Auburn College of Education prepares future teachers to meet students with dyslexia with confidence, skill and empathy

Ever tried writing with your non-dominant hand? How about reading unfamiliar symbols and word patterns or working through a passage filled with distorted text? Or just as tricky, attempting mirror writing, where each letter must be reversed as you go?

At Auburn University’s College of Education, such challenges are more than exercises — they’re part of an intentional, hands-on approach to preparing future educators to better understand and support students with dyslexia and other reading difficulties.

Preservice elementary teachers recently engaged in these immersive activities as part of the college’s Dyslexia Awareness Training, a key component of Auburn’s literacy preparation designed to build both knowledge and empathy. The training was offered by College of Education Doctoral Fellow Andrea Forehand and Elementary Education Professor Victoria Cardullo.

“The purpose of the training is to ensure that teacher candidates develop foundational knowledge of dyslexia, understand the characteristics and instructional needs of students with dyslexia and learn evidence-based practices aligned with structured literacy and the Science of Reading while building awareness and empathy for the lived experiences of students with dyslexia and other reading difficulties,” Cardullo said.

Embedded in the college’s Foundations of Literacy Instruction II class since 2025, the training reflects the College of Education’s commitment to ensuring graduates enter the classroom ready to meet the needs of all learners. Developed through a collaboration between the Alabama Reading Initiative (ARI) and Shelton Outreach, part of the June Shelton School and Evaluation Center in Dallas, Texas, the program follows a train-the-trainer model to deliver consistent, high-quality instruction.

At its core, the training bridges what students learn in coursework with what they will face in real classrooms.

“Overall, the training serves as a bridge between theory, coursework and classroom application, ensuring that candidates can apply their knowledge of dyslexia and structured literacy principles to effective instructional practice during field experiences and in future teaching,” Forehand said.

Experiencing literacy challenges firsthand

Rather than simply learning about dyslexia, Auburn teacher candidates actively experience how reading and writing can become effortful when processes are not automatic.

Through reading and decoding simulation activities, students are asked to make sense of unfamiliar symbols, distorted text and unusual word patterns — tasks that slow down reading, disrupt fluency and require intense concentration. The experience helps them recognize how difficult accurate and automatic word recognition can be and how that effort can impact comprehension, confidence and a student’s willingness to engage.

Writing and spelling activities further deepen that understanding. Candidates are challenged to organize their thoughts and spell accurately under added difficulty, illustrating that struggles with written expression are not a matter of effort or intelligence, but rather how language is processed.

Other exercises highlight how quickly cognitive demands can increase. During the high-distortion field trip simulation, students attempt to complete simple tasks while processing visually unstable or difficult-to-read information, demonstrating how reduced clarity and environmental distractions can make even straightforward tasks overwhelming.

Mirror writing introduces another layer of challenge, requiring students to consciously monitor and reverse each letter as they write — often resulting in slower output, confusion and mental fatigue. Similarly, writing with their non-dominant hand creates a brief but powerful experience of reduced automaticity, where even basic writing tasks demand increased focus, effort and persistence.

“The goal was not to simulate dyslexia itself, as dyslexia is a complex neurobiological difference that cannot be fully replicated through a brief activity, but rather to help teacher candidates develop empathy, awareness and a deeper understanding of why specific instructional approaches are necessary,” Cardullo said. “The training also emphasizes how additional cognitive load, reduced input clarity, and increased demands on working memory and processing can significantly affect learning outcomes, highlighting the importance of clear, explicit and structured instruction to support student success.”

Preparing teachers for real-world impact

The College of Education’s emphasis on dyslexia preparation is grounded in research highlighting its prevalence and impact. Studies estimate that 5-20% of the population has dyslexia, meaning that most teachers will work with multiple students who experience reading difficulties throughout their careers.

"Dyslexia is one of the most common learning differences affecting school-age children, making preparation in this area an essential component of teacher education,” Forehand said.

Teacher preparation is especially important because dyslexia directly affects reading development, particularly skills such as accurate and automatic word recognition, decoding, spelling and reading fluency. Without early identification and appropriate instruction, students with dyslexia are at increased risk of ongoing reading difficulties that can affect academic achievement, motivation and confidence.

Auburn’s intentional preparation ensures future educators are equipped with evidence-based practices aligned with the Science of Reading to address those needs early and effectively.

This work is particularly important in Alabama, where the Alabama Literacy Act underscores the importance of evidence-based instruction, early screening and strong teacher preparation.

For Auburn students, the Dyslexia Awareness Training provides more than foundational knowledge — it builds confidence and instructional readiness. As graduates leave the College of Education, they do so prepared not only to teach reading but to reach every learner in their classroom.

“We hope this training will move students beyond identifying the characteristics of dyslexia to a deeper understanding of how evidence-based instructional practices can improve literacy outcomes for all learners,” Cardullo said.