Dyslexia is a learning disability that is neurological in origin and lifelong. People with dyslexia have difficulty with fluent and accurate reading, spelling, decoding skills, and reading comprehension. Instruction should be explicit, systematic, structured, and multi-sensory. (South Dakota Department of Education, Dyslexia Brochure)

• Dyslexia is not a disorder that kids outgrow with time.

• Writing letters or words backwards is not the only symptom of dyslexia. This is also a developmental skill.

• Dyslexia does not affect more boys than girls.

• Dyslexia does not just affect English speaking individuals.

• Dyslexia is not visual in origin but is neurological. This means it is not the individual’s eyes that causes the flipping of letters.

South Dakota Department of Education, “The Dyslexia Handbook for Teachers and Parents in South Dakota” April 2021

• District Work-groups made up of administrative staff, school psychologists, special and general education staff, speech therapists and subgroups including secondary, elementary and assessment

• Wonders Literacy work specifically with phonics and phonemic awareness

• WIN (What I Need) K-5 , Differentiated instruction designed to meet all students needs for specific skills  based on data

• Secondary 6- 12 , additional classroom instruction in comprehension, fluency, and vocabulary (StudySync), data based grouping and instruction (SRI & PAST)

• Required professional development in the area of dyslexia for all certified staff