Mabank ISD Dyselxia & Related Disorders
Dyslexia support services are provided on all MISD campuses K-12.
Texas Education Code (TEC) § 38.003 defines dyslexia and related disorders in the following way:
"Dyslexia" means a disorder of constitutional origin manifested by a difficulty in learning to read, write, or spell,despite conventional instruction, adequate intelligence, and sociocultural opportunity."
"Related disorders" include disorders similar to or related to dyslexia, such as developmental auditory imperception, dysphasia, specific developmental dyslexia, developmental dysgraphia, and developmental spelling disability."
Mastering the ability to read, spell, and write is fundamental to achieving academic success. Students with dyslexia struggle with those skills despite receiving the same classroom instruction that benefits most students and having adequate intelligence.
Mabank ISD is committed to providing students identified with dyslexia with instruction that is individualized, intensive, and includes phonetic methods and a variety of writing and spelling components as outlined in the Texas Education Agency's Dyslexia Handbook.
The guidelines and procedures adopted are designed to correlate to the identification and instruction of students with dyslexia and related disorders adopted by the State Board of Education in 1992, mandated by the state of Texas and presented in The Dyslexia Handbook: Procedures Concerning Dyslexia and Related Disorders.
International Dyslexia Association Definition of Dyslexia
"Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological 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."
Characteristics of Dyslexia
Students identified as having dyslexia typically experience primary difficulties in phonological awareness, including phonemic awareness and manipulation, single-word reading, reading fluency, and spelling. Consequences may include difficulties in reading comprehension and/or written expression. These difficulties in phonological awareness are unexpected for the student's age and educational level and are not primarily the result of language difference factors. Additionally, there is often a family history of similar difficulties.
The following are the reading/spelling characteristics of dyslexia:
Difficulty reading words in isolation;
Difficulty accurately decoding unfamiliar words;
Difficulty with oral reading (slow, inaccurate, or labored);
Difficulty Spelling
It is important to note that individuals demonstrate differences in degree of impairment.
The reading/spelling characteristics are most often associated with the following:
Segmenting, blending, and manipulating sounds in words (phonemic awareness);
Learning the names of letters and their associated sounds;
Holding information about sounds and words in memory (phonological memory);
Rapidly recalling the names of familiar objects, colors, or letters of the alphabet (rapid naming).
Consequences of dyslexia may include the following:
Variable difficulty with aspects of reading comprehension;
Variable difficulty with aspects of written language;
Limited vocabulary growth due to reduced reading experiences.
For more information:
Visit the International Dyslexia Association for answers to Frequently Asked Questions
View/download the Texas Education Agency's Dyslexia Handbook (available in English & Spanish)
(Information adopted from "The Dyslexia Handbook", TEA, 2021 Update)
Common Signs of Dyslexia
Kindergarten - 3rd Grade:
Failure to understand that words are made up of parts or individual sounds
Difficulty learning letter names and associated sounds
Difficulty reading single words in isolation
Choppy and labored reading
Difficulty with spelling
4th Grade - High School:
History of reading and spelling difficulties
Avoids reading aloud
Reads most materials slowly; oral reading is labored, not fluent
Difficulty with spelling