Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that can affect performance in reading, writing and listening. Nevertheless, it does not affect intelligence rather it’s about how people learn. For more information on the signs and symptoms click on here: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dyslexia/Pages/Introduction.aspx
As a parent, you want the best learning outcome for your child so here are a few tips that you may want to take into consideration. If you have any worries or concerns please get in touch with your child’s teacher as they will be sure to give you the best advice on how to help your child with their learning needs.
Positive Comments
Giving positive comments especially soon after diagnosis of dyslexia are hugely beneficial. Their self-esteem may be low and they may feel that they’re not the same as their peers. By praising small tasks that they have achieved, you can build their confidence and help demonstrate a positive attitude to learning. Help build their confidence by praising tasks they may find especially difficuly such as preparing for spelling tests.
Reading Out loud
Choose a book that both yourself and child want to read. Take it in turns to read making sure they don’t feel under pressure. Doing this exercise as a pair instead of individually will ease the pressure of reading out loud on their own.
You could take a break after each section and discuss each section. This way, your child will be able to think, analyse and comprehend the story narrative. It’ll also be a time to bond and enjoy the actual book.
Comparing
Try and not compare your child’s work/grading with their siblings. Take into consideration that in written pieces those with dyslexia need that little extra time. Be aware they may not complete their work in a given time.
Being Patient
Perhaps your child has forgotten their homework or to bring £1 into school for the cake fair. These instructions may have been spoken out loud. Those with dyslexia sometimes need verbal instructions to be repeated in order to process the information. It’s easy to feel frustrated but being patient and understanding is the first step in providing support.
Step-by-step
If you have a list of things for them to do try and break it down to two at a time. Such as ‘remember to wash your hands and set the cutlery out on the table.’ Repeating the instructions will be helpful. If you want to repeat a sentence wait 2/3 minutes so they have plenty of time to process this information.
Laptop/Computers
Having coloured acetate sheets to lay over the text can help some children, so, if they are using a laptop, they could also try changing the background colour.
Using background colours such as purple can be helpful in stopping words move around in a black and white print. Make the text a reasonable size of a medium to large for a clear view.
Homework
If your child seems to be really struggling with written pieces of homework ask to speak to their teacher. Perhaps they may encourage your child to type up instead of handwrite.
Software/Apps
Increasingly educational software is built taking accessibility into the deisgn process. Games like Emile can help those with dyslexia.
We would always love to hear about how we can make our products better for those with dyslexia!