Opinion: Let’s not hurt students with dyslexia
Recently, New Jersey passed two laws to help students with dyslexia. The motives for these bills were worthy: Many schools fail to give students with dyslexia the help they need, causing them and their families extreme, prolonged and unnecessary emotional pain.
Fortunately, the bill that trains teachers to help students with dyslexia may prove effective. Unfortunately, the other bill, which uses a neurologically based definition, may inadvertently perpetuate and perhaps intensify the neglect and suffering of students with dyslexia who don’t display hard neurological signs.
Much will depend on New Jersey’s yet-to-be written rules and regulations.
In any case, New Jersey can prevent this potential problem. It can require its graduate-level, state-certified reading specialists to evaluate students who may suffer from dyslexia, using New Jersey’s current definition of learning disabilities. Most students with dyslexia will fit this definition if reading specialists apply it as written. For many students and their parents, this will eliminate the first barrier to getting the help they so desperately need.
Howard Margolis
