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/

OH Dept. of Ed. Rules Against Columbus School District for Non-compliance in the Area of Learning Disabilities

Read the Ohio Department of Education's complaint findings against the Upper Arlington City School district (Columbus, OH).

ODE finds the Upper Arlington District negligent in:

Identifying students with Specific Learning Disability, including dyslexia, in a timely manner- causing students to be placed in ineffective programs for 2-4 years.

Providing interventions (especially in reading) that do not address or resolve the student's academic difficulties; consequently resulting in those students being denied timely evaluations.

Following written guidelines and procedures in identifying struggling students

The Upper Arlington School District agreed to provide teacher training on policy and procedures in identifying children with learning disabilities and to implement teacher in-services on such learning disabilities as dyslexia, ADHD, and dycalculia.

Dyslexia Independent of IQ

According to MIT News Office:

IQ is not a good predictor or indicator of reading difficulties.

Brain-imaging study suggests that reading difficulties are the same regardless of overall intelligence — and that more children could benefit from support in school.

Read more here.

Building Phonemic Awareness in Young Children

According to the National Reading Panel Report 2000, there are 7 essential phonemic awareness tasks that children must master to become proficient readers.

These phonemic awareness tasks include:

Count or say each sound

Add a sound

Delete a sound

Change a sound

Compare two words

Blend sounds into words

Create words that rhyme

Click here for ideas in fostering these essential building blocks to reading in

preschool and elementary aged children.

Common Myths About Dyslexia

Read about 15 Common Myths of Dyslexia including:

1. Reversing letters is a definitive sign of dyslexia.

2. Dyslexia cannot be diagnosed in young children.

3. Dyslexia is caused by poor teaching.

4. The solution for dyslexia is to have children read aloud more often.

5. If a child can read, he does not have dyslexia.

Congressional Budget Cuts Affect Learning Ally (RFB&D)

Like so many other nonprofit organizations, Learning Ally (RFB&D) recently learned that its current appropriation has been discontinued as part of the most recent round of Congressional budget cuts.

Effective August 31, all current individual memberships will expire. Effective September 1, a Learning Ally Individual membership will be $99 per year. However, prior to August 31, we are offering the opportunity to register or renew a one year Individual membership for $79. We hope you will take advantage of this limited time $79 membership offer.

What is Phonemic Awareness?

Listen Dr. Reid Lyon, former Chief of the Child Development and Behavior Branch within the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as he explains in his own words how phonemic awareness is an essential reading skill that children must have to become good readers.

OH House Passes Dyslexia Bill!

According to Gongwer News Service:

The OH House approved 93-1 a bill that would allow three schools to voluntarily join a three-year pilot program involving screening and special instruction for students with dyslexia in cooperation with a local library.

Co-sponsor Rep. Ted Celeste (D-Grandview Heights) said as much as 20% of the population has the neurobiological disability that affects ones ability to read and do arithmetic. The goal of the pilot is to demonstrate and evaluate the effectiveness of early reading assistance programs for children with dyslexia and to evaluate whether those programs can reduce future special education costs.

"Dyslexia is not a disease, so there is no cure," he said, adding the bill would add dyslexia to the Ohio Revised Code definition of a learning disability.

Early identification of dyslexia will decrease the need for special education services, and all parties involved will experience long-run cost savings.

Existing Department of Education funds would be used to pay for screenings.

"By identifying dyslexia early on in the course of learning to read, we will prevent children from falling significantly behind in decoding, reading fluency, spelling and writing let alone avoiding the heartache, self esteem damage and expense to the families and schools involved," he said.

Rep. Brenner said participating schools would report results of the pilot after three years to determine if the program should be expanded.

7 Eagles perform for Villa Donors

The 7 Eagles DI Team successfully demonstrated for Villa donors how they will move the Unidentified Moving Objects in this week's Global Competition. The Villa Donors were all impressed as the team successfully moved objects from the tower and the pool in under 8 minutes. One donor was amazed at the team's creativity in using the Swiffer that extends and comes apart to fit in the 20x20 box.

The entire Villa Community wishes the team well!

