11/19/2024

Dyslexia Resources for Teachers: Support for Dyslexia

Between 15%–20% of students show signs of a learning disability, and the majority of these students have been diagnosed with dyslexia. According to the International Dyslexia Association®, dyslexia is a language-based learning disability that can result in people having difficulties with specific language skills, particularly reading. Students with dyslexia usually experience challenges attaining other language skills such as spelling, writing, and pronouncing words. Although it’s been widely researched, it’s still misunderstood. It’s essential to understand what dyslexia looks like and what students with dyslexia need to succeed.

Our Top 10 Dyslexia Resources for Educators

To help teachers better understand dyslexia, we gathered some of our latest blog posts, white papers, guides, and expert-led webinars to help you navigate reading instruction in classrooms for students with learning differences.

Dyslexia Blog Posts

Nationwide Shift to Science of Reading Helps Students With Dyslexia 
Evidence-based programs are typically rooted in the science of reading, a gold-standard body of research that explains how the human brain learns to read. The best reading programs help all learners, regardless of their circumstances or disability. This post discusses why students with dyslexia benefit from an explicit, systematic reading program.

What Are the Best Dyslexia Reading Programs?
Up to one in five of your students has a learning difference. How do you make sure you can support them? Advancements in brain science have pushed the topic of best practices in reading instruction to the forefront, including techniques for teachers to better identify and assist students with dyslexia. 

How Can Teachers Help Students With Dyslexia?
How else can teachers help students with dyslexia? A common misconception is that accommodations make classes easier, but this isn’t true. Accommodations are a way to ensure learning is accessible for everyone, especially those with learning disabilities. According to the International Disability Alliance, there are four primary forms of accommodations: Presentation, Response, Setting, and Time/Scheduling. We’ve compiled a list of actionable steps and in-class accommodations teachers can make for students with dyslexia.

Dyslexia White Papers

Teaching Students With Dyslexia: How to Recognize Early Warning Signs, Provide Effective Intervention, and Unlock Student Achievement
Because dyslexia can initially present as an “invisible” learning impairment, it is helpful for educators to understand it, recognize its warning signs, and learn how to provide the appropriate interventions so students can become successful readers and motivated, confident learners. This white paper helps educators recognize the warning signs of dyslexia and provide the appropriate interventions so students with dyslexia can become confident, successful readers and motivated learners.

Assessing and Assisting Working With Emergent Bilingual Students and Students With Dyslexia
In the past, the needs of Emergent Bilinguals (also known as English Language Learners) and students with dyslexia have sometimes been conflated—often resulting in unnecessary referrals to special education classes. With more than 5 million students learning English in U.S. schools, you’ll want to ensure your literacy approach addresses the needs of all of your students. This white paper guides teachers and school leaders to ensure equitable access to personnel, programs, and resources to maintain rich and culturally appropriate instruction.

Overlooked and Misdiagnosed: Developmental Language Disorder
Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is a common but hidden learning disability that only a speech-language pathologist or other specialist can diagnose. However, teachers can help identify this learning difference by understanding the six most common signs of DLD in students. 

This white paper identifies these signs, explains the differences between dyslexia and DLD, and provides specific classroom strategies you can use to help these students improve their reading skills.

Dyslexia Webinars

Dyslexia, Dysteachia, and How Science of Reading-Based Instruction is the Answer 
Children with dyslexia can’t change how their brains decode language, but teachers can adopt approaches that work for all students, including those with dyslexia. Professional learning grounded in the science of reading can help eliminate dysteachia in educators and ensure students with dyslexia get the explicit and systematic instruction they require to make literacy gains. Join Brenda Peters, M.A., M.Ed., SAIF, ICALP, the co-founder and director of assessment and consultation at ACT Dyslexia Solutions, and Kimberly Stockton and Octavia Gray-Essex from Lexia® to learn how you can bolster your instructional understanding and see positive student outcomes.

Supporting Literacy for Students With Dyslexia and Developmental Language Disorder: Understanding for All
When supporting students with dyslexia, DLD, and other learning disabilities, teachers’ understanding of how these students’ brains process information is vital for effective learning. When teachers have the knowledge and resources to help these students learn how to decode the written word and understand spoken language, their students can access literacy. In this webinar, national literacy consultant John Bennetts unpacks learning disabilities in the classroom and offers actionable skills teachers can use to best support these students.

Dyslexia Guides

4 Strategies to Support Learners With Dyslexia
Teaching students with dyslexia requires an approach that acknowledges and addresses their strengths and instructional needs. Dyslexia impacts literacy skills, including reading, spelling, and writing. Implementing personalized instructional strategies in the classroom can provide consistent progress for students with dyslexia. Teachers can enhance their instruction by understanding and embracing strategies based on the science of reading as part of a comprehensive literacy plan. These strategies are beneficial for all students and essential for students with dyslexia.

Instructional Support for Students With Dyslexia in Lexia Core5 Reading
The guide gives you the most commonly used interventions appropriate for students with dyslexia and discusses the innovative, scientifically proven techniques used in Lexia® Core5® Reading to support these students. Explore how Core5 supports phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics support, vocabulary, automaticity and fluency, comprehension, explicit presentation of concepts, and multisensory learning opportunities in grades K–5.

In addition to Core5, Lexia offers a wide range of professional learning and Structured Literacy instructional programs based on the science of reading. Our evidenced-based solutions help educators create personalized learning paths for students of all ability levels but are essential for students with dyslexia.

Lexia’s ‘Strong’ ESSA Rating

Sometimes called the “Consumer Reports” of education programs, Evidence for ESSA is an independent review organization that provides authoritative information about programs that meet the ESSA evidence standards. Both Core5 and Lexia® PowerUp Literacy® (geared to improve reading for students in grades 6–12) received “Strong” ratings from Evidence for ESSA. The rating means both programs meet the highest standard of evidence outlined by federal law under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). 

• Evidence for ESSA estimates Core5 has a greater impact on student reading than most other elementary literacy programs, as measured by average effect sizes. After one year, students who used Core5 had significantly higher MAP scores compared to a control group (ES = +0.23).

• Evidence for ESSA also estimates PowerUp has a more significant impact on student reading than most secondary literacy programs, as measured by average effect sizes. After one semester, PowerUp students performed significantly higher on the STAR Reading Assessment (effect size = +0.36), qualifying PowerUp for the ESSA “Strong” category.

At Lexia, we continually evaluate the efficacy of our programs to ensure they have the greatest possible impact on student learning—particularly those with dyslexia or other learning differences.

Research shows students with dyslexia benefit from explicit, systematic reading programs. Learn how Lexia helps you support students with dyslexia.