Ways you can support your child
- Find out as much as you can about dyslexia, so that you can talk about it with the child/young person and answer any questions that they may have.
- Look out for signs of emotional stress. Many children/young people with dyslexia can feel frustrated or angry. They can demonstrate low self-esteem or become withdrawn. Before reading, writing and spelling can be improved, your child needs to believe that they can succeed.
- Your child will need constant praise and support to build self-esteem and self-confidence. It is very important for the child/young person to know that there is someone who believes in them and is supportive.
- Never compare the child/young person’s schoolwork with their siblings. They will probably already be aware that they are not doing as well. If the sibling is younger this can be very detrimental to their self-esteem.
- Don’t get angry when things are lost, or homework is forgotten. The child/young person cannot help it and may already feel worried or upset that they have been unable to remember. Help them to become more organised by introducing strategies, such as:
- providing checklists and visual diaries.
- Set routines.
- Colour-code their timetable so that lessons can be seen easily.
- Get them to pack school bags the night before and put them by the front door.
- Establish a place where everything must be put away straight after use.
- At the beginning of each school year, meet with your child’s class teacher. Make sure that they know about the child/young person’s dyslexia and the ways that they can help and support them.
Books and resources that can help
- So you think you’ve got problems – by Rosalind Birkett Dyslexia
- Talking it through – by Althea
- Brian has dyslexia – by Jenny Leigh
- My little brother – by Chieko Tateno
- Dyslexia explained – without the need for too many words – by Nessy.com Help!
- My Child has Dyslexia – A Practical guide for Parents – by Judy Hornigold
- Dyslexia – A Teenager’s Guide – by Dr Sylvia Moody
- The Teenage Guide to Stress – by Nicola Morgan
- Dyslexia: A Parent’s Survival Guide – by Christine Ostler
- CBBC Newsround ‘My Dyslexic Mind; - a special programme about dyslexia.
- British Dyslexia Association
- Communication 4 All
School is not always an effective place for those with dyslexia to learn.Having this time at home gives dyslexic students the chance to learn
in ways that are better suited to their needs and to explore new and different ways of working
- Technology designed to teach reading skills using multi-sensory techniques and other more dyslexia-friendly teaching methods can be tried. I have included some suggestions for you on the attached document.
- Learning will be more productive if Multi-sensory, fun and in short bursts.
- Having a hobby outside of school is healthy for any student, but for those who find school hard, it is even more valuable. Now is a great time to learn new things, with so many organisations offering expert content for free.
Look out for signs of emotional stress
Consequences of dyslexia are frustration, anger, low self-esteem or becoming withdrawn.
Before reading and spelling can be improved your child needs to believe they can succeed.
People with dyslexia need constant praise and support to rebuild self-esteem
Whether it’s a parent, teacher or friend, it’s important to have someone who believes in you and is supportive. Help build your child’s confidence and see the results in their new mentality towards learning.
Organisation strategies
A person with dyslexia is likely to find it difficult to organize/organise everyday tasks.
- Provide checklists. Set routines.
- Colour-code tasks / information so that this can be seen at a glance.
- Establish a place where everything must be put away immediately after use.
Spelling strategies
Many schools still teach spelling using a traditional method of ‘Look, cover, write, check’ but this does not work for those with dyslexia.
- Mispronounce the word the way it is spelled For example, ‘want’ say ‘w…ant’. This is good for silent letters and for ‘Wed…nes…day’.
- Link the word to a picture - A picture is more readily remembered and acts as a visual clue. For example, ‘first’ is often misspelled as ‘ferst’. Draw an ‘i’ winning a race and say ‘I come first’. They will remember the picture of the ‘i’ which is the part of the word which is forgotten.
- Mnemonic - For example, to remember the word ‘does’ say “does Oliver eat spaghetti?” The first letter of each word spells the word ‘does’. Drawing a funny picture to reinforce the strategy. Try to start the mnemonic with the word you want to remember.
Writing strategies
A vital skill to develop before writing is learning to express ideas clearly and simply. Read a small bit then ask them to tell you about it in as few words as possible. Someone with dyslexia needs much more time to complete writing tasks.
- Plan using key words - People with dyslexia need a visual plan to help structure their ideas. Before starting a writing task, make a list of ideas using only one or two words for each bullet point. When writing, each point can be expanded into a sentence. Cross it off the list as it is written.
- Use a computer rather than writing with a pen - This will help with speed, spelling and legibility. Dancemat is a free online touch typing program which if followed will teach your child to type in an interactive fun way. Now is a great time to develop such a skill. Typing is one that will help with writing and spelling and is an advantage in later life for the workplace.
Reading Strategies
Try not to get stressed about reading issues. Take a positive approach instead. Rave about books and ensure adults are seen reading.
- If they give a book a go and don’t like it, don’t insist they finish it.
- Remember children with poor recall may find multiple readings of the same text helpful.
- Ask the child to cover all the words they can’t read on one page with a finger. Not enough fingers? The text is too difficult.
- Reading aloud to children boosts memory, vocabulary and listening skills. There’s no ‘right’ age to stop. Follow the text with your finger as you read, and let your child read a few words themselves.
- To improve understanding, chat about how you picture the story, characters and setting, and discuss illustrations.
- When the child reads to you, get them to pause when they are stuck on a word. After a second, read it out. If you make them puzzle it out, they’ll lose track of the story.
- As you read, create simple thumbnail drawings in the margin beside each point - Many people with dyslexia focus so much effort upon the mechanics of reading that they cannot remember what they have read. When you look back the pictures will help remember what you have read.
- Build up words by uncovering part at a time - Encourage your child to use their finger or a small card to reveal a word in chunks. Build up the word by syllable and learn to recognize prefixes and suffixes.
- Use a coloured background- Some people with dyslexia experience a ‘glare’ when reading black text on a white background. This can make it difficult to focus and tiring to read. Try laying a sheet of coloured acetate over the page to see if it helps.
- After a short burst, take over the reading to provide a rest period. - Discuss what you have read to make sure it is understood.
Memory Strategies
- Picture thinking - People with dyslexia usually think in pictures. Use this strength by visualizing the thing you want to remember. When revising a topic make a page of drawings to represent the main points.
- 2. Give no more than two instructions at a time. - e.g. put your bowl in the dishwasher then brush your teeth. To make it more memorable the dyslexic should repeat it back or visualize doing the action.
- Reinforce learning with actions and multisensory activities. - See it. Hear it. Say it. Do it
