It is common for individuals with dyslexia to struggle to organize auditory or written information and/or remember specific details. This can result in difficulties following instructions, remembering parts of one’s schedule, following along in stories or lectures, and distinguishing letters within words. These difficulties can result in the child becoming reluctant towards reading or writing. But, fortunately, there are several strategies parents can use to help their child with dyslexia. The following bullets are a few strategies you can use to ease the difficulties:
Bring Words To Life
Show your child visuals (pictures and videos) related to words. It is important for children with dyslexia to be taught an explicit method that involves several senses (e.g., hearing, seeing, touching) at the same time.
Color glasses: Coloured lenses can help ease visual ‘distortions’ while reading
Invest in Assistive Technology
E.g., Learning Ally (audiobooks), Livescribe Smartpen (records lectures), CoWriter (word prediction), Inspiration Maps (graphic organizers), Voice Dream (text to speech) Dragon Dictation (speech to text), Notability (note-taking) Snap Type (take a photo of the worksheet, add text)
Break up passages into word docs and change the font
Encouraging your child to copy their notes onto a word doc in a font that contains letters that are fairly different from one another (e.g., Comic Sans). This can be one way to remediate difficulties distinguishing letters within words.
Be an Advocate
Check-in with your child on feelings they have about school (e.g., asking: What do you find easy at school? What do you find difficult at school?)
If you notice your child is having difficulties with reading and writing, refer them for an evaluation by a school psychologist or SLP.
If your child does have a diagnosis, make sure they have classroom accommodations necessary for success (e.g., extra time on exams, assignments, and preferential seating). Remember that you are an equal and vital member of your child’s IEP team.
Stay updated on different ways to advocate. → International Dyslexia Association (IDA) https://eida.org/
Sources:
Ward-Lonergan, J. M., & Duthie, J. K. (2018). The State of Dyslexia: Recent Legislation and Guidelines for Serving School-Age Children and Adolescents With Dyslexia. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 49(4), 810–816. https://doi.org/10.1044/2018_lshss-dyslc-18-0002
Morken, F., & Helland, T. (2013). Writing in Dyslexia: Product and Process. Dyslexia, 19(3), 131–148. https://doi.org/10.1002/dys.1455
Talcott, J. (2011). Introduction to volume 17 of Dyslexia. Dyslexia, 17(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.1002/dys.428
Denton, T. F., & Meindl, J. N. (2015). The Effect of Colored Overlays on Reading Fluency in Individuals with Dyslexia. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 9(3), 191–198. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-015-0079-7
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