This third part of the series on “What every 504 plan needs to include” addresses the top 5 accommodations for dyslexia. (The first part focused on ADHD and the second addressed anxiety.)

 

Often, schools will have a dyslexic student on RTI (response to intervention) or a personal literacy plan; however, these do not protect that student’s rights as a 504 plan or IEP (Individualized Education Program) would. If your child has a diagnosis of dyslexia, it is key to protect him or her with documentation that covers more than just how he or she is performing in reading.  Any student who has dyslexia, regardless of whether they are reading on grade level or not, should have either a 504 plan or an IEP.  Dyslexia 504s and IEPs are often complicated because of the scope of the profile. Here are a few things to consider:

1. Importance of Understanding Dyslexia

In this day and age, when there is so much more known about dyslexia than when the majority of teachers working today received their training, an up-to-date definition of dyslexia is the best place for a 504 plan to start.  Including the definition in the 504 plan can save a lot of time at the start of each year, battling the misconceptions teachers may have about the disability.

2. Teacher training

• All teachers who work with your student should have training in dyslexia, not just the reading specialist
• Teachers should become familiar with teaching strategies for dyslexia, even if they teach math or health
• Teachers should apply accommodations listed in the 504 plan to all content areas and school settings

It is important that this is written in the 504 to protect the student’s rights. This is insured by federal legislation, but not always followed on the state level.

3. Access to Audio

Spelling out exactly how the school plans to provide access to audio textbooks and novels is the point of the 504.  If the school has a Learning Ally account, that should be made available to use at school and at home.  Any text a student is required to read should be made available with accompanying audio or sent to the student in a format that can be input into an electronic audio reader.

4. In-Class Supports Across Subjects

One of the biggest misnomers about dyslexia is that it only affects reading; however, reading is used across the school day to access all subjects. Also, dyslexics often struggle in other areas, such as writing and math.  A 504 plan for dyslexic students should pay attention to less obvious implications of dyslexia:

• Reversing numbers when copying from the board in math
• Having difficulty reading aloud in social studies or science
• Locating a specific page in a workbook

It is key to break down supports and strategies to use across the school day and with homework. It is important that the 504 strategies go beyond the focus on learning to read, and expand to address how the disability affects the entire educational experience. For example, applying testing accommodations in all subjects.

5. Multisensory Approach

Parents do not have the right to ask for the Orton-Gillingham approach specifically; however,  they can request that the 504 plan or IEP documents include a reading approach that is multisensory and has a proven track record with dyslexics.  The plan should include that the student will receive multisensory support for reading comprehension, fluency, phonics, and spelling, or an equally comprehensive, proven, research-based program that has demonstrated success when used with dyslexics.  If the 504 plan does not break these categories down, it should reference a literacy plan that does.

This blog has been adapted from the following sources which include more specific accommodations:

http://www.dys-add.com/resources/General/AccommodationsHandout.pdf

Want more information about helping someone with dyslexia learn to read and write? We have specialists/certified dyslexia interventionists ready to help. 

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