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At the time of this writing, a growing number of states in the U.S. either have passed or have pending legislation for the appropriate identification and the timely treatment of dyslexia. Unfortunately however, many states, have yet to develop such laws and guidelines. To date, this state-by-state process has been very slow and time-consuming for those whose lives are affected by some form of dyslexia.

On January 10, 2014, however, Congressmen Bill Cassidy, M.D., the Co-Chair of the House Dyslexia Caucus, submitted a resolution (H.Res. 456, 113th Congress) calling for the U.S. House of Representatives to acknowledge the impact of dyslexia and urge schools and educational agencies to address its impact on students. Dr. Cassidy released the following statement:

Dyslexia affects millions of Americans, including many students. We know that many with dyslexia are among our brightest and most successful. If dyslexia is identified in elementary school and the appropriate resources are given to these children, America can produce more teachers, more scientists and more entrepreneurs. This resolution pushes schools and educational agencies to address this challenge and provide evidence-based solutions for dyslexic students.

Rep. Cassidy’s resolution represents a giant step forward for the many who care about dyslexia — parents, teachers, dyslexic children and adults. This Resolution has the potential to impact the country, not just one state. For this reason and others, the effects of this legislation would be historical---and so helpful to many. Science has brought understanding and clarity to dyslexia in recent years. This Resolution by Representative Cassidy now calls for educators and testing agencies to catch up and put this powerful knowledge to work so that the 15-20% of U.S. children with dyslexia, their families and our entire nation may benefit. Please contact your local congressperson to express your opinion on this issue. (See the Find Your Representative link to follow.)

With the potential for passing such a resolution with national implications, there would arise an even greater need for more assistive technology---both low-tech AND high tech solutions for helping students with dyslexia and other reading challenges. However, these solutions will be required to provide evidence of appropriate research and proof of the technologies' successful use in the field. In other words, they will need to be research-based tools, strategies and methods.

On a related matter, the most current statistics from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, November 2013) indicate that approximately 11% of children 4-17 years of age (6.4 million) have been diagnosed with ADHD as of 2011. In addition, the percentage of children with an ADHD diagnosis continues to increase, from 7.8% in 2003 to 9.5% in 2007 and to 11.0% in 2011. All too often, children challenged with the symptoms of ADHD (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder) experience focus, tracking, comprehension and retention problems when reading. For them as well, the need for appropriate, research-based tools and strategies is growing.

One such group of these research-based tools is called the Reading Focus Cards (Patent 7,565,859). With 2 independent studies of the tools completed, they have been shown to not only improve focus and tracking for students but also measurably improve some students' reading rates, a surprising outcome of the formal and more recent focus study conducted in a Central Missouri high school. In addition, the Reading Focus Cards have shown that they help many readers with ADHD, dyslexia and other issues that impact reading success (Apserger's, autism, stroke/TBI recovery, low vision, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's).

For more detailed information about the 2 independent focus studies of the evidence-based Reading Focus Cards, visit http://www.focusandread.com/page/481317852.

For actual, unsolicited testimonials for the Reading Focus Cards, please visit http://www.focusandread.com/rfc-testimonials.

Sources & Resources

Urge Your Congressional Rep. to Support House Resolution on Dyslexia, #456. Contact Your Representative Now! by Sally Shaywitz, MD & Bennett Shaywitz, MD of The Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity
http://dyslexia.yale.edu/CassidyHResJan2014.html

Cassidy Calls For Schools To Help Dyslexic Students---Jan 10, 2014---Press Release (Link to a copy of the Resolution is included here.)
http://cassidy.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/cassidy-calls-for-schools-to-help-dyslexic-students

Find Your Representative (in the U.S. House of Representatives)
http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

Dyslexia Laws in the USA by Martha Youman & Nancy Mather
http://www.academia.edu/3075019/Dyslexia_Laws_in_the_USA

The International Dyslexia Association
http://www.interdys.org/

Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)---Data & Statistics (in the U.S.)
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/data.html

For information on customizable reading tools for ADHD & other reading challenges:
www.FocusandRead.com Tools for struggling readers of all ages!
www.BrennanInnovators.com Info & support for struggling readers
314-892-3897

Image courtesy of:
Devereaux Cannon and Dave Martucci: http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us-16.html and
Brennan Innovators, LLC at www.focusandread.com

Tips & Tools to Help Struggling Readers

Is FOCUSING a struggle for your child or students when they attempt to read? Or is COMPREHENSION more of a problem? Could the root of the issue actually be memory and RETENTION?

