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Dyslexia Services

Overview

Troy ISD is committed to providing students identified as having dyslexia with appropriate, research-based instruction and academic support to prepare them to be successful lifetime readers and writers.

Troy ISD has a district-wide plan that follows guidelines and procedures in the 2021 update to the Procedures Concerning Dyslexia and Related Disorders. (Link below.) 

2021 Texas Dyslexia Handbook

Dyslexia Handbook 2021 Update: Important Changes for Families to Understand

Actualizacion Del Manual de Dislexia 2021: Cambios Importantes Que Las Familias Deben Entender

Troy ISD District Dyslexia Plan

Dyslexia Defined

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede the growth of vocabulary and background knowledge. Adopted by the International Dyslexia Association Board of Directors, November 2002.

What does that mean exactly?

Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability. Dyslexia refers to a cluster of symptoms that result in people having difficulty with specific language skills, particularly reading. Students with dyslexia usually experience difficulty with other language skills, such as spelling, writing, and pronouncing words. Dyslexia affects individuals throughout their lives; however, its impact can change at different stages in a person's life. It is referred to as a learning disability because dyslexia can make it very difficult for a student to succeed academically in the typical instructional environment, and will usually qualify a student for specialized reading instruction and accommodations. 

The primary characteristics of dyslexia are:

  • Difficulty reading words in isolation
  • Difficulty accurately decoding unfamiliar words
  • Difficulty with oral reading (slow, inaccurate, or labored)
  • Difficulty spelling 

What misconceptions exist regarding dyslexia?

It is equally important to understand what dyslexia is not. It is a myth that individuals with dyslexia "read backward.” Their spelling can look jumbled at times, not because they read or see words backward, but because they have trouble remembering letter symbols for sounds and letter patterns in words. Dyslexia is not a disease and, therefore, there is no cure. Individuals with dyslexia do not have a lower level of intelligence. In fact, more often than not, the complete opposite is true.

With proper diagnosis, appropriate and timely instruction, hard work, and support from family, teachers, and others, individuals with dyslexia can succeed in school. 

Source: International Dyslexia Association

Helpful Resources

Books and Movies

  • Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz
  • The Dyslexia Advantage by Brock L. Eide and Fernette F. Eide
  • The Everything Parent’s Guide to Children with Dyslexia by Abigail Marshall
  • The Alphabet War: A Story about Dyslexia by Diane Burton Robb and Gail Piazza
  • Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
  • The Big Picture: Rethinking Dyslexia directed by James Redford
  • Dislecksia: The Movie directed by Harvey Hubbell V