Lately, I have heard from several parents that while their children struggle with reading they have been unable to get their school to provide accommodations since they "are doing grade level work". However, when I talk further with these parents it becomes clear that their child is doing several extra hours of work at home with a great deal of frustration in order to keep up at school. Their children do not like to read, and avoid it at all costs. They often guess at parts of words, omit words, or substitute with similar sounding words. They often scream with frustration when asked to complete seemingly simple tasks.
These children likely have dyslexia, and parents do NOT have to wait for their child to fall behind in school to receive services. The earlier accommodations are provided, the more likely the child is to succeed. Children with dyslexia need a systematic, multi-sensory, assessment-based reading program to successfully master reading.
Here are two links that provide parents the information they need to take to their school system to both explain dyslexia, and to advocate for appropriate accommodations.
http://blog.reallygoodstuff.com/the-lowdown-on-dyslexia/
http://www.specialeducationadvisor.com/putting-the-d-in-to-the-iep-why-advocating-for-a-child-with-dyslexia-is-so-difficult/
