ANKENY, Iowa — In May, Governor Kim Reynolds signed a new law aimed at improving literacy in schools, and teachers say the new guidelines can especially help students with dyslexia.
October is Dyslexia Awareness Month, and dyslexia is one of the most common learning disabilities. It affects about one in five children and it is genetic. If a parent has dyslexia, their child has a 50% chance of also being dyslexic.
Dyslexia is the inability to decode properly, and it can look different for students.
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Megan Schmelzer is the owner and lead teacher at the Little White Schoolhouse, a tutoring center in Ankeny. She said many students with dyslexia attend her schoolhouse for extra guidance. Over the years, dyslexic students have described their different experiences to her. Some describe letters as looking like a word scramble. Others describe them as a debt calculator, where they spin. Another common analogy is alphabet soup…