4 Accommodations Every Student with Dyslexia Should Receive

According to the International Dyslexia Association, there are four basic types of
accommodations students with dyslexia need to succeed. These accommodations
include Presentation, Response, Setting, and Timing/Scheduling. In standard school
settings, these accommodations are made during instruction and assessment periods.
Students with dyslexia read letters and words differently than they appear, and therefore
benefit from presentation accommodations such as larger fonts, visual prompts,
repeated instructions, verbal instructions and highlighted text. These accommodations
are all materials delivered in non-standard formats to assist students in completing
tasks.

How a student receives information will ultimately guide how they respond or answer.
Response accommodations allow students to demonstrate their knowledge or skills
differently than their peers. Examples include alternative answer sheets, reciting
answers in song format, or on a digital device such as an audio recorder.
Students with dyslexia need a safe environment where they feel comfortable learning,
exploring and asking questions. Setting accommodations coordinate alternative
locations for students to complete exams and tasks without visual or auditory
distractions.

Dyslexia is a neurobiological disorder that impacts how the brain processes information.
That’s why time and scheduling accommodations are necessary for students with
dyslexia to complete tasks accurately and to the best of their ability. Whether the
response time is prolonged, split up with breaks or held at different times of day,
students with dyslexia greatly benefit from accommodations to their schedule.

All four basic types of accommodations go hand-in-hand. Without presentation
accommodations, students would need more time to understand and respond to
questions. This would make finding a setting for assessments and instruction time more
difficult. For these accommodations to have the greatest impact, students need a
customized plan for receiving all of the above.

For more information about accommodations and dyslexia services, please visit
www.dyslexiahouston.org or follow us on social media @dyslexiaschoolhtx.