October is Dyslexia Awareness Month and the perfect chance to keep on raising awareness, continuing to educate ourselves, and celebrating the potential of our children with dyslexia. Obviously something that we are passionate about!
Growing up with dyslexia is hard. Simple tasks can be formidable challenges, and without the right support, the frustration experienced by dyslexic children can quickly morph into anxiety. Therefore, it remains crucial for children with dyslexia to receive the necessary support both at school and at home. As with any learning challenge, early intervention is key.
We all know that the learning environment for a child with dyslexia plays a pivotal role in their confidence and ability to surmount obstacles. Transforming a classroom to make it dyslexia-friendly is not as challenging as it may seem. The subtle and easy-to-implement changes won’t (negatively) affect other students in the class – but they can make a world of difference to those with dyslexia.
Imagine not being able to focus on a page of text or having letters ‘in the wrong place’ every time you attempt to read. Consider the challenge of decoding words or struggling with the physical act of writing itself. Dyslexia manifests differently in each child, making the way we educate them crucial to their understanding, confidence, and lifelong learning.
It is essential to ensure that we, as parents and educators, are well-informed about our children’s needs. As part of nurturing dyslexia-friendly and inclusive classrooms, teachers should be familiar with effective techniques for teaching dyslexic students. For example, multisensory learning maintains its position as one of the most effective approaches for teaching any child with dyslexia.
The more informed we are, the better equipped we become to support our children. Early detection can grant your child access to crucial support resources, which will boost their confidence as they grow. For instance, traditional phonics teaching can be mind boggling for individuals with dyslexia. When you can’t hear or see how sounds blend together, learning phonetically becomes a formidable task. Early intervention remains key, whether a child has a diagnosis of dyslexia or not. If they have been identified as ‘having dyslexic traits’ or as ‘struggling’, intervention at the earliest possible stage is what will have the biggest impact overall.
Perhaps most importantly, in our quest to understand the challenges our children face, we must not overlook their unique strengths. Each child with dyslexia possesses their own distinctive talents that will shape their adult lives and deserve to be nurtured and celebrated.