1. United States
2. Maine
3. Letter

As your constituent, I urge you to oppose the 21st Century Dyslexia Act. Leading experts—including the National Center for Learning Disabilities, the Learning Disabilities Association of America, and the National Association of School Psychologists—agree that this bill relies on an outdated, scientifically flawed definition of dyslexia. By tying eligibility to an IQ-discrepancy framework and removing dyslexia from IDEA’s "Specific Learning Disability" (SLD) category, this legislation would disrupt existing evaluation systems, ignore co-occurring conditions like dyscalculia, and conflict with policy in over 20 states. Furthermore, omitting crucial exclusionary criteria—such as instructional quality and English proficiency—creates a significant risk of misidentification. Rather than fragmenting IDEA, Congress should support all struggling readers through universal screening, early intervention, and evidence-based instruction. Please listen to the research community and vote no on this bill. thank you for your attention to this matter.