs, the education system can give children the tools they need to become confident, lifelong readers.
Dyslexia isn’t going away–it’s something children and adults will live with for their entire lives. But schools can ensure every child learns to read by adopting early screening and equipping teachers with the right tools to help their students. I urge parents and teachers to push for early school screenings and more access to science-backed reading instruction.
The sooner educators intervene, the more successful kids will be–not just in reading, but in life.
For years, parents and educators around the country have been warning that prevalent approaches to literacy are not working, and state legislatures are responding. Featured on eSchool News, Innovative Teaching, Literacy, children, dyslexia, help, literacy, news, teaching, visit, young eSchool News