The Dyslexia Life

05/07/2026

The Science of Spelling: Assessment, Instruction, and Intervention (K–3) May 9 | 9:00–1:00 EST | Live on Zoom A research-informed, highly practical workshop designed to help you improve spelling instruction without adding more to your plate. This session focuses on what drives spelling

05/06/2026

Yesterday Governor Brian Kemp signed the GA Early Literacy Act which places a literacy coach in every elementary school with 200 students or more. This bill is the result of countless hours of advocacy with many stakeholders around GA.

Special thanks to Dale Burns and Speaker Jon Burns, Senator Billy Hickman, Senator Scott Johnson, Representative Bethany Ballard, Senator Rashuan Kemp and the GA Board of Education.

The bill allocates 70 million for literacy coaches by providing a state funded coach in every elementary school with 200 kids or more or a part time one for schools under 200 kids.

Only 1-3 kids read proficiently in 3rd grade in the State. This figure isn’t much different in any state in the US. The literacy coach model has been very successful in Alabama and Tennessee.

Nothing is perfect but here’s hoping this Falls Kindergarten class ends up with higher proficiency rates in 2030.

Decoding Dyslexia Georgia Missy Palmer Purcell Meagan SwingleRepresentative Bethany Ballard Ericka Danielle Smith

If your kid is in K to 3rd grade I highly suggest you go ask for the results of your Characteristics of Dyslexia Screener!

Decoding Dyslexia Military

05/06/2026

Yesterday Governor Brian Kemp signed the GA Early Literacy Act which places a literacy coach in every elementary school with 200 students or more. This bill is the result of countless hours of advocacy with many stakeholders around GA.

Special thanks to Dale Burns and Speaker Jon Burns, Senator Billy Hickman, Senator Scott Johnson, Representative Bethany Ballard, Senator Rashuan Kemp and the GA Board of Education.

The bill allocates 70 million for literacy coaches by providing a state funded coach in every elementary school with 200 kids or more or a part time one for schools under 200 kids.

Only 1-3 kids read proficiently in 3rd grade in the State. This figure isn’t much different in any state in the US. The literacy coach model has been very successful in Alabama and Tennessee.

Nothing is perfect but here’s hoping this Falls Kindergarten class ends up with higher proficiency rates in 2030.

Decoding Dyslexia Georgia Missy Palmer Purcell Meagan SwingleRepresentative Bethany Ballard Ericka Danielle Smith

If your kid is in K to 3rd grade I highly suggest you go ask for the results of your Characteristics of Dyslexia Screener!

Decoding Dyslexia Military

02/27/2026

Calling anyone near Quantico who has a child at Dowea aka Dodea!

Come make your voice heard!

02/27/2026

Today was a reminder of why this work matters.

We spent the day at the Dyslexia Awareness Fair standing shoulder to shoulder with parents, teachers, and advocates who refuse to let kids fall through the cracks.

Dyslexia is not rare. It is not laziness. It is not a behavior problem. It is a reading difference that requires structured, explicit, evidence based instruction. Period.

As a Georgia Special Education Advocate, I meet families every week who were told to “wait and see.” Meanwhile their child’s confidence is slipping. That is why events like this matter. Education changes outcomes. The right intervention changes lives.

We talked about:

• Early screening in K to 3
• Structured literacy and why it matters
• Georgia reading laws and what schools are required to do
• IEPs, 504 plans, and how to actually enforce them
• What to do when a school refuses to say the word dyslexia

I am proud to serve military connected families and Georgia parents who are willing to step into the fight for their kids. If you do not advocate for your child, no one else will do it the way you will.

If your child is struggling to read, do not wait.

Send me a message. Let’s get a plan in place.

02/25/2026

Hi! A small favor…I’m working on my Google review game….

Can you please write a review for The Dyslexia Life!

Anyone who writes a review by Friday will be entered to win an Amazon Gift Card.

The Dyslexia Life would love your feedback.

Post a review to our profile.

Post a review to our profile on Google

12/19/2025

Hey I’m the nicest person in the whole world til you try to trick parents in IEP meetings and offer balanced literacy!

If holding schools to the law and making legislators educate teachers in line with the Science of Reading is mean…. Cool. I ride at Dawn!

11/25/2025

Here’s what I’d do:

1. Full Educational Psychological Evaluation by a Neuropsychologist, Child Psychologist, or Developmental Pediatrician.

2. Auditory Processing Disorder Evaluation (Ears, Nose, Throat (ENT)

3. Speech-Language Pathologist (testing for Language Processing Disorders).

4. Occupational Therapist- (Testing for handwriting and other age-appropriate skills)

Tasks to be completed at school

1. Write a letter to Request an Evaluation for special education services at public expense to your principal and head of special education services (If you already have a medical diagnosis of SLD/Dyslexia include the paperwork from the doctor.)

2. Sign written consent to start the evaluation (60 days under Federal Law) once you sign consent. If you don't get the consent forms within a week, send an email asking for them again. Document. Document. Document

Find your support

1. Find your state's Department of Education and locate their Parent Rights and Safeguards. These are your rights in your state. 2. Join other support groups on Facebook (Partners in Promise, Wright's Law, Decoding Dyslexia Military(state and regional groups and pages) 3. Find your community support. The road in special education is long. You will need a support person outside of your family (Parent, Spouse, Friend).

Hi, I’m Hilary. I’m a special education advocate serving kids with dyslexia around the world. Providing advocacy, education and IEP meeting support

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