Teachers are well aware that from Kindergarten to second grade, children LEARN to READ. However, beginning in third grade, children READ to LEARN. There is a significant difference between the learning objectives for these two stages of a child’s academic development. When children have LEARNED or mastered the skills to READ, they begin to APPLY those reading skills to all other learning. Unfortunately, if a child has not yet mastered the ability to read, all other learning can be quite challenging or even significantly delayed.

As a result, the third grade is very often the time when student reading issues begin to be noticed. If you are a teacher, you may already have some concerns about a few students struggling to read even though it is very early in the new school year. As the parent of a challenged reader, you may have noticed that attempting to read a story or do homework are almost painful for your child---AND you! You may see that your child appears to be working TOO hard just to READ.

What can be done to begin to help a struggling child or student with these focusing and reading challenges? We have gathered a few tips here involving "color" that we think will give you a place to start. We hope they will help your child or students to enjoy much more reading SUCCESS!

Colorful Tips & Tools for Struggling Readers

1. Reading Focus Cards---These customizable tools combine all the features of many other traditional reading tools and more. The Reading Focus Cards (Patent 7,565,759) isolate 1 to 2 lines of text on a page (depending on font size) AND block out more surrounding text than any other tool available. In addition, these tools allow the reader to change white page backgrounds with a chosen colored filter (included in each package). Because of these features, the Reading Focus Cards can be especially helpful for:

-ADHD
-Dyslexia
-Convergence insufficiency
-Autism
-Low vision
-Stroke recovery or TBI issues
-Other conditions that impact reading success.

The inexpensive Reading Focus Cards can also be used with e-readers like Kindles, Nooks, etc. (Model #001-Shorter) and e-tablets like iPads, Android tablets, etc. (Model #002-Longer) to promote even more focus and concentration. For more information about these unique reading tools, visit http://www.focusandread.com/products.

2. Colored Paper---When reading printed media such as worksheets and other documents, consider requesting that they be copied on colored paper instead of the traditional white paper. Your local school or office supply store will usually be able to provide a ream of several colors to try in one package. Try a DIFFERENT color of paper each week until the BEST color for reading is determined. This color will promote more FOCUS and EYE COMFORT than the other colors. As a result, not only will the individual reader experience more focus, but better comprehension and retention will also be possible.

3. Colored Overlays---Try placing a colored yet transparent plastic sheet over a page of text to be read. These transparent but colored plastic sheets can be purchased at some office or art supply stores. Consider trying a variety of different colored sheets, one color at a time with a resting interval between each color’s trial. There is a good possibility that one particular sheet color may provide more focus and eye comfort for the reader than other colored sheets. Experiment with pastel colors as well as bright ones. Introducing the best or most helpful color can positively impact the appearance of the printed text for a reader with symptoms of dyslexia or other reading challenges. With the use of the most appropriate color, an individual reader may report that the letters “stopped moving”, “waving out” or “shadowing” on the page of text.

These three tips employ color to change white backgrounds on pages of text. A white background can cause what is often called visual stress for some readers. This can be especially troublesome when the text on the page is black. The contrast between the text and the background can be too stark. As a result, such readers often struggle with focusing, which also affects attention and comprehension. These visually-stressed readers can also experience fatigue much sooner, and their retention is often significantly impacted.

If you try the strategies described above here, and the reading problems persist, consider visiting (or suggesting a visit to) a developmental optometrist. This medical professional can test, evaluate, diagnose and treat children, teens and adults with vision-related reading challenges. Please keep in mind that an individual of any age can have 20/20 vision (determined by a traditional optometrist or optician) and yet still have a vision-related reading challenge. To locate such a developmental optometrist in your area, please visit the website of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD) at http://covd.org.

Sources

Press Release - Patented ADHD Reading Tools Can Help ALL Kinds of Readers
http://www.pressreleasepoint.com/patented-adhd-reading-tools-can-help-all-kinds-readers

For information on customizable reading tools:
www.FocusandRead.com Tools for struggling readers of all ages!
www.BrennanInnovators.com Info & support for struggling readers
314-892-3897

Image courtesy of: Brennan Innovators, LLC: http://www.focusandread.com/blog/post/3537480