Turpin 1 Rebecca Turpin Fernley English 1010 4 December 2013

Testing for Dyslexia in Elementary I could not write a paper on this topic without first discussing my own account of being a dyslexic student and having a dyslexic child. When I first found out my son was dyslexic and that it was genetic, alarm lights went off in my head. For most of my life I felt like I was stupid, not book smart and that I could never be truly successful. When I was in school I was put in the special education class. While they did help me to read, they did not teach me how to learn. However, that wasnt a realization I came to until I figured out that I was dyslexic. Claiming the label of dyslexia did not limit me as some people say labels do. Instead it opened a world of possibilities, a world that I was no longer afraid to experience because I learned that I was not limited. I could and would be successful in whatever I chose to do. There is a great debate going on in Utahs Capitol Hill about whether students that are dyslexic are getting the help they need in the public school system. Bills are being passed all around the country that allows testing for dyslexia at an early age in the public schools. This is a very big deal because up until a few years ago, schools did not test for dyslexia at all. There is currently no testing available within school districts in Utah and in fact they cannot even decide on a definition of what dyslexia is. In this paper I have tried to show both sides of this issue. This is a very personal subject for me because not only am I dyslexic but my sister, mom and son are as well. I have worked with school counselors and principles on an individual education plan for my son. I have heard the reasons they do not acknowledge him as dyslexic in school explained to me over and over again. So I write this to not only educate myself on both sides of this issue but also to have open discussion on what is the best way to help dyslexic students. Frankel, Hannah. "Is Dyslexia a Middle-Class Badge for Illiteracy?" The Times Educational Supplement.4833 (2009) ProQuest. 28 Oct. 2013. In the article Is Dyslexia a Middle-Class Badge for Illiteracy, Hannah Frankel brings up Professor Elliott's argument that having a dyslexia diagnosis is not in the best interest of the student. Elliott believes that labeling people with the word dyslexia is not helping students but actually causing them to not try. Elliott insists that students who have the dyslexia label use that to either give up or to use government assistance that they do not need. Furthermore he claims that dyslexia is real but very hard to diagnose and because of that, students are receiving

Turpin 2 the label of dyslexia when they may not have it or may only be a very mild case. Elliott would like to see the funds that are used to diagnose dyslexia be used for a better purpose. He would like to see funds put back into the school systems for computer and teacher training and not concentrated on the word Dyslexia. Professor Elliott argues that a diagnosis is a hollow victory for many parents, not the least because there is no clear evidence that any one teaching approach is more suitable for dyslexics than any other group of poor readers. Professor Elliot is educated on this matter. He makes very strong claims and has good examples and reasons to back up his claims. However, he probably has never experienced dyslexia for himself nor observed it in anyone close to him. When he makes statements like, We should just be trying to help students be better readers and put our time and money there instead of diagnosing, I think he is making it clear that he does not understand the emotional toll that being dyslexic has on a student and their family. The authors aim is to persuade his audience that we should not worry about why students are having a hard time reading, but that we should just try to fix it. We know that Professor Elliott is educated by simply looking at his title of Professor and his formal style of writing. We can see that this is not some guy off the street talking about dyslexia. Ultimately, what is at stake here is our ability to diagnose dyslexia. If we continue to see professors such as Elliott advocate for less testing, I believe we will see reading levels actually decrease. Why is diagnosing dyslexia so important? Why does it matter or make a difference? If kids are learning to read, should that not be enough? While I agree that testing can be difficult because of the many levels of dyslexia, I do not believe the solution is to stop testing. I would argue that the solution would be to come up with a better way to test. NIH News. NIH-Funded Study Finds Dyslexia Not Tied to IQ National institute of Health. 3 Nov. 2011. In this study NIH argues that the way testing and help is given to students is not filling the need of the dyslexic student. The NIH believes that testing in schools only determine if someone is having problems with reading. They do not take into account the many other factors that go into being dyslexic. While difficulty reading can be one sign, it is not the only sign and schools with their outdated information and training are missing the boat. The NIH also claims that IQs do not determine if someone is dyslexic or not. With the current school systems, only children who are falling way below (at least two years) get any help with reading. If you have not fallen way behind then you do not qualify for help of any kind. This suggests that a large group of students are falling below their potential because they are not getting diagnosed with dyslexia soon enough. I agree with the NIH in their claim that students need to be tested for dyslexia so that they can achieve the best possible outcome in school and life.

