Mar 19, 2025, Fox Illinois: New bill could require Illinois students to test for dyslexia
SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS — A new bill could require Illinois students to get screened for dyslexia as early as kindergarten to attend public school.
I spoke with Matti McCartney, a member of Everyone Reading Illinois, an organization that supports people with dyslexia, and she told me this bill will help dyslexic students get the help they need.
“I was diagnosed in the second grade,” McCartney said. “If I had been diagnosed when I was in kindergarten, I would have been able to learn more and be more confident in myself growing up.”
Senate Bill 1672 would require all students in kindergarten to third grade be tested for dyslexia.
Dyslexia is a learning disorder that affects reading and writing skills. Parents or teachers could also request students in fourth grade or higher be to be screened.
As a person with dyslexia, McCartney said this will help future students find a peace of mind.
“Not really knowing what dyslexia was as a young child and it not really being common, made me feel like I was kind of out of the ordinary,” McCartney said. “It was hard to feel like you were as smart as everyone else when you are struggling so much.
Nearly 100,000 students in Illinois have a specific learning disability.
When students don’t receive the proper diagnosis, Kate Morris, with Dyslexia Specialists of Central Illinois, said it could lead to emotional distress.
“Especially anxiety, that’s a huge one for these kiddos,” Morris said. “Because they know they’re different, they can tell they’re different at this point and no one has given them a reason why.”
Morris added a prolonged diagnosis could cause issues like struggles with socializing once students reach adulthood.
“If we can just get them that intervention sooner,” Morris said. “Then we can kind of escape some of those social and emotional concerns that really hit those kids hard as they get older.” . . .
The Senate held an education hearing on this bill today to decide what the next steps will be. If the bill is passed, it will go into effect for the 2025-2026 school year.
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