How can I support my Child?

Read to Your Child

Children with dyslexia or dyslexic tendencies, can find reading and vocabulary more difficult. Reading to your child can help to improve their vocabulary and listening skills, as well as helping them to develop a love of reading.

Make Reading Fun

Try to help your child to develop a love of reading by making it fun. Find books that are of interest to them and enjoy stories together. You can also create a reading den or area in your home to motivate them to read.

Multisensory Learning

Children with dyslexia or dyslexia tendencies, can benefit from multisensory learning that involves using multiple senses. Try to plan multisensory activities to take part in with your child at home such as songs (auditory), pictures (visual), actions (kinesthetic sense), and manipulatives like alphabet cards or magnetic letters (tactile).

Repetition

Although rereading the same book may seem boring, repetition helps children to learn and can help with both word recognition and comprehension. 

Technology

Children with dyslexia or dyslexic tendencies, can find it hard to interpret written text and can find it easier to use technology. Find online apps or resources to help support your child with reading. They can also use technology, such as word processing programmes with a spell checker and autocorrect function, to help with writing and spelling. 

Break Down Tasks

Break down tasks into manageable steps or instructions that are easy to follow. You can also help them to do this with their school work by dividing homework into manageable chunks, such as practising a set of number of spellings at a time. 

Resources and Materials

Some children with dyslexia or dyslexic tendencies, are sensitive to light, particularly to the glare that they experience from a white piece of paper or computer screen background. Try using coloured overlays to see if cutting down on the glare helps. You can also get a light sensitivity test by an optician.

Other children may find it difficult to grip a pencil correctly and may hold it too tightly. A pencil grip may help.