Turpin 3 We know the NIH is credible when we read how and why they were created on their website at the request of the President and with the support of congress in 1962, the NICHD was initially founded to realize a vision: to support the world's best minds in investigating human development throughout the entire life process, focusing on understanding developmental disabilities, including intellectual and developmental disabilities. By finding this out we know they do not have any agenda other than to educate the public. The NIH is motivated to write this piece because they have seen how the current education system is failing our students. The NIH does not use emotion to influence as much as they use facts and studies. The NIH sees there is a problem that needs to be addressed and by doing so brings credibility and pathos into their writing. I agree that the school systems are not meeting the needs of children with Dyslexia. The teachers are not trained to spot kids who have dyslexia. Children can be dyslexic with very high IQs and may be doing ok in school without school teachers and parents even being aware. Reading delays are not always the main problem. When you wait for the child to fall two years behind in order to qualify for testing, you will always be fighting an uphill battle. If testing was available sooner, help could be provided before the students fell that far behind. Testing needs to happen and it needs to happen at an early age. Washburn, Erin K., R. Malatesha Joshi, and Emily S. Binks-Cantrell. "Teacher Knowledge Of Basic Language Concepts And Dyslexia." Dyslexia (10769242) 17.2 (2011): 165-183. Academic Search Premier. Web. 30 Oct. 2013. In Teacher Knowledge of Language concepts and Dyslexia authors Washburn, Malatesha and Cantrell observe that basic teacher education of students with dyslexia is inadequate. These authors have done massive amounts of research on teachers and their knowledge of what dyslexia is and how to detect students who have it. In their research they claim that teachers do not know what dyslexia is, or how to help students who have it. Their findings shed light on the fact that while one-fifth of the population has dyslexia, we have an education system that is not equipped to handle them. Ninety-one percent of teachers indicated either probably or definitely true to seeing letters and words backwards is a characteristic of dyslexia. This finding is somewhat indicative of the popular misconception that dyslexia is a result of a visual deficit. However, as Moats (1994) has stated, the scientific community has reached consensus that most reading disabilities originate with a specific impairment of language processing, not with general visualperceptual deficits (p. 82). This article is full of facts, charts, studys and polls taken from schools in a wide range. I found these authors to be very well educated. I found this article be to be persuasive and informative. The writers did not rely as much on the emotional issues that dyslexia can bring, but they did bring credible facts to the argument. If teachers do not even know what dyslexia is,

Turpin 4 how are they going to help students that have dyslexia? The authors brought up very compelling ideas that were well researched and unbiased. I would say that their style of writing is very formal because it is a research paper. I find these recent studies very informative on the gap that teachers have with determining learning disabilities and dyslexia in students. It is very enlightening to me that most teachers have no idea what dyslexia is or how to spot it. I would concede that this study only had 20 schools involved and so it does not show a wide range of Americas schools. I would argue that it does still show the limits of teachers. I would like to, at this point, get an interview with a special education teacher in Utah, so that I may get a better understanding of what they believe dyslexia is and how to treat it. I believe the bottom line is that teachers are not just looking the other way about dyslexia because they do not want to help students but that dont know how to help students because they do not have the education required on the matter or the district support. PR, Newswire. "Harry Belafonte to keynote Yale's symposium on Dyslexia: A Civil Rights Issue for Our Time; Program launches Multicultural Dyslexia Awareness Initiative." PR Newswire US 12 June 2013: Regional Business News. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.

In this Newswire, Harry Belafonte claims that students who are Dyslexic are being discriminated against by being put in a category of slow learners and categorized as not very smart. Belafonte argues that 1 in 5 students are Dyslexic and that they are not getting the help they need. Dyslexic students learn differently but that does not make them any less smart then other students. Belafonte also insists that the racial aspect of dyslexia is that schools with less money have even fewer resources to help dyslexic students who need extra help. As a result these students who start out wanting to learn and grow and explore just like other students are falling behind or out of school because they are being labeled as slow or lazy. Therefore Belafonte is speaking at the Yale center for Dyslexia to help bring awareness to the Dyslexic community. Belafonte speaks from the heart. You can tell he is very passionate about Dyslexia when he says, Children who cannot read are marginalized and left to struggle and ultimately risk falling completely through the cracks, dropping out of school and facing dismal futures. With proper identification and intervention, this is preventable. This shows how much Belafonte cares about the issue of dyslexia. He continues with the idea that Dyslexics think differently. They are intuitive and excel at problem solving, seeing the big picture, and simplifying. They feast on visualizing, abstract thinking, and thinking out of the box. They are poor rote reciters but inspired visionaries. By bringing these ideas to the forefront of his talking points, you can tell how much he understands Dyslexia. You can tell that he not only understands the definition of dyslexia but what it means to be dyslexic.

Turpin 5 Still some conclude that being dyslexic means you are at a disadvantage compared to the general public. So many believe that being dyslexic means you learn at a slower pace or that you are not as smart as other people. I believe that Belafontes statement is the most correct when it comes to dyslexic people. Dyslexics can learn and are amazing visionaries; they can see the big picture and are great at problem solving. I agree with Belafonte when he states all of those facts and more. I had never before thought of dyslexia as being a civil rights issue and while I agree that kids who are a different ethnicity are at a disadvantage, I am not sure it is just a civil rights issue, I believe it is an education issue. We should be educating teachers, family, friends and basically anyone who has any influence on kids at any time in their life.

