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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2019 - 2020
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | September 16, 2019 11:11 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Robert M. Tomlinson |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Dyslexia Awareness Month |
| In the near future, I will be introducing a resolution designating October 2019 as “Dyslexia Awareness Month” in Pennsylvania. Developmental Reading Disorder (DRD), or dyslexia, occurs when there is a problem in areas of the brain that help interpret language. The disorder is a specific information processing problem that does not interfere with one's ability to think or to understand complex ideas. Students with dyslexia are likely to struggle with many aspects of academic learning, are at a higher risk of dropping out of school entirely and often go years without being properly diagnosed. According to the International Dyslexia Association, Dyslexia affects 1 in 10 individuals, many of whom remain undiagnosed and receive little or no intervention services. For some individuals who have never been diagnosed, dyslexia is a hidden disability which may result in underemployment, difficulty navigating academic environments, difficulty on the job, and reduced self-confidence. Even those who have been diagnosed are likely to struggle with reading or writing in some aspects of their lives. Dyslexia is a specific reading disorder and does not reflect low intelligence. Symptoms include slow or inaccurate reading, poor spelling, poor writing or mixing up similar words. Dyslexia affects individuals throughout their lives; however, its impact can change at different stages in a person’s life. The goal of my resolution is to call attention to this often misunderstood language-based learning disability and the large percentage of residents in the Commonwealth who experience one or more symptoms. |
Introduced as SR207