Dyslexia Awareness Month

5 Things

We Want You to Know

Dyslexia is brain-based. That means certain brain regions important for reading may develop or function differently in students with dyslexia. For more information about what dyslexia is, and the impact it may have, visit our Understanding Dyslexia toolkit.
Universal screening can change lives through early identification of risk for dyslexia. Schools can screen for dyslexia risk using a quick, simple reading assessment given to all students. Learn more in our School-based Screening for Dyslexia Risk toolkit.
A strong school system uses data to help every student access the right reading supports. For students with or at risk for dyslexia, high-quality instruction and intervention supports provided through general education are essential. Other students may require more intensive intervention. For more information, visit our toolkit on Using Data to Identify School-based Supports for Students.
Focused, explicit, and systematic reading instruction in five essential components- phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension- benefits all students. But it is absolutely critical for students with dyslexia. Learn more in our Effective Reading Instruction for Students with Dyslexia toolkit.
Careful, data-based adjustments to what we teach and how we teach it can improve learning for students with dyslexia. Students with dyslexia often have difficulty with translating letters into sounds and blending sounds to read words. Instruction and intervention should be intensified in the skills students need using practices shown to be effective for improving outcomes in these skills. Find out more in our toolkit on Intensifying Instruction for Students with Dyslexia.

Introducing NCIL’s Newest Team Member

We are excited to announce that Kristin Kane has joined the NCIL team as a Senior Research Scientist! Kristin previously served as the Senior Advisor for the Office of Early Childhood Development in the Administration of Children and Families for U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Kristin has dedicated the last twelve years to advocacy and awareness, with a focus on family engagement and the intersection of public school, special education, and dyslexia. This includes her time as a family engagement specialist with Virginia’s Center for Parent Training and Information, PEATC. Her work includes contributions at both the federal and state policy level related to dyslexia and literacy laws. Kristin is a founding member of Decoding Dyslexia Virginia, a grassroots movement, and director of the nonprofit Friends of Decoding Dyslexia Virginia. She holds a B.S. in Psychology and Associate’s Level OG certification. She is a mom to three awesome children, two of whom happened to be diagnosed with dyslexia.

Read Kristin’s latest blog post to learn how a team effort can improve outcomes for students with dyslexia!

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Come See Us at The Reading League Conference

Drop by our booth in the Exhibit Hall at the 6th Annual Conference of The Reading League this week!

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