Special Education Services - Dyslexia

Our mission is to provide guidance to educators, students, families, and community members about dyslexia, and the best practices for identification, intervention, and support for students with dyslexia. This guidance is intended to assist school-based decision-making teams in making appropriate educational programming decisions for students with dyslexia. It can also serve as a starting point when additional resources are needed to support students.

Oklahoma recognizes dyslexia as a disability under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. A letter dated January 17, 2014, from the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) identified that Oklahoma “has ensured that policies and procedures are in place to ensure that all children suspected of having a disability, including dyslexia, are identified, located, and evaluated to determine whether they require special education and related services.”

Dyslexia and Dysgraphia Handbook

The purpose of the Oklahoma Dyslexia Handbook is to provide guidance to educators, students, families, and community members about Dyslexia, including best practices for identification, intervention, and support for children with Dyslexia.

This handbook has been updated as of November 2024 due to the passing of the Strong Readers Act. Please see the additional guidance regarding all of the changes to the 2023 version of the document.

• Dyslexia and Dysgraphia Handbook Updates, November 1, 2024

Dyslexia Support for Educators

State statute, Title 70 Section 6-194, requires all schools to provide dyslexia awareness professional development for all certified staff. The OSDE will provide online modules and opportunities to assist districts with meeting this requirement. Dyslexia awareness professional development must include training in identifying dyslexia indicators, and effective classroom instruction to meet the needs of students with Dyslexia; as well as identifying available dyslexia resources for teachers, students, and parents.

Characteristics of Dyslexia

Students with dyslexia are likely to perform poorly on measures of phonological processing, decoding non-words, and developing an adequate pool of sight words. According to research, the major cognitive correlates of dyslexia include weaknesses in one or more of the following abilities: phonological awareness, orthographic awareness, memory, rapid naming, and perceptual speed.

The National Center for Learning Disabilities projects that one in five individuals have a specific learning disability.

• Dyslexia is one of the leading causes of reading difficulties among students.

• Of students identified with specific learning disabilities, 70-80% have deficits in reading.

• The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) further notes that the most common type of reading, writing, and/or spelling disability is dyslexia.

Evaluation Process for Dyslexia

The school's multidisciplinary team determines what assessments are necessary to complete a comprehensive evaluation for a specific learning disability as outlined in the Special Education Services Policy and Procedures Manual.