Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has signed a law that will put into place a mandatory screening of public school students to be screened for dyslexia before entering kindergarten. The law will be taking effect in school year 2018-2019.
"Parents go into kindergarten wondering why their kids aren't on task and a lot of times the answer is, just wait, it will come ... But if you know that your child is more likely to be dyslexic you may investigate and find other sources to help your student or your child learn to read," said Noel Leif to KY3 News as quoted by Education World. Leif is the director of the Springfield Center for Dyslexia and Learning.
New Missouri law requires dyslexia screenings and teacher training on the reading disorderhttps://t.co/dzWUGb660p pic.twitter.com/iYE8etkjLz
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Dyslexia Law Also Covers Teachers
According to a report from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the dyslexia screenings would be "informal and brief, leading to earlier detection." The Missouri law will also require teachers to train for two hours on how to address dyslexia. The report said that there will also be a task force to make recommendations about classroom services.
Currently, there are no dyslexia screenings in Missouri's public schools while its teachers are also not equipped to address dyslexia. "We're going to create a better awareness," Kim Stuckey, a dyslexia specialist for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, was quoted as saying.
Late Screening Of Dyslexia
According to U.S. News & World Report, Kelli Unnerstall's son was diagnosed with dyslexia only when he was in fourth grade after being taken to a neuropsychologist. Unnerstall's son was said to have had difficulty in learning the alphabet, rhyme and letter-sound association.
Unnerstall's son, who was attending a private school, could not be helped by those who worked there while teachers at a public school reportedly did not acknowledge that he had dyslexia. "It was like dyslexia was a dirty word in the public school system," Unnerstall said. "I was told things like, 'That's a medical diagnosis, not an educational diagnosis."
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