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Mikulski Co-chairs Committee On “Understanding Dyslexia”

May 10th, 2016 by WCBC Radio

U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), a senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today co-chaired a bipartisan HELP Committee hearing together with Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La). The hearing entitled Understanding Dyslexia: The Intersection of Scientific Research & Education focused on dyslexia, the most common learning disability, and how to get students the resources they need to ensure they are not left behind.

 

“As a former social worker in Baltimore, I have seen firsthand how important it is to get kids the necessary support and services they need to get ahead in the classroom,” Senator Mikulski said. “I believe one of the best things we can do to better address the needs of children with dyslexia and other learning disabilities is to personalize each child’s education, tailor instruction as necessary, and utilize whatever accommodations are available. By focusing on the issue of dyslexia, we can better identify how to get students the resources they need to tackle this challenge head on.”

 

When addressing the needs of those with dyslexia, a one-size-fits-all approach is not working. Dyslexia is defined as “an unexpected difficulty in reading for an individual who has the intelligence to be a much better reader.” It reflects a difficulty in understanding the individual sounds of spoken language which impacts speaking, reading and spelling, and can often impact learning a second language.

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