RÉSUMÉ DIGEST
Act 206 (HB 871) 2020 Regular Session Marino
New law provides a uniform definition of dyslexia for existing law purposes.
Existing law provides as follows with respect to dyslexia:
(1)Existing law requires the State Bd. of Elementary and Secondary Education to adopt
a program for testing students for dyslexia and related disorders and requires school
boards to provide remediation for dyslexic students in accordance with the program;
prior law defined "dyslexia" for this purpose as a language processing disorder which
may be manifested by difficulty processing expressive or receptive, oral or written
language despite adequate intelligence, educational exposure, and cultural
opportunity.
(2)Existing law requires every child in public school in grades K-3 to be screened at
least once for the existence of certain impediments, including dyslexia; prior law
defined "dyslexia" for this purpose as in (1) above.
(3)Existing law requires, upon the request of a parent, student, or school personnel who
has reason to believe that a student has a need to be tested for dyslexia, that a student
be referred for testing; prior law defined "dyslexia" for this purpose as difficulty with
the alphabet, reading, reading comprehension, writing, and spelling in spite of
adequate intelligence, exposure, and cultural opportunity.
New law defines"dyslexia" for all existing law purposes as an unexpected difficulty in
reading for an individual who has the intelligence to be a much better reader, most commonly
caused by a difficulty in phonological processing, which affects the ability of an individual
to speak, read, and spell; provides that "phonological processing" means the appreciation of
the individual sounds of spoken and written language.
Effective Aug. 1, 2020.
(Amends R.S. 17:7(11)(d)(i) and 2112(B))