Should There Be Mandatory Screenings for Dyslexia?

iStock/Wavebreakmedia

Teaching a childto read, whether you’re a parent or a teacher, is no easy task. Add a learning disorder to the mix, and things get even more tricky.

这就是考虑到强制性诊所筛查的国家立法和学区最近的嗡嗡声有父母和教师的原因。专家表示，忽视诊断儿童初期的病情可能导致自尊心和心理健康斗争。然而，一些学术界官员称，在公立学校在公立学校实施强制筛查的同时听起来像一个坚实的解决方案，它并不总是那么简单。

For mandatory screenings to get off the ground, educators would need additional training, which poses a challenge because aside from their regular classroom work, many teachers are already spread thin with their involvement in after-school tutoring, sports coaching, and other extra-curricular school activities. Plus, school districts around the country are being faced with deep budget cuts. Despite the obstacles, most experts agree that an intervention needs to happen.

What Is Dyslexia?

阅读障碍is an umbrella term for medical conditions that make reading and word comprehension difficult—surface dyslexia, rapid naming deficit, phonological dyslexia, and double deficit dyslexia are the specific categories that fall under the umbrella. Dyslexia, which can be diagnosed as early as kindergarten, is the most common learning disorder and affects up to 17% of the population.

“如果孩子有一个父母或兄弟姐妹，那么孩子的父母或兄弟姐妹，那个孩子也有50％的机会挣扎，”演讲和语言扫盲实验室主任博士说（MA的MGH卫生职业MGH卫生职业研究所的通信科学系教授。“诵读是一种脑差异，所以它是遗传的，”她说。“如果你有一个有障碍或任何类型的学习斗争的孩子，那么你的其他孩子面临风险，你可能想要密切关注他们。”

But the condition isn’t always easy to spot.

Hogan explains that unless a teacher is in special education, he or she is not necessarily trained on how to identify or manage kids with dyslexia. “If there is not a supportive educator, parent or someone in their lives that says, ‘hey I see you and the struggle and I want to help you with that,’ there may be a downward spiral of negative consequences, such as poor self-esteem, poor choices, juvenile delinquency or even suicide.” According to a University of Toronto study, adults with learning disabilities have a 46% higher chance of committing suicide.

“If an educator is not familiar with dyslexia, they can blame the child by saying things like ‘you aren’t working hard enough, or you aren’t paying attention, or you don’t care,’” says Hogan. “But in reality, a child with dyslexia is working extra-hard compared to their peers who don’t have dyslexia.”

游说在学校筛选

“有立法运动驱动by parents who are frustrated with the lack of awareness[of dyslexia],” says Hogan. And it looks as if parents’ cries for help are being heard. In February 2022, California announced its plan to screen kindergartners and first graders for the learning disorder. It plans to introduce a 20-minute digital test that will identify if a child is struggling with sounds and letters. The test is not meant to be a clinical diagnosis for dyslexia, but will alert educators and parents when a child is struggling so the proper next steps in helping them are implemented. Ohio also announced its plan to begin screening kindergarteners for the condition in public schools, and New York took it a step further by announcing its plan to open an entire school for children with dyslexia.

Founder of the Literacy, Language, & Learning Institute in Ann Arbor, MI, Joanne Marttila Pierson, Ph.D., agrees that states are taking a step in the right direction by adding screening regulations. “The sooner we identify a child who is at risk, the sooner we can begin intervention.”

但皮尔森承认，在公立学校放置强制性综合症筛查并不是一夜之间发生的东西。这是一个巨大的项目，需要很多调整，许多学区可能没有基础设施。“我们在美国的学校正在采取预算削减，现在与Covid难以成为一个教育者，”她说。为了获得强制筛查，“我们必须支持我们的老师和特殊教育工作者，”皮尔森说。“他们已经戴着这么多的帽子，所以我们必须帮助他们建立技能集，需要资助。”

阅读障碍筛选在家开始

“Dyslexia is not a vision problem,” says Pierson who adds that at times folks will inadvertently refer children with dyslexia to vision therapy. “Vision or memory therapy will not work this is a language-based learning disorder,” she adds. “Structured literacy intervention is what they need.”

But there are some things that parents and caretakers can look for at home before a child is professionally screened for dyslexia. Here are some things to keep an eye on:

• Struggles with rhyming words

• 让他们名字的第一个字母开始的词语（即Tim为了时间)

• Mixes up small words likeat/to要么does/goes

• Reverses letters (i.e.d为了b) and words (i.e.提示为了坑)

• 写入时的字母（即m为了w要么n为了u)

• Enjoys story time, but shies away from trying to read aloud

If you notice these symptoms sparingly in a child (or yourself), there is not much to worry about. But if they are a recurring theme over a large period of time, it may be a red flag.

作为一个照顾者，如果你得知你的孩子患有诵读困难，那就是采取行动的时候了。您的孩子不需要看到医生，但他们确实需要课堂外部的人一直倡导他们。永远不要假设教师或校长知道您所在州的特殊教育法律。学习它们并与学校外面的语言病理学家或其他专业人士联系，他们可以帮助在教室里为您的孩子设立计划。

Meet Our Writer

Keydra Manns

读什么阅读

让我们谈谈诵读诵读