Dyslexia: Hidden Costs and Money-Saving Techniques for Districts
March 2, 2018
By: Stacey Pusey
Source: eSchool News
Early intervention: It’s a common mantra for any student with learning difficulties, including dyslexia. But as Terrie Noland, national director of educator engagement for Learning Ally, pointed out in a recent edWebinar, those services are not consistently available to students across the United States. In “Dyslexia: Hidden Costs and Money-Saving Techniques for Districts,” Noland makes a case for front-loading the funding to shrink the learning gap at an earlier age and offers cost-effective solutions to help students engage in their education.
Schools need to develop a three- to five-year plan for students with dyslexia, advises Noland. This should include early identification and intervention services (think kindergarten), teacher training in multi-sensory language approach, and frequent progress reports and assessments to ensure that the services are working. Academically, an investment at the elementary age can keep students reading on level; emotionally, it gives them confidence and makes them feel included with their peer group. Fiscally, addressing students’ needs now could mean avoiding excessive special ed costs in the later years.