Dyslexic students can benefit from the science of reading
ANKENY, Iowa — In May, Governor Kim Reynolds signed a new law aimed at improving literacy in schools, and teachers say the new guidelines can especially help students with dyslexia.
October is Dyslexia Awareness Month, and dyslexia is one of the most common learning disabilities. It affects about one in five children and it is genetic. If a parent has dyslexia, their child has a 50% chance of also being dyslexic.
Dyslexia is the inability to decode properly, and it can look different for students.
Former student helps Grand View win grant, bring heartfelt play to school kids
Megan Schmelzer is the owner and lead teacher at the Little White Schoolhouse, a tutoring center in Ankeny. She said many students with dyslexia attend her schoolhouse for extra guidance. Over the years, dyslexic students have described their different experiences to her. Some describe letters as looking like a word scramble. Others describe them as a debt calculator, where they spin. Another common analogy is alphabet soup.
Schmelzer said students with dyslexia need to learn reading the same way other students learn. However, they will just need more time, especially with phonics-based components, like when letters are silent or pronounced differently.
According to Schmelzer, the science of reading isn't a curriculum, but rather science and research on the best ways to learn how to read.
While Schmelzer said many schools already use components of the science of reading in their curriculums, the new science of reading guidelines can introduce more training for teachers.
"Reading is a hard thing to learn. I tell my kids all the time that reading and learning to read is the hardest thing you will ever do in your entire life. And so, having support and having research-based strategies and resources is only going to make that easier," she said.
Schmelzer is hopeful that access to new training and resources will help teachers learn how to help students in new ways, which can benefit students struggling with learning disabilities, like dyslexia.
