#Bridgeport CT–Senator Marilyn Moore (D-Bridgeport) celebrated the unanimous, bipartisan passage of a bill on Wednesday that will ensure special education teachers are trained to identify and address dyslexia.
House Bill 7254 aims to improve the quality of education received by students with dyslexia by requiring special education teachers to complete a course of study and have supervised practicum hours in the detection and recognition of students who have dyslexia.
“Children with dyslexia deserve a proper education, but that can’t happen unless they are first properly diagnosed. There are too many cases where children in our school systems aren’t receiving the help they deserve because of misdiagnosis. It’s frustrating for the teacher, for the parent, and most importantly it’s frustrating and detrimental for the student,” Sen. Moore, a member of the legislature’s Education Committee, said. “I applaud my colleagues in the Education Committee for putting forth this important piece of legislation that will aid children in overcoming the hardships associated with dyslexia. Every student deserves a proper education and we need to continue to do everything we can to ensure that all children with learning disabilities have the necessary resources to succeed.”
Dyslexia is defined as a learning disability that affects reading, specifically spelling and word recognition. Dyslexia is a neurobiological disorder and is often inconsistent with a student’s other cognitive abilities. It is estimated that 15-20% of children struggle with this condition.
Early detection of dyslexia allows children to receive proper treatment which in turn saves districts money in regards to their special education service costs. If dyslexia in a child is undiagnosed, a district may believe that the child is suffering from another disability and thus pay for unneeded or inapplicable treatment services.
This bill will ensure that special education teachers are equipped to identify students who are struggling with dyslexia, rather than another learning disability, and get them the help they need.
HB 7254 passed in the House 136-69 on April 19 and in the Senate on May 3. It will next go to the desk of Governor Dannel P. Malloy for final consideration.
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