Supporting Children with Dyslexia

 

In this post we’re going to talk about ways to support children with dyslexia. While different sources vary somewhat in their estimations, it seems safe to assume that dyslexia affects roughly 6% – 15% of the population. Beyond that, it’s worth noting that dyslexia affects the vast majority of those with learning challenges (as per The Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity).  

 

What is Dyslexia? 

Dyslexia is a learning barrier that causes an individual without other impairments to struggle with reading and writing. It can also affect other areas of a person’s life such as with memory skills, focusing and organisation. When you understand how to teach a student with dyslexia, you can help to improve their self-awareness as well as their cognitive skills by using teaching methods that include a multi-sensory approach. This can help them, not only in the classroom, but in other areas of their lives as well. Students with dyslexia differ significantly in their ability to give oral presentations; partake in discussions; write letters, numbers, and paragraphs; and spelling. In addition to this, they may also have difficulty working in noisy or disorderly settings.

 

To read more about tutoring students with ADHD or Dyscalculia, follow the links!

Tips to Support Children with Dyslexia as a Tutor

If you are helping the student with a project, outline the task before you start. Think it through and figure out what steps to take. Give specific attention to what is needed and how much time it will take to complete. Break a big project up into smaller and less intimidating sections.  Prioritise the work, not only by what is due, but also by what requires more or less time. In this way you can help the student through their difficulties related to executive function. 

During a lesson:

• Provide step-by-step instructions.
• Arrange work from the easiest to the hardest. Early success keeps students motivated to work!
• Present new or difficult information in small parts and complete each section in steps.
• A regular review of previous lessons can help students connect new and old information.
• Don’t fall into the ‘no homework’ trap.  Instead, use any free time to do revision or begin work that is due later.
• Oftentimes, asking the student to repeat directions and information in their own words can help them understand what is required of them. This is also a vital part for recalling information at a later stage when you are not necessarily there to assist.
• Combine verbal and visual information. Studies show that dyslexic students are more likely to understand and retain visual information than information that is verbal or written.
• Use visual prompts. Put symbols or bullets next to questions or activities that are worth more marks. This helps students to spend the right amount of time on each question.
• For students who have difficulty with handwriting, the response mode should be changed to include a variety of answering methods such as underlining, selecting from multiple choices, sorting, or marking.
• Reduce the amount of copying. Instead, ask the student to repeat what has been read or heard in his or her own words.
• Have students turn lined paper vertically for math. This helps to keep numbers in the appropriate columns.

 

Finally, patience and encouragement is key! Build up a level of communication between you and your student to improve your understanding of one another. Communication and understanding will provide much-needed encouragement. Furthermore, it may also increase work performance and help to get the most out of your lessons together.

To read more about being a great tutor, check out our Ultimate Guide on Tutoring!

Do you have any thoughts or tips to share when tutoring a student with Dyslexia? BrightSparkz would love to hear from you! 

 

 

This article has been adapted from our sister site.