Go 7 Eagles!

Reading Research Articles

Reid Lyon Articles

While Reid Lyon was in charge of the dyslexia research conducted through the National Institutes of Health, he wrote many superb articles on dyslexia, effective reading instruction, the importance of early intervention, and more.

Many of his best articles are available as downloadable PDF files here.

If you are trying to convince school administrators that dyslexia is real and change is needed, these articles will be very helpful.

FREE Dyslexia Presentation

FREE Dyslexia Presentation

On May 20, 2011, from 6-9 p.m., Susan Barton, an internationally recognized expert in the field of dyslexia will speak for FREE in Cold Spring, KY. This event is being sponsored by Campbell County Schools.

Do not miss this opportunity.

You'll learn:

1. Dyslexia's Inheritance patterns and the genetic link
2. The symptoms of mild dyslexia in adults
3. The classic warning signs in children
4. Why most dyslexic children don't qualify for special ed
5. Research-based "best practices" to improve spelling, reading, and writing
6. Why tutoring alone is not enough -- and much more!!!

Seating is limited, so make a reservation here, or call Sarah Pershing at 614-563-0832.

RFB&D Audio App for iPhone

New Way to Access Audiobooks! Now Available: RFB&D® Audio App for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch Learning Ally, formerly Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, books are now available for playback on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices. You can enjoy your recently downloaded titles on your favorite Apple device. The RFB&D Audio App is now available for only $19.99. To learn more and purchase, visit: The iTunes Store.

FREE Dyslexia Presentation

On May 20, 2011, from 6-9 p.m., Susan Barton, an internationally recognized expert in the field of dyslexia will speak for FREE in Cold Spring, KY.

Do not miss this opportunity.

You'll learn:

1. Dyslexia's Inheritance patterns and the genetic link
2. The symptoms of mild dyslexia in adults
3. The classic warning signs in children
4. Why most dyslexic children don't qualify for special ed
5. Research-based "best practices" to improve spelling, reading, and writing
6. Why tutoring alone is not enough -- and much more!!!

Seating is limited, so make a reservation here, or call Sarah Pershing at 614-563-0382.

2nd Dyslexia Bill in OH

Representative Kirk Schuring is calling for co-sponsors on a Dyslexia Bill so that Educational Service Centers (ESCs) will be able to hire Dyslexia Specialists on their State Support Teams.

We need your help and support for this bill. Please email or call your Ohio Representatives and ask them to sign on as co-sponsors to this important teacher training bill for the Educational Service Centers.

Current co-sponsors for this bill calling for Dyslexia Specialists at ESCs include:

Rep. Snitchler (also co-sponsored HB 96)
Rep. Derickson
Rep. Hall
Rep. Combs
Rep. Letson
Rep. Stebelton (also co-sponored HB 96)

To find your representative's contact information, go to: http://www.house.state.oh.us/index.php?option=com_displaymembers&Itemid=58

Or leave a telephone message at 1-800-282-0253. Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Remember to also contact Representatives who co-sponsored HB 96 (Early Identification) and have not signed onto this 2nd Dyslexia bill yet, including:

Reps. Celeste, Brenner, Amstutz, Garland, Foley, Letson, Weddington, Pillich, Dovilla, Patmon, Ramos, Hollington, Phillips, Lundy, Thompson, O'Brien, Yuko, Murray, Williams, Stinziano, Stautberg, Antonio, Reece, Hagan, Fende, Fedor, Milkovich, Clyde, Winburn

Reading Disability makes up 80% of kids labeled LD

From www.Ldonline.org:

Approximately 80 percent of students with learning disabilities have been described as reading disabled. Resources within this section provide information and advice on what parents and educators can do to help students with LD gain reading skills.

Follow this link to 83 articles.

RFB&D now Mac Compatible

If your child qualifies with a diagnosed print disability, Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic are finally Mac compatible! Visit www.rfbd.org to download the free software to your Mac computer. Your computer must have OSX v10.5 (v10.6 recommended). If you have any problems, do not hesitate to contact their customer service department via email or on the phone.