Range Rider

While the Texas Education Code requires a knowledgeable person provide assessment and treatment for students with dyslexia in public schools, the state does not specifically require that the person have a certification. Unfortunately, this means that in some school districts, particularly small, rural districts, the dyslexia teacher may have as few as 20 hours of training. One of the purposes of the HLC is to provide more extensive training to districts that might not be able to send a teacher to Dallas, Lubbock, or Houston for training. The HLC serves a large geographic area with untold numbers of children with dyslexia who need help. To become certified in dyslexia therapy requires a bachelor’s degree, 200 instructional hours, and 700 hours of practicum teaching. The state of Texas offers licensing as a Licensed Dyslexia Therapist to trained therapists who have passed the certification exam and have obtained a master’s degree. The program leading to certification offered through the HLC lasts for two years and involves two weeks of classroom time each summer, as well as four classroom sessions a year during each long semester. Since coming to HSU in 2011, Dr. Dean has trained 37 teachers to work with students with dyslexia and two parents to serve their own children using the program. Currently, there is only space to train four teachers at a time. In addition, HSU graduate students may elect to go through this training program. With the proper facility in place, Dr. Dean could train more teachers and graduate students, who in turn could help more children. With more space, the HLC will have the opportunity to bring in speakers, provide conferences for teachers, and additional in-service trainings on the HSU campus. Dyslexia affects one in five children. However, only about half of those with dyslexia characteristics are identified by the public school system, and most private schools are unequipped to serve students with reading disabilities. Dyslexia therapy is very intensive. On average, it takes 45 minutes a day, four days a week, for two years to get a dyslexic child to grade level. Dr. Dean currently has 11 students with whom she conducts one-on-one dyslexia therapy. With each student at a different level of progression, current students should complete the therapy as soon as four months or as long as three years. Since its founding, the HLC has been located in Abilene Hall, an academic classroom building constructed in 1948. There is no waiting area for children and their families coming to the center, so children typically sit on the floor in the narrow hallway as they wait. Moving the center to another existing building is not an option because the appropriate facility doesn’t exist on campus – or in the area, according to Dr. Perry Kay Brown, Dean of the College of Human Sciences and Educational Studies. While the lack of a waiting area is an inconvenience for children with dyslexia and their families, it could prove problematic for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This is a RANGE RIDER | FALL-WINTER 2017 7