Dyslexia Support

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that affects reading, writing, and spelling. It is characterized by difficulties in phonological processing, which leads to difficulties recognizing, decoding, and spelling words.  

The official definition of dyslexia was written by the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) in 2002.  The IDA Website has many great resources with more information about dyslexia.  Understood.org also has some great resources about dyslexia.

Dyslexia has a neurological basis and is often linked to differences in the brain's language processing areas. It tends to run in families, suggesting a genetic component.

Official diagnosis typically involves a comprehensive evaluation by a psychologist, and includes tests for reading ability, language skills, and cognitive processing.  While school districts can not officially diagnose dyslexia, they can screen for characteristics of dyslexia, and such screeners can garner similar information to an official assessment.   DCSD schools have access to a dyslexia screening tool that can determine whether your child shows characteristics of dyslexia. 

Signs can vary by age but may include:

• Difficulty with phonemic awareness (recognizing sounds in words)
• Trouble with spelling
• Slow or inaccurate reading
• Difficulty understanding written text
• Avoidance of reading-related activities

No. If a parent comes with a diagnosis of dyslexia from a private, outside evaluation, IDEA requires schools to consider the results of that evaluation if it meets the school's criteria. The school will still have to conduct its own evaluation to determine eligibility for an IEP.  Dyslexia exists on a continuum from mild to severe.  Some students will qualify for an IEP, some will qualify for a 504 Plan, and some will thrive with high-quality classroom instruction.  It is helpful to note that “Dyslexia”  is not a disability category on an IEP.  Rather, students with dyslexia or characteristics of dyslexia would qualify under “Specific Learning Disability in Reading.”

There is no cure for dyslexia, but effective instruction and interventions can help individuals manage their symptoms and improve their reading skills.  The closest thing we have to a cure is strong structured literacy instruction. 

Structured literacy programs are very effective for supporting students with dyslexia. These programs focus on explicit teaching of phonics, spelling, reading, and writing.  There are many strong structured literacy interventions used within DCSD, including Orton Gillingham and UFLI. 

No, dyslexia is not related to intelligence. Many individuals with dyslexia are highly intelligent and may excel in other areas, such as creative thinking or problem-solving.

lnordheim@dcsdk12.org

Lynni was thrilled to join the DougCo family as the District Dyslexia Specialist in October 2023. In her first year on the job, she has enjoyed getting to know many teachers and leaders in the district as they collaborate to support teachers and schools in the important work of helping all students become capable and confident readers.  There is so much passion for literacy and dyslexia support within our district, and Lynni finds it invigorating and encouraging to work alongside so many advocates for the basic human right of literacy.

Lynni has worked in public education for 20 years. She started her teaching career in Las Vegas, followed by 10 years in Boston, then relocated to Colorado in 2020. Over the past two decades, she has served as a classroom teacher, reading interventionist, literacy coach, Certified Dyslexia Practitioner, and worked on a central office literacy team.  Prior to joining DCSD, she worked in Denver Public Schools as a member of the district literacy team, where she designed and facilitated district-wide professional learning and coaching.

Supporting striving readers and students with characteristics of dyslexia has always been her passion, as she believes it is our responsibility as public schools to provide all kids with the basic human right of literacy. Regardless of the challenges a student faces, including dyslexia, their ability to read shouldn't be determined by whether or not their family can afford private tutoring. Equipped with the right knowledge, skills, tools, and systems, all schools are highly capable of helping all readers thrive.

When Lynni saw the job posting for the District Dyslexia Specialist position, she was inspired by the vision of Douglas County--the district is clearly committed to supporting all students in becoming proficient readers, and creating a position that focuses on students with dyslexia/characteristics of dyslexia is a testament to this commitment. She is proud to be part of a district that cares so deeply about all learners, and is committed to supporting teachers and schools so wholeheartedly.

In addition to being a fierce advocate for literacy, Lynni is an avid hiker.  She and her husband and kids moved to Colorado in 2020 to be closer to the best mountains in the country!  In addition to mountaineering adventures, she enjoys reading, yoga, and spending time with her energetic 9 and 11 year old sons. 

nancy.wensuc@dcsdk12.org

Nancy has had the honor of working in Douglas County for the past 24 years. She worked as a classroom teacher, literacy specialist, PLS, RTI coordinator, and Orton-Gillingham Trainer. So, while she is familiar with Douglas County (she has worked with many of you over the past few years), she is still relatively new to her  role as a Dyslexia Literacy Specialist at the district, having started during the 23-24 school year. 

Upon her  retirement in 2023, she knew she was not ready to walk away from education. Becoming a Dyslexia Literacy Specialist has been her passion throughout her 30 years in education.  She was thrilled to accept a part-time 110-day contract with the district. 

Her path in supporting students started with Wilson and Foundations training, where she was certified at Level I. Next came LETRS training, followed by Orton-Gillingham and Morphology. Orton-Gillingham is a diagnostic, explicit, systematic, Multi-sensory structured language intervention that builds high accuracy, knowledge, and independence for students with written-language disorders, including dyslexia. She worked with a Fellow in Orton-Gillingham named Ron Yoshimoto. Upon completing her practicum, she became certified in the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators at the Classroom Educator Level. She been one of the district's Orton-Gillingham trainers for seven years. She has helped train hundreds of educators, support teachers through cohorts, full-day ongoing retraining courses, and, most importantly, support educators in their classrooms.

dpowell1@dcsdk12.org

Dyann pursued a master’s degree and training as a dyslexia therapist after her youngest daughter was diagnosed with dyslexia at age 7. She homeschooled her daughter using an Orton Gillingham approach and then decided to get more training so she could go on to help more students. After obtaining her master’s, she took a national certifying exam through the Academic Language Therapy Association to become a Certified Academic Language Therapist. In order to take the exam, Dyann had to complete 200 instructional hours, over 700 practicum hours, and 10 observations. A CALT is a highly trained specialist who uses brain-based approaches to help students with dyslexia. CALT’s provide diagnostic, explicit, systematic, Multisensory structured language intervention which builds a high degree of accuracy, knowledge, and independence for students with written-language disorders, including students with dyslexia. She is continuing her training to become a Qualified Instructor so that she can train others in this work. Dyann is also a Certified Structured Literacy Dyslexia Specialist through the Center for Effective Reading Instruction, which is an affiliate of the International Dyslexia Association.

The 23-24 school year was Dyann’s first year with the district as a Literacy/Dyslexia Specialist. She has had the privilege of piloting a new program from Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children’s Center for Dyslexia. The program, called JET, is designed specifically for ages 14 and up as a fast-paced dyslexia intervention. The hospital has a long-standing reputation for excellence with their highly researched intervention, Take Flight. Dyann has been able to use JET with a student at one of

the district’s middle schools. It is designed to be used a minimum of 4 days a week for 1 school year. She has seen incredible growth in this student by using the program. This student had 2 full years of growth, as measured by i-Ready, in just the first semester. She is currently  providing this intervention to more students during the 24-25 school year.