Welcome back to a brand new semester and the start of a new decade! Garland ISD has exciting things in store this spring. Our 2nd Annual GISD Dyslexia Symposium will be on February 15th at Naaman Forest High School. This month, students in GISD will be taking their middle of the year MAP tests and screening for dyslexia for all first grade students.

Students with dyslexia can be confident and proud to be dyslexic, and many do. . . .if that is how the adults around them present it. Dyslexia should never be a barrier for ANY student and this starts with removing the secrecy of the identification. Through various experiences with students, it can be said that students openly claim dyslexia and learn how to work through it, as a positive part of their identity. It helps them understand the "why" behind their difficulties of school and allows them to acknowledge their strengths and navigate successfully through school with accommodations and recognizing what they need through developing self-advocacy.

Here is a great link regarding this topic from Kyle Redford: http://dyslexia.yale.edu/resources/educators/school-culture/the-privacy-dilemma/

• Many people with dyslexia have problems with spoken language. This has an impact on their ability to express themselves clearly.
• Dyslexia is on a continuum from mild to severe and may look different with each individual
• Some students may pick up on early reading and spelling tasks and later find difficulty when academic language becomes more difficult.
• There is a huge connection with the social-emotional side of students with dyslexia. It is important for students to understand that this is in no way a sign of being "less" intelligent.
• Students will respond to how we present dyslexia. It is not a negative, but rather a difference that can offer some benefits and advantages.
• All students in Kindergarten and 1st grade are screened for dyslexia in GISD. This is a requirement of all schools in Texas!

“Almost all people with dyslexia, however, struggle with spelling and face serious obstacles in learning to cope with this aspect of their learning disability. The definition of dyslexia notes that individuals with dyslexia have “conspicuous problems” with spelling and writing, in spite of being capable in other areas and having a normal amount of classroom instruction. Many individuals with dyslexia learn to read fairly well, but difficulties with spelling (and handwriting) tend to persist throughout life, requiring instruction, accommodations, task modifications, and understanding from those who teach or work with the individual.”

- International Dyslexia Association (IDA)

“You can be extremely bright and still have dyslexia. You just have to understand how you learn and how you process information. When you know that, you can overcome a lot of the obstacles that come with dyslexia. When you figure out how you learn, you can accomplish whatever you want.”- Tim Tebow, Professional Athlete

It is an honor to announce our first Dyslexia Spotlight on Nicole Kelly.

Nicole Kelly is a Dyslexia Therapist at Abbett Elementary. She received her B.S. from The University of North Texas and her M.Ed. from Grand Canyon University. Beginning her educational career as a classroom teacher, she moved into the role of Literacy Specialist, and then into the role of Interventionist. When Garland ISD posted the job for Dyslexia Therapist for the very first time, she knew that was the path she wanted to take. She was hired as a Dyslexia Therapist in Training and received her training at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. Once she completed her training and became a Certified Academic Language Therapist, she then went on to start the journey of becoming a Qualified Instructor in order to train teachers to become therapists. She is currently finishing up the QI certification process while she continues to train teachers and serve her students at Abbett. When she is not working, she loves to travel, read, and spend time outdoors with her husband, Mark and their dog, Lucy.