It is easy to forget how helpful the PTA (Parent Teacher Association) can be until you look at the extensive national website at www.pta.org. Having a child with learning differences like dyslexia can mean that your learner may receive special support at school.

Support can come through an individual education plan (IEP) or through a 504 plan. Both plans provide support in many ways over time to help students reach grade level or optimal learning targets. Two common ways to support learning deficits are through interventions and accommodations.

The most common learning difficulty is with reading. About 80% of learners identified with a reading disability have dyslexia. (International Dyslexia Assn.) When students struggle to read at grade level, they most commonly receive reading intervention. Intervention is usually specialized instruction in reading that happens in addition to the reading instruction in the classroom. Sometimes students go to another classroom or with another teacher for intervention.

An accommodation changes how a student learns the material without lowering the expectation for what is learned. Assistive technology (AT) is one form of accommodation. AT tools include audiobooks, speech to text, and text to speech tools like Scanning Pens.

Research supports the use of these tools to help with reading while intervention continues.

If you have a child with learning differences like dyslexia, they may have an individual education plan (IEP) or a 504 plan to support them in school.

It is helpful to know that the national PTA offers extensive resources to help parents navigate these sometimes-confusing topics. You can access National PTA’s complete Special Education Toolkit online. The toolkit includes help for many topics.

The PTA might not be the first place you think of for support with learning differences. Did you know that the PTA was founded in February of 1897 and is the oldest and largest child advocacy association in America? Their mission is to make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children.

As a parent or teacher, the PTA provides both a national wealth of resources and a local network of support. There is a national guide for state resources linked at the end of this blog.

The next time you need support for a school related issue – like dyslexia – don’t forget to tap into your local or national PTA. You will be glad you did!

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