The Czech Republic has a population of approximately 10.3 million and spreads over some 70,000 km². This small country, with Prague (Praha) as its capital, boasts a rich cultural tradition. Throughout their history, education has played an important role in the lives of the Czech people. The first school records date back to the 10th century and in the year 1348 a university was established in Prague. An 8-year mandatory school attendance was legislated for all children in the year 1869.

First recorded references to dyslexia
In the year 1904, a neurologist, Antonin Heveroch, in collaboration with educator (not named in the literature), published an article which described a case of an 11-year old girl who was not able to learn to read despite having demonstrated other strengths in her school work. The first professional assessment of a student with dyslexia was documented in 1952 by the Children’s Psychiatric Clinic and constituted the beginning of systematic services for students with dyslexia in what was then Czechoslovakia (in 1989 its two nations have separated to form what are now the Czech and Slovak republics). The first special class dedicated to teaching students with dyslexia was introduced in 1962 at a children’s hospital in Brno. While the first steps of this activity took place in the health sector, by the end of the sixties, interest in these students and the growth of services to meet their needs moved entirely into the school system.

The origin of educational institutions (for dyslexia) and their development
The first specialised classes for students with dyslexia were established in seven schools within the city of Prague in 1967. Their number had grown in the following year, and they spread throughout the country. Most of the specialized classes had been established for level-1 students (grade 1 to 5); specialized level-2 classes (grade 5 – 9) were established later and to a lesser degree. A few years thereafter, in 1972, the Ministry of Education of that time issued teaching guidelines for work with specialized classes. Since that time, the Ministry of Education has recognized that individuals with dyslexia as a groups which has special educational needs; this is reflected in legislation, instructional guidelines, etc. ).

Current educational system and the student with dyslexia
Junior school (the rough equivalent of Canadian primary, junior and middle schools) lasts 9 years. Grades 1 – 5 (first level) and grade 6 – 9 (second level). Students enter grade-1 upon attaining age 6. In the event that a student experiences difficulty in learning, s/he is referred to a psycho-educational consulting service, where the student is assessed by a psychologist, a special educator and, sometimes, by a speech-language pathologist. The assessment report contains the assessment findings and recommendations (based on these findings) as to the instructional methods and approaches to be employed with the student. Parents are provided with the report as well as with detailed recommendations as to appropriate home supports. The diagnosis of dyslexia may be determined only by the psycho-educational consulting services based on the comprehensive assessment administered and analyzed by the team of a psychologist and a special educator. Students are most commonly referred for assessments at the end of grade 2 and through grade 3 (between ages 8 and 9).   

Older students may also be referred for a literacy (reading and writing) assessment. In this respect, a battery of diagnostic tests has been developed in recent years for use with high school students (age 15 – 18).   At the same time, assessment tools had been developed for identifying pre-school children who are at risk for dyslexia due to genetic or developmental factors.

The diagnosis of dyslexia may result in one of three school placement options:

1. full integration in the regular stream
2. specialized class
3. specialized school

Students integrated into the regular stream are taught according to individualized learning plans which are developed for the entire school-year, and may be modified during the course of the year. The individualized learning plans contain information regarding the student’s current knowledge and skills, goals for the current school year, details of instructional interventions, individualized accommodations, evaluation, and the manner of collaboration between the school and the student’s family.

Partial integration lies somewhere between full integration and specialized classes. Students in partial integration attend their regular class and are withdrawn for specialized class only for instruction in the Czech language and reading. In the second year the students attend the specialized class for all language studies. Thereafter, in subsequent years, the number of hours spent in the specialized class decreases relative to students’ progress and available teachers resources.

Specialized classes are offered in elementary schools for a maximum of 15 students per class. Textbooks and curriculum are identical to the regular stream, but differs in the method of instruction which takes into account each student’s specific difficulties.

There are a very few specialized schools in the Czech Republic.  At the present time, there are only two specialized schools in the entire country, due to the current trend to integrate students with special learning needs in regular stream schools.

In the past 15 years a great number of educators (up until 1989 teaching materials and text books were published by the state without the acknowledgement of authorship) have published special text books, workbooks, and computer programs (every school is equipped with computers). Textbooks for teaching German and English to students with dyslexia have met with a great deal of success, as have special readers and a variety of workbooks.

Teachers attend courses focusing on the understanding of issues specific to learning disabilities, their assessment, specific treatment methods and approaches to remediation.

Professional training of teachers
Teachers in preschools programs hold a baccalaureate program diploma in early childhood education. From Senior Kindergarten up, teachers are graduates of the Pedagogic Faculty (Faculty of Education). In all teacher-training programs, teachers must participate in a minimum of 20 hours of lectures and seminars dedicated to specific learning disabilities and ADHD/ADD. Specialization in teaching individuals with learning disabilities is granted to university graduates of Special Pedagogy (Special Education). Course work includes theory and instructional methodology in the development and disorders of auditory and visual perception, physical and cognitive abilities, language (logopedie), behaviour (including ADHD) and learning disabilities.  Course work on  learning disabilities, also includes further study of language, movement and coordination, methods of reading and writing remediation, remedial instruction of mathematics, learning styles, and social implications of learning disabilities. Training includes practical placements in special classes. Graduates of Special Education either enter teaching positions in the school system in specialized classes or become team members in psycho-educational consulting services.

Charitable organizations
The founder of dyslexia services in Czechoslovakia, Professor Zdenek Matejcek, organized regular seminars on topics pertinent to dyslexia. Under his leadership, the Czech association “Dyslexie” was formed in 1998.  To this day, the goal of the association is the dissemination of new knowledge about dyslexia and dyslexia research locally and abroad. The Association is a national affiliate of both the International Dyslexia Association and the European Dyslexia Association.

At the present time, the association has 250 members (psychologists, teachers, special educators, parents and individuals with dyslexia). “Dyslexie” publishes an annual Information Bulletin and organizes 5 conferences, one of which includes a roster of internationally recognized faculty, whose presentations focus on issues relevant to services for persons with dyslexia.

Furthermore, there are 10 “DYS-Centrum”(Dyslexia Centres) centres throughout the Czech Republic providing information to teachers and parents, and offering an extensive continuing education program to professionals. Two of the DYS-centrums offer courses. The Prague centre alone offers a roster of 70 – 80 lectures and courses delivered throughout the Czech and Slovak Republics. These centres are volunteer-staffed and are entirely self-funded from proceeds of sales of materials and continuing education courses.

Current gaps
Despite the fact that teachers are offered a variety of courses about instructional methods and approaches for work with students with dyslexia, there is a considerable number of ‘old school’ teachers who don’t have an interest in providing more intensive services to individuals with dyslexia. There are significant differences between teachers and schools from those that provide an atmosphere friendly to individuals with dyslexia, and who are staffed with highly knowledgeable and skilled teachers on the one hand, to schools in which students receive virtually no services at all. An additional and important consideration is the lack of funding for special education in schools. It continues to be very difficult to offer individualized instruction to a student with dyslexia within a classroom of 30 students.

At the present time, we at “Dyslexie” focus our energies towards prevention of dyslexia at the pre-school age and on services for adults with dyslexia who seek treatment. Despite the fact that there is considerable public knowledge about dyslexia, there is still much to be accomplished for better understanding of this learning difference and to bettering the lives of persons who live with it.

Translated by Sonia Reichman M.H.Sc. SLP