Embedded Files
Local Resources
The Bodine School & Erika Center
Based in Germantown, Bodine is a private school, and the only one of its kind in the mid-south region. Bodine was founded over 50 years ago and is dedicated to successfully remediating students with dyslexia, through the provision of Orton-Gillingham based dyslexia-specific instruction/intervention, with fidelity. Its mission is "to lead the Mid-South in teaching students with dyslexia to read and succeed".
Both Sara & Kelvina, the founders of Dyslexic Minds 901, have learners who attend or have graduated from Bodine. The work that Bodine does to remediate dyslexic learners is life changing for the families and students that they serve.
Learn more about the Bodine School and the programs it offers, including the summer reading program.
The Erika Center is the outreach arm of The Bodine School. It offers educational opportunities to teachers, parents, and caregivers, throughout the year.
Please follow this link to the Erika Center for more information.
The Shelby Literacy Center (SLC)
Located in Collierville, the Shelby Literacy Center strives to create an environment that is welcoming, safe, and supportive of every individual’s learning goals. They provide personalized support and small-group adult literacy learning opportunities.
The Executive Director, Pam Demato, is a SMILA graduate and a dyslexia advocate. She is experienced in providing dyslexia-specific instruction and interventions to children and adults.
This is the only local adult literacy center that Dyslexic Minds 901 is aware of that has an instructor who utilizes the Orton-Gillingham approach to address the literacy needs of adult learners.
Simultaneous Multi-sensory Institute of Language Arts (SMILA)
For Students
SMILA offers a three-week Summer Reading Clinic for Students. If your child, or a child you know is struggling with reading, reading, writing, or spelling, please consider enrolling them in this summer reading program. The cost is discounted for MSCS students.
For Parents
Parents and caregivers are welcome to attend the Parent Reading Clinic to learn how to support their learner. Kelvina graduated from this IMSLEC* accredited training course, before perusing her accreditation as a dyslexia practitioner from the Academic Language Therapy Association (ALTA).
For Teachers
During summer break, at this this three-week IMSLEC* accredited Teacher Reading Clinic, teachers will learn how to identify characteristics of dyslexia beyond cut-scores, and how to deliver dyslexia-specific instruction in a classroom setting with fidelity. Public school teachers who would like to attend can speak to their Title I coordinator to discuss funding.
Please follow the SMILA link for more information.
*The International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council (IMSLEC) - Standard for Preparation of Dyslexia Teachers and Therapists
Resources to Support Learning Needs
Nessy Learning was founded by Pat and Mike Jones (watch the short film, Mical, on the helpful videos page to learn more about their story). Nessy are best known as advocates for children with dyslexia around the world. The website provides engaging teaching and learning resources for parents, teachers, and dyslexic learners. However, the Nessy programs are not only for dyslexia. According to the website Nessy is widely used for whole class, phonics, math, typing and early reading instruction. Nessy collaborates with some of the world's leading academics, and follows the Science of Reading, to ensure our programs are based upon proven research.
Nessy states that its goal is to provide effective learning to all children, at an affordable cost
The Barton Reading & Spelling System (Bartons)
Bartons is a well-established Orton-Gillingham based dyslexia-specific instructional curriculum that has been used in homeschool community for over 25 years. Before Kelvina qualified as a dyslexia professional, she used Level 1 of this system with one of her learners, even after qualification she continues to use the system as a resource.
The program is designed for intensive one-to-one or small group instruction. It is a scripted program that is intended to be user friendly. However, as you progress through the levels parents and caregivers may prefer to enlist the services of a certified or experienced Barton tutor to deliver the instruction. Qualified teachers, reading specialists, and interventionists, may find it easier to implement the program with fidelity as the levels increase (there are 10 in all). Each student should complete all ten levels to mastery to ensure remediation. The benefit of this system is that you do not have to be trained in all ten levels before you begin.
A certified dyslexia professional will should be able to implement and individualize all levels of the program with fidelity to the Orton-Gillingham approach, once they have completed the training video.
Each level, can cost between $250 and $400, depending on whether it is purchased new or used. This may seem expensive, but for many it is a cost-effective alternative to getting a qualified dyslexia tutor. Qualified dyslexia tutors can cost $60 per hour or more and students will require approximately three sessions per week. Homeschoolers often purchase the levels as a co-op to lessen the expense for each family. The levels can also be resold after completion to help with the purchase of the next level. Parents sometimes find it difficult to implement the higher levels of this program.