Ross, Nancy. Interview with Nancy Ross. 27 Oct 2013 I interviewed Nancy Ross who is a Dyslexic Specialist in Utah, who also has a masters in education with a specialty in learning disabilities. I called Nancy to discuss the status of testing for dyslexia in schools and in the community. I have learned that through a group called Decoding Dyslexia there is movement to improve treatment of dyslexia in the school system. The first step, according to Ross, is to get definition for dyslexia which does not currently exist in Utah. The State Office of Education had a meeting in October of 2013 and stated that the definition of dyslexia and the definition of learning disability are the same and that the schools in Utah are doing just fine when it comes to accommodating dyslexic students. The State Office also argued that only a doctor can diagnose someone with dyslexia and all others cannot use the word diagnose. According to Ross, in the state of Utah, a Dyslexia Specialist can only screen for Dyslexia but not diagnose. When speaking with Ross I can tell that she is credible not only because of her Masters in Education and her certification testing for Dyslexia but also because she is not out to gain anything but more rights for her students who are dyslexic. Ross tone is that of concern when she states, we need to eventually get mandatory screening for all students, kindergarten through second grade so that we can get these students the help early on that they need. When listening to this I can tell she cares and wants to see some change. The context for this interview is because there is a strong movement of advocacy toward dyslexia and getting mandatory testing at an early age. Ross concedes that it may not be that the state does not believe in or want the testing but that in the end there is no money to fund it. After speaking with her I feel that she is very educated on this matter and that she is also very passionate about this dyslexia. Her emotions on the topic come through as she talks, showing that this is a very big issue that is only getting started. In conclusion I felt that Nancy Ross had a very good finger on the pulse of what is happening locally with testing at the school levels and the reasons behind the State not having them. Again, I see that the State believes that testing or screening is unnecessary for students to

Turpin 6 succeed. They insist on treating a potentially dyslexic student the exact same way they treat other children with learning disabilities and they think that is a good thing. On the other hand, Ross, along with a growing number of advocates for dyslexia, believe that some type of screening for children will help to reduce the numbers of children who leave the school system not being able to read. These children who are put into special ED classes and do not ever make their way out before graduation leave school thinking that there is something wrong with them and never find out why. Experience with a school counselor 2008 to 2013 When I first met with our school counselor I found her to be very nice helpful and full of knowledge about special education. She had been working in special education for over fifteen years. When I had my first meeting with her and told her my concerns about my sons dyslexia I was assured that he would be taken care of in the public school system and I could feel that she truly believed that she would be able to deliver on that promise of help. When I asked about testing for dyslexia I was informed that the school district did not test for dyslexia but that they did not need to because they would treat dyslexia the same as any other learning disability. I was assured that we did not need to seek outside help for dyslexia because what they did in special education class would be the same things to help that a dyslexia specialist would do. The testing, I was informed, was very similar to IQ testing and although they did not administer it verbally as a dyslexic specialist would, it would come out with very similar results. The help my son would receive in his special education classes would be a multi- sensory approach, which is what you would do in dyslexic tutoring. For that reason, she said, there was no need for any special assessment or labeling of my child other than learning disability. While talking with the counselor I could feel her getting defensive about this issue. Upon hearing words and phrases such as the tutoring center you are taking your son to is a business and they are making money off of you, I thought of two things; one why would they not encourage anyone to get extra tutoring for their child to help get them ahead and two are you not getting paid by a district that does not want to pay for dyslexic testing? I do believe this counselor to be educated on what the special education in the Jordan school district policy is. She was well versed in all the testing procedures and did know all about multisensory approach, which is what dyslexic tutors use. I conclude that this counselor believed that she was doing what would be in the best interest of my son. I know that she truly thinks that dyslexic students get the help they need in the school system. With the multisensory approach to learning and the small class sizes they get more individual attention than most children get, which gives them an advantage. I agree that the schools are doing all they can under the current laws we have. Yet, after remembering this conversation, I believe the laws need to change and we need to do better for our students. I would argue that schools need to look beyond what has always been done and try to do a little better.

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Turpin, Rebecca; 2013 My own personal experience with dyslexia.

In conclusion I do understand how educators believe that the way they educate dyslexic students is adequate. I would concede that testing can be expensive for an already overwhelmed school system and that while they are pulling kids who have reading delays into special education classes, public schools believe they are doing their best. While I understand these ideas, I disagree because when it comes down to it, being dyslexic is more than just learning how to read or being on grade level. By the time that I was in Jr high, I was on grade level and did not receive any additional help throughout the rest of my schooling. While I did graduate, I did so only barely. I would argue that if I had received testing and a diagnosis of dyslexia, I would have had the self-confidence to ask for help when I needed it and perhaps gotten the extra time on tests that dyslexic students need but currently only get when they are already two full grades behind. Dyslexic students need more than to just be taught to read, they need to know that they can learn just as well as other students and that they just need to go about it in a different way. Schools are short on money we can all agree on that but if we could make a first step toward finding a common definition on dyslexia that would be a great first step. With education on what dyslexia really is and how it affects our children as well as adults we will be making the first steps that are needed to see screenings for students in the 1 st grade. It is going to take lots of baby steps to make any progress but progress is what we need to see.

What I changed in this paper Is I moved part of my ending to the beginning, changed the Rhetorical Analysis parts. I had help proofreading this paper so it should flow a lot better.