Committee Discusses Research to Support Individuals with Dyslexia
(Washington, DC) – Today, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a hearing to discuss research related to dyslexia and the challenges faced by individuals with dyslexia. The Committee heard testimony from two panels. The first panel consisted of the Co-Chairs of the Congressional Dyslexia Caucus, Science Committee Member Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA) and Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-LA).
Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) said, “This hearing demonstrates how important it is to fund our research agencies at appropriate levels. A significant amount of the National Science Foundation (NSF) research relevant to dyslexia is funded out of the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate and the Education and Human Resources Directorate. That is why I have fought efforts in this Committee to slash funding for these important NSF Directorates, which fund valuable research that turns out to have broader, and often unanticipated, applications to other high-priority research – as we are seeing here today. We have learned so much about dyslexia, but have much more to learn. Without funding research in this area, including the foundational research that underlies the more applied work, we will not discover the biological basis for dyslexia. We will not create the next generation of treatments for dyslexia. And we will not determine the educational environments and techniques that are best for individuals with dyslexia.”
Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA) provided a personal side of the issue saying in her testimony, “When my daughter Hannah struggled to learn to read, like any parent I was completely panicked about what to do next. It was Hannah’s dyslexia, and learning to navigate the school system, where I witnessed the good, the bad, and the ugly, that led me to public service.”
She continued, “One of our Committee’s most important missions is creating a 21st century workforce of engineers, scientists, and STEM professionals. To accomplish that goal, we need to make sure every student has the support they need from their educators, parents, and the community, to succeed. Students with dyslexia are smart and capable and perhaps uniquely qualified because of their out-of-the-box way of attacking problems and processing information, but misconceptions about dyslexia too often result in a focus on a disability rather than ability.”
Testifying on the second panel were Dr. Sally Shaywitz, the Co-Director of the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity at Yale University; Mr. Max Brooks, Author and Screenwriter; Ms. Stacy Antie, Parent and Advocate; Dr. Peter Eden, President of Landmark College; and Dr. Guinevere Eden, Director of the Center for the Study of Learning (CSL) and Professor of the Department of Pediatrics at Georgetown University Medical Center.
Committee Members and witnesses discussed systemic challenges faced by parents and individuals with dyslexia and research underway to further explore the science behind dyslexia. Dr. Peter Eden and Dr. Guinevere Eden highlighted the role that educational research, including some funded by NSF, could play in improving the educational outcomes of individuals with learning disabilities such as dyslexia.
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