The Bartlett City Schools RTI interventionists utilize Barton's with students who are identified as having characteristics of dyslexia.
Law & Guidance
Links to the TN DOE Family Engagement Dyslexia Series (parts 1 & 2 now available
Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE)
TN Understanding Dyslexia: A Guide for Tennessee Parents and Educators
Published in 2016, this is a parent friendly guide to understanding dyslexia and characteristics of dyslexia. It can be used to help parents and teachers identify some of the more common characteristics of dyslexia.
This updated guide is intended for use by school districts and administrators. We have included it here because it contains a lot of the terminology used in meetings attended by parents.
Characteristics of Dyslexia and Dyslexia: Differences and Implications
This 3-page PDF includes an infographic that explains the distinction that the TDOE makes between "characteristics of dyslexia" and dyslexia. Regardless of the distinction, state law mandates that all students with characteristics of dyslexia, and/or dyslexia, must be provided with dyslexia-specific instruction and intervention, with fidelity to address their learning needs.
5 Questions Parents & Educators Can Ask to Start Conversations.
This 3-page digital flyer asks and answers 5 questions that can be bused to start conversations about terms like Learning Disabilities, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, and Dysgraphia. It also includes links to the relevant legislation.
TDOE Family Engagement Series on Dyslexia
The TDOE is hosting a three-part family engagement series for parents to learn more about dyslexia and characteristics of dyslexia. Each opportunity will be a 1.5 hour live virtual event with a short presentation for parents followed by open forum questions. Educators are welcome to attend.
Session one of the first live event was on November 21. The second session was on February 20, 2025. The third and final session is scheduled for April, once more information becomes available it will be posted here. If you would like to join these TDOE meetings you can access the live meeting links here.
The link the recorded meetings will be posted here when they become available:
An Overview for Parents: Characteristics of Dyslexia vs. Dyslexia (SLD)
Characteristics of Dyslexia Screening and Dyslexia-Specific Intervention
April 29 (awaiting link)
Federal Legislation & US Department of Education Guidance
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Sec. 300.8 (c) (10)
The IDEA is the federal legislation that governs the IEP process. This section identifies dyslexia as a "specific learning disability". School districts will often use the term "Specific Learning Disability (SLD) in basic reading" when speaking with parents about dyslexia. The use of this jargon can be unnecessary confusion. According to the US Department of Education, there is no reason why school districts cannot use the term dyslexia, in IDEA evaluation, eligibility determinations, or IEP documents.
A Note from Dyslexic Minds 901
What is a Specific Learning Disability?
Specific Learning Disability (SLD) refers to a group of learning difficulties related to language. These can include perceptual disabilities, brain injuries, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, developmental aphasia, and other challenges. Leaners with an SLD have development that is within the normal range, but they struggle with specific oral or written language skills.
Dyslexia is a type of SLD, but not all SLDs are dyslexia.
It is important to identify a learner's SLD so that they can receive the appropriate remediation. Using cancer as an example, the treatment protocol for cancer differs depending on the type of cancer diagnosed. Different cancers have different treatment protocols. However, the key to successful patient outcomes is early identification and appropriate treatment.
The key to successful outcomes for the dyslexic learner is early identification and appropriate instruction/intervention.
According to the TN Say Dyslexia legislation and TDOE guidelines, students who exhibit “characteristics of dyslexia” (which logically includes dyslexic students) should receive dyslexia-specific instruction/intervention with fidelity. There are no other TDOE recommended protocols.
What is Fidelity?
Fidelity is the accuracy or extent to which special education intervention materials and other curricula are used as intended by the author/publisher (TDOE).
Proper implementation of dyslexia-specific instruction/intervention is crucial. If it is not delivered with fidelity, it cannot truly be considered dyslexia-specific instruction. Instructors must be trained in delivering dyslexia-specific instruction. Qualified individuals should regularly check and monitor the delivery of this specialized instruction to ensure its effectiveness.
Successful intervention relies on faithful implementation!
State, National, International & Online Resources
International Dyslexia Association (IDA)
The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals with dyslexia. It provides advocacy, resources (including on-line dyslexia screeners), and training for educators, families, and professionals to promote effective teaching practices and support for those with dyslexia.
