Bill focuses on dyslexia screening

Tiffany L. Parks
Special to the Legal News

A bill that would specify dyslexia as a specific learning disability and require a 3-year pilot project to provide early screening and intervention has been introduced into the Ohio General Assembly.

House Bill 572 was born out of concerns presented to Rep. Ted Celeste, D-Columbus, by members of the International Dyslexia Association. Celeste, the sponsor of the bill, said he’s been working with the group for the past year.

“There are concerns that Ohio is not doing enough to identify, screen and assist those with dyslexia,” he said, noting that he also took a look at what other states were doing before introducing the proposed legislation.

Entrepreneur Janis Mitchell said that as young child, teachers told her mother that she would never grow to be a functioning adult.

“Reading and reading comprehension have always been an issue for me,” said Mitchell, who was diagnosed as dyslexic around the time she was in first grade and went on to surpass that teacher’s prediction.

“So many kids are constantly told that they are lazy or stupid when that is not the case at all.”

Mitchell, the former vice president of the Central Ohio Branch of the International Dyslexia Association, worked alongside Celeste in mapping out HB 572 and said if the disorder is identified at an early age it can save both children and parents trouble, frustration and self confidence.

The legislation seeks to formally define dyslexia as “a specific learning disorder that is neurological in origin and that is characterized by difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities,” where difficulties traditionally arise from a deficit in the phonological component of language.

Celeste said that in meeting with various people who have battled against dyslexia, such as Mitchell, it became apparent that early diagnosis and treatment is ideal. When left unidentified, he said, the disorder can cause children to feel inadequate and then open the possibility of them slipping through education system cracks.

The proposed pilot project would create a partnership between a school district and a regional library or library system in three settings - urban, rural and suburban. The project, which would be mandated to operate for three full school years, would study the effectiveness of early reading assistance programs for children with dyslexia and evaluate whether those programs can reduce special education costs in the future.

Celeste said the pilot isn’t designed to place an undue burden on the state’s education or library systems and believes it “could be a great savings in the long run to the educational system.”

Earl Oremus, the headmaster at Marburn Academy, a Columbus-based school that specializes in working with dyslexic students, said he is pleased that HB 572 is rooted in early screening and intervention.

Oremus is a staunch supporter of early identification and said it can be “enormously effective” for children with learning disabilities.

“It is extremely damaging to fail in school,” he said, adding that a child who is convinced that he or she will not be able to read by the fourth grade could also conclude that school isn’t for them.

“If we do the right things early, we can prevent failures in reading levels,” he said.

Celeste said he is glad HB 572 gained the support of more than two dozen co-sponsors.

“I knew there was a great deal of interest from both sides of the aisle and hopefully this is a sign that it has a good chance to move forward,” he said.

The legislation will be highlighted by members of all three Ohio branches of the International Dyslexia Association at the organization’s 2nd annual Dyslexia Awareness Rally. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 6 on the south lawn of the Ohio statehouse and will include testimony from dyslexics, music, a dyslexia simulation and artwork.

IDA has more than 50 branches throughout the country and has a mission of supporting dyslexia-based legislation and increasing awareness of the disorder and related learning disabilities through community partnerships, early intervention and training and education. For more information on the rally, visit the central Ohio branch’s website at www.cobida.org.

Calling herself a “serial entrepreneur,” Mitchell has founded a non-profit organization called DOOR - Dyslexics Opening Opportunities to Respect - and says she has found joy in sharing her story, especially with children trying to overcome the disorder.

“I see kids who are 9, 10 and I talk to them,” she said. “I tell them that I had a 1.7 grade-point average and I barely got accepted into (The Ohio State University) and it took me nine years to finish but I succeeded. And by the way, I’m dyslexic.”

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