A recent “MTSU On the Record” radio program tackled the challenging learning disability called dyslexia and the new Tennessee law aimed at serving students who are dyslexic.

Host Gina Logue’s interview with Dr. Tim Odegard, holder of the Murfree Chair of Excellence in Dyslexic Studies at MTSU, first aired Oct. 3 on WMOT-FM/Roots Radio 89.5 and www.wmot.org. You can listen to their conversation above.

The Tennessee Center for the Study and Treatment of Dyslexia will host “Cut the Red Tape and Meet the Needs of Students with Dyslexia,” a symposium for parents and educators, Friday, Oct. 14, in the McWherter Learning Resources Center. The event is full, but future events are being planned.

Odegard said students, teachers and parents need to know about the new Tennessee dyslexia law, which went into effect this year.

Dr. Tim Odegard

“As of right now, schools should be providing dyslexia-specific interventions to students who have characteristics of dyslexia, and schools are needing to make sure that their practices are aligned to find those characteristics so that they have the pieces in place to do that,” said Odegard.

The center’s website, www.mtsu.edu/dyslexia, explains the condition this way:

Dyslexia means the inability to master language. In practice, however, the term refers to people who have extreme difficulty acquiring the ability to read and spell. Specifically, people with dyslexia have trouble learning the code for written language. Difficulty in sounding out words and spelling words persists, despite effort on the part of teachers and the learner. The person with dyslexia demonstrates a number of characteristics associated with difficulty learning to read and write. Dyslexia is found in families across the full range of socioeconomic backgrounds in society.

To hear previous “MTSU On the Record” programs, visit the searchable “Audio Clips” archives at www.mtsunews.com.

For more information about “MTSU On the Record,” contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.