Finding Dyslexia in a Sea of Struggling Readers: The Challenges are Real

Presented by Tim Odegard

At this point, almost every state in the U.S. has enacted legislation specific to dyslexia. In 34 states, screening for dyslexia is mandated by law. Yet, analysis of public data in states that require reporting on identification of students with dyslexia in public schools suggests that educators are under-identifying dyslexia. The presentation will discuss the scale of the challenges we have to address to create a context to improve the identification of students with dyslexia. It also will outline possible ways of addressing these ongoing challenges. We should seek clarity on what everyone means by dyslexia and the implications for these understandings. There are winners and losers emerging in the dyslexia world based on who is getting identified and provided additional services in public schools.

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Session Objectives

  • Present a research informed model of dyslexia.
  • Identify the base rate of characteristics of dyslexia based on screening school age children.
  • Identify challenges to identifying students for additional supports.

More about the speaker

Tim Odegard

Tim Odegard, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology and holds the Katherine Davis Murfree Chair of Excellence in Dyslexic Studies at Middle Tennessee State University. He also leads the efforts of the Tennessee Center for the Study and Treatment of Dyslexia. He also serves as Editor-in-Chief of Annals of Dyslexia. Before joining the faculty at MTSU, Tim served on the faculty at the University of Texas Arlington and UT Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. In addition to being a research scientist, Tim is a reading therapist, having completed a two-year dyslexia specialist training program at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas during his NIH-funded postdoctoral fellowship.