3,415 Mile Bike Ride for Dyslexia

Tour For Dyslexia- Beginning May 13, 2012

To raise money for the Children's Dyslexia Center in State College, PA, Larry Emigh will ride his bicycle across the United States, from Los Angeles, CA to Boston, MA.

Raising funds to support the Center is important because it provides free tutoring to dyslexic children between 6 and 18 years of age.

To learn more about Larry's ride or to donate, click here.

Dyslexia Discussed on NPR Radio

Today, February 15, 2012, Diane Rehm, host of the Diane Rehm Show on NPR, discussed aspects of the dyslexic brain.

To listen to this informative discussion visit The Diane Rehm Show website. Search for the story entitled The Dyslexic Brain, and click on the "listen" button.

Improving Comprehension for Struggling Readers

A helpful article from www.ldonline.org:

"Reading comprehension is critical for school success, and students with LD often struggle to understand what they read. As parents and teachers, it's important to learn ways to help students read more successfully and with meaning."

Learn more here.

Dyslexia Movie At Sundance Film Festival

The D Word: Understanding Dyslexia

Directed by Jamie Redford (son of Robert Redford), with the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity, this brand-new movie was just accepted into the Sundance Film Festival.

Hopefully, local movie theaters across the country will be showing it within a few months.

OH Dyslexia Laws signed by Governor Kasich

House Bills (HB) 96 and 157 were passed by the Ohio Senate with the concurrence of the Ohio House during a late-night, end-of-the-year Statehouse session on December 14; both bills were signed into law by Governor Kasich before Christmas.

HB 96 (Celeste - D & Brenner - R) has two components. The law will:

1) place the IDA definition of dyslexia directly into Ohio statute. Current Ohio law lists dyslexia as a specific learning disability, consistent with IDEA 2004, but does not provide a definition of dyslexia

2) begin a 3-year pilot program for the early identification and remediation of students at-risk for dyslexia and other phonologically based reading disorders.

HB 157 (Schuring - R & Letson - D) also has two components. The law will:

1) define a dyslexia specialist as someone who has achieved training consistent with the Level II IDA Knowledge and Practice Standards.

2) give Educational Service Centers (Ohio's statewide network of inservice training facilities) and other educational institutions permission to hire a dyslexia specialist to provide professional development in the area of dyslexia for Ohio teachers and administrators.

OH Legislature Passes Dyslexia House Bill 96!

OH Legislature Passes Dyslexia House Bill 96!

House Bill 96 clarifies the definition of learning disabilities in the Ohio Revised Code to specifically include dyslexia.

House Bill 96 also creates a pilot project at the Ohio Department of Education including one urban, one suburban, and one rural school district to forge a partnership with the local library system to provide early screening and intervention services for children. Existing funds within the Ohio Department of Education will be used to pay for these screenings, and the inclusion of libraries will help ease the financial burden on school districts.

Next Steps:

House Bill 96 goes to OH Governor John Kasich for his signature.

Biology Of Language Study

Nationwide Children's Hospital and the Ohio State University are working together on the Biology of Language Study that is looking at the way genes affect language skills.

They are seeking families where at least one family member shows a history of language or reading problems.

The study will not cost you anything. You will receive a $20 gift card for your completion of the enrollment interview and another for your child's completion of the eligibility testing. If your family is eligible for further assessment, each family member asked to complete testing will be paid $100 at the end of participation.

No travel time is necessary. All information can be taken over the phone.

For more information about the study or to inquire about enrollment, contact:

Drs. Chris Bartlett and Steve Petrill

bls@ehe.osu.edu

1-800-678-6494

website information:

http://bls.ehe.osu.edu/