Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a complex neurobiological specific learning difficulty and it is more likely to occur in a child who has a parent who is dyslexic. It it thought to affect at least 10% of individuals and occurs across the range of intellectual abilities. An understanding of dyslexia is essential to provide the basis of support to help those with dyslexia overcome any barriers to achievement.

Although there is not an official, specific, universally accepted or decisive description of dyslexia, a publicly available resource that is widely referred to in the UK is written by Sir Jim Rose (2009).  In his working definition of dyslexia published in  ‘Identifying and Teaching Children and Young People with Dyslexia and Literacy Difficulties’ (2009:30), Rose states that dyslexia primarily affects the skills involved in accurate, fluent word reading and spelling, with the characteristic features being difficulties in phonological awareness, verbal memory and verbal processing speed. He adds that dyslexia is best thought of as a continuum, with no clear cut off points, rather than a distinct category. 

Co-occuring difficulties may be seen in aspects of language, motor co-ordination, mental calculation, concentration and personal organisation.  The British Dyslexia Association acknowledges the strengths of those with dyslexia in other areas such as design, problem solving, creative skills, interactive skills and oral skills.

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‘If they don’t learn the way we teach them, we must teach them the way they learn.’

Go to Made by Dyslexia You Tube channel for lots of informative videos about Dyslexia and famous people explaining their dyslexia. Made by Dyslexia also have free training for teachers on https://www.madebydyslexia.org/teachers/ and Nessy have great training, which is usually at a cost, but various times each year they offer for free.

Great books to explain dyslexia are ‘Dyslexia Explained’ by Nessy, which can be accessed at https://www.nessy.com/en-gb/dyslexia-explained and ‘This is Dyslexia’ by Kate Griggs.

Those with literacy difficulties such as dyslexia need to learn a lot of different strategies and receive relevant, effective support. They will benefit from a individualised, specialist programme of teaching by a trained dyslexia specialist, alongside daily phonics sessions and literacy lessons. However, as this is not always possible, I have detailed strategies that should be included in everyday teaching to help all children who may have difficulties and it is available as a leaflet from the download at the bottom of the page.

The dyslexic individual may well have low self esteem. Ensure you give them achievable goals to build up their confidence.

DO NOT ask individuals to copy chunks of text. DO provide written notes, dictate sentences slowly for practise, use speech to text software or templates to complete.

DO NOT rush individuals to answer a question. DO give extra time for thinking and understanding without any pressure.

DO NOT assume if a learner has been taught something or they have read a word correctly earlier that they will remember it next time. DO ensure that the learner receives explicit, cumulative overlearning to enable skills to become automatic, include multisensory teaching with clear objectives at the start of the lesson (the big picture is given) with links to previous learning. Frequently check understanding.

DO NOT forget that individuals with dyslexia will become distracted easily and need to work harder than their peers to get results. DO provide a quiet distraction free environment for the dyslexic learner to work, ensuring they are positioned well to be able to see the teacher, board, displays etc and able to have regular breaks. Make sure the child is not trying to multitask, so they are aware whether they should be reading or writing or listening at any one time.

DO NOT expect the dyslexic individual to read the same text as their peers. DO provide differentiated text so it is at the learner’s reading level, alternatively pair them with a reading buddy/group reader or provide assistive technology to read the text.

DO NOT expect the dyslexic individual to be able to use a dictionary or spell words correctly. DO provide smaller personalised vocabulary lists, ICT with automatic spellchecker, speech to text software and other helpful resources. Adapt spellings for tests to take into account different rates of progress.

DO NOT expect those with dyslexia to complete the same amount of work in the same timescale as their peers and do not give awards to everybody for completing the most tasks (including for homework) without differentiation. DO give them longer to complete a task or accept less work. Give homework a limited time and remember that a parent trying to help at home could well be dyslexic too. Provide an individual with opportunities to use multisensory ways to show their knowledge e.g. through pictures, models, photos, oral reports or explanations, a computer for written work, use of a scribe, mind maps, posters, PowerPoint presentations, speech to text software. Remember if a child is needing to use specialised support for their day to day work, they may be entitled to special Access Arrangements for exams (see useful websites page for links).

DO NOT expect the dyslexic individual to remember everything they have been told and do not reprimand for forgetting things as memory is affected by this learning difficulty. Do chunk instructions, slow down speech and the amount of information given at any one time, provide child with task boards and strategies/reminders to help remember items, especially between home an school, including organisational and planning tools, which can be in the form of relevant software on the computer.

DO NOT always have someone supporting individuals, but encourage them to become independent learners by teaching helpful strategies. DO help with independence by: providing a visual timetable with a movable arrow, provide a 12 hour digital clock to show time passing and use visual sand timers and IWB timers for tasks. Use symbols or digital images to accompany labels for easily accessible resources and signs around a classroom and school. Use the same colour for each subject e.g. maths books, resources and displays. Provide appropriate support for each task e.g. desk top aids, taskboard, grapheme mats, word cards, personalised dictionary, ICT and other assistive technology.