Accommodations for Students with Dyslexia

Accommodations for Students with Dyslexia

By the International Dyslexia Association

Road to Success for Students with Dyslexia:

Intervention and Accommodations—with

Appropriate Intensity and Duration

An accommodation is not a substitute for

appropriate intervention-remediation. An

accommodation, such as extended time, can

be the bridge between success and failure

for a student with dyslexia—the critical

difference that levels the playing field. To

achieve this success, students with dyslexia

usually require a purposefully planned

combination of intervention-remediation

(with appropriate intensity and duration)

and accommodations:

• Intervention specific to the patterns of

individual strengths and challenges of

each student provides the opportunity for

academic achievement; this specialized

instruction is not a crutch but a lifeline.

• Accommodations level the playing field for

students with dyslexia and other learning

disabilities; they do not give an unfair

advantage.

• As either a parent or a teacher, do not

assume a student learns the same way

you do.

• Always keep the goal in mind—and plan

instruction, assessment, and

accommodations accordingly.

Please note that this fact sheet does not

provide a comprehensive list of

accommodations—only a sampling of

options. It is up to families and each

student’s instructional team to explore

alternatives as they plan the optimal

combination of instruction and

accommodations that is the best match for

each student.