As an educator & counselor, my interactions with students who struggle in reading are disadvantageous for their self-esteem. I have observed cases where students have overcome when evidence-based interventions are provided at the right age. But the question is how to provide timely diagnosis and evidence-based interventions to overcome Dyslexia. According to Dr. Shaywitz," One in five American children has trouble reading." In her statement to the House of Representatives, Dr. Shaywitz mentioned that despite high-quality scientific knowledge of Dyslexia being available, that could turn around the reading difficulties, but it is not being put into policy and practice. It is not that children are failing because we do not have a solution to the problem, but they are falling due to an action gap. Dyslexia is the most common reading disability, affecting five and 10 percent of the population. Even though Dyslexia is impacting the student population, it takes several years to diagnose Dyslexia. A child has to face reading difficulties for several years before being referred for diagnosis (Harvard Graduate School of Education). Most children do not get diagnosed by the end of second grade or third grade. As per National Reading Panel Report, the reading gap is present by first grade and persists. The first few years in a child's life are very crucial for reading development because the growth rate is fast; therefore, early diagnosis and interventions are required to support the child with reading difficulties. Harvard Graduate School of Education also emphasized the importance of reading interventions in kindergarten and first grade positively. The interventions and diagnosis at the later grades influence students reading negatively and create wider gaps and deficits that are difficult to fill. Research indicates that Dyslexia can be identified even before the child starts school (Iman Rastegari, n.d.). There is a strong connection between pre-literacy skills and reading skills. "Literacy—the ability to read and write—is an emerging skill that begins at birth" (Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills (p. 141). Literacy in the study and implementation of early childhood education is unique. It cannot be approached in the same way that literacy is approached in the elementary, middle, or high school levels (Weitzman and Greenberg). The students should be assessed when they are in kindergarten and first grade for an early screening assessment. The TEA Dyslexia Handbook 2018 added early screening requirements in kindergarten and first grade for the school districts. The screening results provide schools with the information they need to identify gaps in phonological awareness and decoding, allowing districts to identify what type of intervention will be the most effective to help the student succeed.



References 

(https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/16/06/fixing-failure-model, n.d.)

(https://science.house.gov/imo/media/doc/Shaywitz%20Testimony.pdf, n.d.)

(https://www.theedadvocate.org/overcoming-dyslexia-paradox/, n.d.)



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