Dyslexia and Its Profiles: A Practical Guide for Teachers and School Leaders

Dyslexia manifests differently in each student, and these distinctions are significant for instructional and support strategies. Although dyslexia is defined by well-established primary characteristics, there is considerable variability in the expression, severity, and impact of these characteristics, as well as in students’ responses to instruction and intervention. A single-deficit explanation does not sufficiently account for every learner. Understanding dyslexia as existing along a continuum enables recognition of the unique patterns of strengths and needs that shape each student’s learning profile.   

During this webinar, Casey Harrison will help educators understand the variability of dyslexia using accessible language, with a focus on instructional implications. The session will examine how these differences present across individual learners, reasons why some individuals continue to exhibit signs of dyslexia following intervention, the nature of long-term patterns, and strategies for ensuring students receive appropriate support across instructional tiers throughout their academic careers and as they transition beyond the K–12 environment. 

Harrison also will provide an overview of ongoing discussions about the 21st Century Dyslexia Act and the potential implications of proposed changes to the representation of dyslexia within the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for educators. Currently, dyslexia is explicitly identified within the broader category of Specific Learning Disability (SLD) under IDEA. This discourse will highlight the importance of specificity in identification, while emphasizing that identification is only one aspect of understanding an individual learner’s needs. Harrison will relate this discussion to the dyslexia continuum, examining the connections among identification, individual learning profiles, and evidence-based instructional decision-making. 

Educators will walk away with a clearer understanding of: 

• What dyslexia looks like in real students and why its characteristics can vary for learners
• How dyslexia exists along a continuum of strengths and needs and may present differently as children grow, receive instruction and intervention, and encounter changing academic demands
• Why naming dyslexia matters for instruction and intervention while recognizing that a diagnosis alone does not tell us exactly what an individual student needs next
• How proposed changes to the way dyslexia and SLD are represented and documented within IDEA could influence support for students with learning differences

This session will help teachers, specialists, and school leaders develop more effective and accurate support systems by moving beyond identification toward a deeper understanding of individual learners. By acknowledging dyslexia’s variability and linking each student’s learning profile to instructional decision-making, educators can more precisely determine the next steps needed for student success.