Dyslexia - Amington Heath Primary
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Dyslexia

Dyslexia can affect anyone at any age.  It is estimated that 10% of people over 16 in the UK alone have dyslexia. Sometimes learning may be challenging and  frustrating. If dyslexia is undetected , it can effect learning and achievement.

There are however all sorts of dyslexia friendly tools and techniques that can be used to make teaching and learning fun, easy and effective for dyslexia learners and ALL learners!

Dyslexics have the potential to achieve wonderful things (as do all learners), provided they have the right tools and learning opportunities.

What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a learning difference. It comes with a combination of strengths and challenges which affect the learning process of reading, writing, spelling and sometimes numeracy.

Dyslexia learners can sometimes have weaknesses in short-term memory, sequencing and the speed at which they process information.  They often find it difficult learning to read, write and spell because of these learning differences.

Some of the most famous and successful people in the world have dyslexia! This is because they have built on their strengths- Walt Disney, Jamie Oliver, Steve Redgrave, Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill to name just a few!

How can you spot your child may have dyslexia?

The following characteristics may be seen at home and/or at school

  • May have tantrums/ signs of frustration for no given reasons.
  • Can be very artistic and creative.
  • Has problems with co-ordination – left/ right, up/down.
  • Messy work with lots of attempts, uses the rubber lots!
  • Dislikes reading and writing.
  • Has difficulty in remembering and organising.
  • Can lack confidence and may have a poor self image.
  • Surprises you because in other ways she/he is bright and alert.
  • Has difficulty tying shoes laces, dressing, cutting.
  • Can have poor concentration or gets tired easily.
  • May appear to learn things, but forget everything the next day.
  • Mispronounces words or sometimes jumbled.
  • Problems with sight vocabulary and phonic development.
  • Has problems understanding what he/she has read.
  • Uses bizarre spellings, omits letters or puts them in the wrong order.
  • Has difficulty hearing sounds – p,f,v ,th.
  • Finds it hard to remember spoken instructions.
  • Has difficulty remembering sequences and facts.
  • Needs lots of support to complete written activities.
  • Struggles with handwriting – letters and numbers.
  • Unable to copy from the board successfully
  • Needs lots of support to complete written activities.
  • Struggles with handwriting – letters and numbers.
  • Unable to copy from the board successfully.
  • Written work does not match oral language skills.
  • Takes a long time to write things down.
  • Confuses b and d and words such as on and no.
  • Puts letters and figures the wrong way round.
  • Finds spelling and reading difficult.

How can you support your dyslexic child?

These resources are all used in school too.

  • IPads are an excellent interactive resource, with lots of free/ low cost apps to help develop literacy skills. Dyslexia friendly apps can be found easily. Word processing rather than writing can help.
  • Pencil grips help to reinforce correct pencil grip and provide comfort when writing.
  • Reading rulers have been found to help children with visual dyslexia. They also  help to stay focussed when reading by keeping track on the line that is being read.
  • Highlighters are a key tool in the classroom or for homework- to highlight patterns in sounds and key pieces of information.
  • The alphabet arc is a super tool to teach letter names and the alphabet order. School use this with selected pupils.
  • Use cream paper rather than white. All school worksheets are on cream. Comic Sans is the easiest font on the computer for a dyslexic child to read!
  • If writing instructions for your child write each line a different colour or underline every other line in a colour.
  • Cursive handwriting should be taught/used to help spelling, fluency, neatness and speed. Ask your child’s class teacher for a copy of what Amington’s cursive alphabet looks like.
  • Don’t be cross if your child is unorganised and forgetful, provide them with a checklist, keyring or visual timetable to ensure they remember the things they need.
  • Remember they might need help in other subjects such as maths (reading a question) or Geography (spelling a word). Dyslexia is not just apparent in literacy- it is with them all of the time.
  • A special dictionary called the ‘Ace’ dictionary is an excellent way for your child to check their spellings. Once they know how to use this special tool they will have no problems in checking their spellings. Making them become more independent in editing and work.