Online Dyslexia Screeners
To Identify the risk of dyslexia for yourself or your learner, consider completing an informal online dyslexia screener. Please note that these screeners do not constitute an evaluation or diagnosis. If you have concerns after completing the relevant screener(s), please speak with your learner’s school, a licensed psychologist, a dyslexia practitioner/therapist, or speech-language pathologist about a comprehensive evaluation.
Dyslexia Screener for Adults - This self-assessment tool helps adults evaluate their reading history and current challenges to determine the likelihood of dyslexia.
Parent Dyslexia Questionnaire for Pre-Schoolers - This tool is specifically designed for parents to assess their child's learning difficulties, including challenges with reading, spelling, and comprehension.
School Age Dyslexia Screener - This tool is intended for use with or by students aged 6-18.
International Dyslexia Association-Tennessee (IDA-TN)
IDA-TN is the Tennessee branch of IDA. It works to raise awareness about dyslexia across the state. It supports efforts to provide information on effective literacy instruction, advocate for early identification, and promote resources for individuals with dyslexia and their families.
Middle State Tennessee University Center for Dyslexia (MTSU)
The Center for Dyslexia at MTSU promotes understanding of dyslexia and works to remove barriers to reading and writing. It provides research-based resources, educator training, student evaluations, and support for families to improve literacy outcomes and empower self-advocacy. Its publication Understanding Dyslexia: A Guide for Tennessee Families is very helpful.
The Intersection of Dialect and Dyslexia with Dr. Julie Washington
Dr. Julie Washington, Ph.D., M.A., CCC-SLP, is a well-known Speech-Language Pathologist and a Fellow of the American Speech Language Hearing Association. Dr. Washington is also a respected professor, author and speaker. Listen to this podcast, as she shares important advice for attending IEP meetings and advocating for your learner.
Made By Dyslexia
Made By Dyslexia is a global charity that is led by successful dyslexics. Their mission is to teach the world the brilliance of Dyslexic Thinking, and to empower it in every home, every workplace, and every school. This website focuses on the positive attributes of dyslexic thinking and has an excellent resource page.
Understood is a nonprofit that seeks to empower people with learning and thinking differences in the United States. The provide resources and support that empower people who learn and think differently to thrive — in school, at work, and throughout life. in addition to dyslexia Understood also addresses, ADHD, dyscalculia, language disorders, and written expression disorder.
British Dyslexia Association (BDA)
The British Dyslexia Association (BDA) aims to be the voice of dyslexic people as they strive to influence the British government and other institutions to promote a dyslexia friendly society that enables dyslexic people of all ages to reach their full potential. The BDA's vision is to have a world where people with dyslexia can flourish. Their mission is to change society by removing barriers so that everyone with dyslexia can reach their full potential in education, in employment and in life.
The BDA site provides a wealth of relevant information about dyslexia, and some excellent resources.
A Note for Parents & Caregivers from Dyslexic Minds 901
Dyslexic Minds 901 specializes in providing customized professional learning opportunities to schools, employers, and community organizations. Our mission is to raise awareness about neurodiversity, dyslexia, and effective dyslexia remediation, while highlighting the unique strengths of dyslexic thinking—helping learners unlock their full potential.
Since launching Dyslexic Minds 901, many of you have reached out to us for guidance and support. Your personal stories have touched and inspired us. We are dedicated to supporting your family’s dyslexia journey and hope you find these resources helpful. If you would like to connect, email us at info@dyslexicminds901.com to schedule a free 30-minute virtual consultation. You are not alone in this journey.
Dyslexic Minds 901 also offers these additional services to parents and caregivers:
Reading tutoring
Certified dyslexia professionals provide personalized instruction to help students develop strong literacy skills and become confident readers
Test of Dyslexia screenings and assessments
More comprehensive than standard school screeners, our assessments provide clear, practical recommendations for parents, caregivers and advocates. While they are not comprehensive speech-language or psychological evaluations, our reports do include targeted intervention recommendations and suggested learning accommodations, to help your learner thrive.
Advocacy and support:
We assist you in advocating for your learner, including attending meetings to ensure they receive the services they need.
Dyslexia awareness professional development:
Make a positive impact by inviting Dyslexic Minds 901 to speak at your school’s parent-teacher organization, church, or community group.
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