Decoding Dyslexia-AK

10/13/2026

Please read thoroughly:
a screening is NOT a diagnostic assessment!

PSA: if a district does not have valid diagnostic reading assessments as described by 20 USC 6368(7)c and only considers a screening tools [20 USC 6368(7)b] then the decisions for and IEP as explained in -20 USC 6368(7)c - are not being met!!
The term “diagnostic reading assessment”
means an assessment that is—
(i) valid, reliable, and based on scientifically based reading research; and
(ii) used for the purpose of—
(I) identifying a child’s specific areas of strengths and weaknesses so that the
child has learned to read by the end of grade 3;
(II) determining any difficulties that a child may have in learning to read and
the potential cause of such difficulties; and
(III) helping to determine possible reading intervention strategies and related
special needs.
The TOWRE, the CTOPP, the GORT are examples of valid diagnostic measures- more than one is needed! The WIAT is an achievement test - there is nothing wrong with an achievement test ... it's just not designed as a diagnostic test!

10/13/2026

Want to see what happens when parents take their child’s civil rights into their own hands?

This Friday, parents in Florida will continue representing themselves in a special education due process hearing against their school district.

No attorney. No legal team. Just parents willing to stand up and demand accountability through the legal process.

One of the greatest barriers to enforcing the rights of children with disabilities is access to legal representation. Too many families simply cannot afford an attorney, and too few attorneys are willing to take these cases.

But parents do not need an attorney to exercise their right to due process.

These proceedings are generally unfamiliar, intimidating, and incredibly difficult to navigate. Yet families across the country are stepping forward anyway.

We need more parents to understand that due process is not a privilege reserved for families who can afford lawyers. It is a legal right.

This is not my case, and I am not involved in these proceedings. But I believe strongly in supporting parents who are willing to stand up for their children’s rights.

If you’ve ever wondered what a special education due process hearing looks like, here’s an opportunity to observe one.

The more parents understand how to enforce their rights, the harder those rights become to ignore.

Hearing details and public Zoom information are below.

10/13/2026

10/12/2026

Navigating an IEP meeting for a child with dyslexia can feel overwhelming, but clear goals and specific accommodations make all the difference. 📚

Here are 4 key things to focus on during your child's IEP meeting:

1. Structured Literacy Methodology: Ensure reading goals specify explicit, systematic, multi-sensory phonics instruction.
2. Objective Baseline Data: Ask that goals include measurable starting points rather than broad grade-level estimates.
3. Assistive Technology: Request accommodations like audiobooks or text-to-speech software.
4. Frequent Progress Updates: Ask for progress reports every 4–6 weeks to confirm interventions are working.

10/11/2026

Faced with quadratic equations, Richard Scott couldn’t resist the temptation.

The Pennsylvania eighth-grader knew that the Google search box on his school laptop was essentially an AI chatbot that would helpfully spit out answers. He started popping algebra questions into the search bar to quickly finish off his daily schoolwork.

By the end of the school year, Scott’s grades were tanking. He had started leaning on Google’s AI-assisted search for other classes, like when he needed to label the parts of a volcano or write an essay.

His grades in math—a subject he’d done well at previously—suffered the worst. Even though he got mostly B’s in the quarterly marking periods, according to his transcript, he failed the final.

“It slowed my thinking down,” the now-15-year-old said. “When I was in a test and I couldn’t use AI, it was hard to think.”

No tech giant has been more aggressive in putting AI in front of schoolchildren than Google. The search engine juggernaut’s ubiquitous presence in American classrooms through Chromebooks and its software partnerships with schools have provided a critical launchpad for its AI tools to reach kids.

But the rollout has helped push many students to become academically and emotionally dependent on AI, according to interviews with more than 60 teachers, school officials, parents, children and clinicians.

Google’s own researchers have written that the technology can pose elevated risks to children, who struggle to distinguish chatbots from human interaction, and has potential for cognitive and emotional harm, according to interviews with current and former Google employees and a review of more than a dozen Google research papers.

🔗 Read more: https://on.wsj.com/4jIhJeQ

10/10/2026

This. 😢

From MissPurcell 🫶

10/08/2026

10/05/2026

You can watch Left Behind for free during Dyslexia Awareness Month.

This powerful documentary follows a group of mothers fighting to give children with dyslexia the education they deserve.

We’re proud to make this film available to stream for free during Dyslexia Awareness Month. We hope you’ll watch, share with your community, and continue to raise awareness.

Stream for free: bit.ly/4AKqj2F