Understanding Dyslexia Through the Lens of Case Studies
Understanding Dyslexia in Connecticut
This resource collection was developed through the Connecticut Dyslexia Awareness Collaborative (CT-DAC) to build a shared and accurate understanding of dyslexia: what it is, what it is not, how it may affect reading development, and why it may look different from one learner to another.
The resources explore Connecticut’s definition of dyslexia, common characteristics and misconceptions, and the varied ways dyslexia may present across learners. Together, they reinforce an important message: there is no single dyslexia profile. Learners may demonstrate different strengths, areas of difficulty, and contributing factors, and the presentation and degree of difficulty may vary across individuals.
These resources are intended for educators, families and caregivers, school and district teams, university partners, students, and community members. They provide a common foundation and shared language that can support ongoing conversations about dyslexia, screening, early warning signs, Child Find, evaluation, eligibility, and instructional decision-making.
Understanding Dyslexia in Connecticut: Informational Handout
The Understanding Dyslexia in Connecticut Informational Handout provides the foundational information for this resource collection.
It establishes a shared and accurate understanding of dyslexia for families, educators, school teams, university partners, and the broader Connecticut community. The handout includes Connecticut’s definition of dyslexia, characteristics that may be observed across development, common misconceptions, and information about the different ways dyslexia may present.
It also provides current research context related to the continuum of severity, word reading and spelling difficulties, phonological and morphological processing, oral language, and the importance of timely recognition and targeted instruction.
Use this resource to: establish shared language, clarify common misconceptions, support conversations with families and colleagues, and strengthen understanding of dyslexia and reading development.
Understanding Dyslexia Visual
The Understanding Dyslexia Visual provides an at-a-glance representation of key concepts related to dyslexia and its varied presentation.
The visual reinforces that dyslexia is not an all-or-nothing condition and may look different from one learner to another. Areas commonly associated with dyslexia, including phonological awareness, decoding, word recognition, spelling, and reading fluency, may vary in presentation and degree.
The visual is intended to complement the more detailed information in the guidance document and make important concepts easier to communicate across audiences.
Use this resource to: support conversations about the varied presentation of dyslexia, reinforce that one profile does not define dyslexia, and provide an accessible entry point into the topic.
Understanding Dyslexia Through the Lens of Case Studies
This case study recording introduces Jordan, Sofia, and Marcus, three learners whose reading concerns look different when considered alongside their individual strengths and context. Jordan demonstrates a clearer word-level reading pattern, including slow and effortful reading and difficulty decoding multisyllabic words despite strong listening comprehension. Sofia’s profile highlights the importance of considering multilingual language development and literacy experiences when interpreting reading performance. Marcus demonstrates how literacy concerns may occur alongside attention-related factors and why those factors should not be considered in isolation.
The purpose of the cases is not to determine whether any learner has dyslexia or meets eligibility criteria. Instead, they provide an opportunity to consider learner strengths, areas of difficulty, relevant context, and what additional information may help build a fuller understanding of the learner’s reading profile.
The companion case study PowerPoint contains the slides used in the case study recording and can also be used independently by schools, districts, educator preparation programs, and other partners.
Use this resource to: support staff or team discussion, consider how reading difficulties may present differently across learners, and practice asking questions that look beyond a single characteristic or data point.
Connection to Connecticut’s Educator Competencies for Structured Literacy and Dyslexia
This resource collection supports selected aspects of Foundational Competency 5: Dyslexia, particularly competencies 5.4K–5.8K. These competencies address how reading difficulties may change over time, definitions and characteristics of dyslexia, risk indicators, and the ways dyslexia can vary in presentation and degree.
View the complete adopted language for Foundational Competency 5: Dyslexia.
How these resources connect
Development and reading difficulties: The resources show how reading and spelling difficulties associated with dyslexia may look different as learners develop and academic demands change.
Definitions and characteristics of dyslexia: The informational resource uses Connecticut’s definition of dyslexia as its foundation and provides accessible information about characteristics associated with dyslexia and current research about how dyslexia may develop and present.
Risk indicators: The resources describe characteristics that may signal concern for dyslexia across different stages of development. They also emphasize that no single characteristic, or combination of characteristics, determines whether a learner has dyslexia or is eligible for special education.
Variability in dyslexia: Across the informational resource, infographic, case studies, and case study recording, a central message is that dyslexia does not look the same in every learner. Difficulties can vary in type and degree and may look different across individuals, skills, and over time.