Indiana Dyslexia Accommodations: What Your Child's IEP or 504 Plan Should Include

Indiana has a dyslexia problem — not in the sense that dyslexia is unusual (estimates suggest 15 to 20 percent of the population has some degree of it), but in the sense that Indiana schools have historically underidentified and underserved students with reading disabilities rooted in dyslexia. The state passed dyslexia-specific legislation requiring screening and support, but the gap between what the law requires and what students actually receive remains significant.

If your child has been diagnosed with dyslexia, or if you suspect dyslexia is driving reading difficulties the school has attributed to other causes, this post explains what Indiana schools are required to do, what IEP and 504 accommodations actually help, and how to advocate for evidence-based intervention.

How Indiana Schools Are Supposed to Identify Dyslexia

Indiana law requires school corporations to screen students in kindergarten through third grade for characteristics of dyslexia using a structured literacy screener. Students who show risk indicators are supposed to receive targeted intervention and may be referred for more comprehensive evaluation.

In practice, many Indiana schools conduct cursory screenings and do not refer students for a full psychoeducational evaluation even when screening data suggests a reading disability. The Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework is commonly used as a buffer — schools provide Tier 2 or Tier 3 reading interventions and tell parents the child is "being monitored" rather than evaluated for special education eligibility.

Here is the critical legal point: Article 7 is clear that the implementation of early intervening services cannot be used to delay or deny a special education evaluation once a parent requests one in writing. If you submit a written evaluation request for your child under 511 IAC 7-40-4, the school has 10 instructional days to respond with Prior Written Notice proposing or refusing the evaluation. If they refuse and you believe dyslexia is affecting your child's educational performance, you have the right to request an Independent Educational Evaluation at public expense.

Do not wait for the school to decide your child has been in Tier 2 long enough. Make the written request.

Dyslexia Under Indiana's Eligibility Categories

Indiana does not list "dyslexia" as a standalone special education eligibility category. Students with dyslexia who qualify for an IEP typically do so under one of these categories:

• Specific Learning Disability (SLD): The most common path. A student with dyslexia typically shows a significant discrepancy between intellectual ability and reading performance, or evidence of inadequate response to research-based interventions. The evaluation must include phonological processing assessments, not just general reading benchmarks.

• Other Health Impairment (OHI): Sometimes used when a co-occurring condition (such as ADHD) is the primary basis for eligibility.

If a student does not meet IEP eligibility but has documented reading disabilities affecting their education, a 504 plan may be appropriate. A 504 plan cannot provide the specialized instruction that an IEP delivers, but it can provide meaningful accommodations.

What the IEP Should Include for Dyslexia

An IEP that genuinely addresses dyslexia looks substantially different from a generic reading goals IEP. Key elements:

Specialized reading instruction, not just accommodations. Dyslexia is a phonological processing deficit. The evidence base for effective dyslexia intervention is clear: it requires explicit, systematic, structured literacy instruction (the Orton-Gillingham approach and its derivatives are the most researched). If the IEP's reading goals rely entirely on reading more books or general reading groups, that is not evidence-based intervention for dyslexia.

Specific, measurable goals. "Will improve reading fluency" is not a measurable IEP goal. A proper goal names the skill, the measurement tool, the frequency of measurement, and the target ("By the end of the IEP year, [student] will read connected text at [grade level] with 95% accuracy and a rate of [X] words per minute, as measured by [assessment] administered monthly").

Assistive technology. Students with dyslexia often benefit significantly from text-to-speech software, audiobooks, and dictation tools. These should be named specifically in the IEP, not as vague "may use technology as needed" language. The IEP should specify what tools are available, in what settings, and for what tasks.

Extended time and testing accommodations. These are standard 504 or IEP accommodations for dyslexia. Extended time on assessments, reading accommodations for non-reading tests (like math word problems read aloud), and access to audio versions of texts are all appropriate.

Service delivery specifics. The IEP should specify how many minutes per week of specialized reading instruction, with whom (a special education teacher or a reading specialist with structured literacy training), and in what setting (pull-out, push-in, or small group).

What a 504 Plan Should Include for Dyslexia

If your child does not qualify for an IEP but has dyslexia affecting their education, a 504 plan can provide meaningful support. Common 504 accommodations for dyslexia include:

• Extended time (typically 1.5x or 2x) on assessments and assignments
• Access to text-to-speech tools for reading-heavy tasks
• Audiobook access through Learning Ally or Bookshare
• Oral testing as an alternative to written responses where the test measures content knowledge, not writing ability
• Reduced written output requirements when the task is assessing content understanding
• Access to notes, outlines, or graphic organizers for lecture-heavy classes
• Spell-check and grammar tools for written work
• Preferential seating and reduced distractions

A 504 plan cannot provide the specialized instruction that an IEP with a Specific Learning Disability designation can. If your child's reading performance is significantly below grade level despite accommodations, revisit whether IEP eligibility should be evaluated.

When to Push Back

If the school's proposed IEP for dyslexia consists entirely of accommodations — extended time, audiobooks, classroom modifications — without specialized reading instruction designed to close the phonological processing gap, that IEP is unlikely to produce meaningful reading gains. Document your concern in the CCC meeting notes and request Prior Written Notice explaining what evidence base supports the district's service design.

If the school continues to rely on Tier 2 interventions and delays evaluation despite your written request, file a state complaint through I-CHAMP citing the MTSS-delay prohibition in 511 IAC 7-40-2.

For letter templates addressing dyslexia evaluation requests and IEP service disputes, the Indiana IEP & 504 Advocacy Playbook includes Indiana-specific advocacy tools aligned with Article 7's requirements.

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