Education Psychology Service

Dyslexia

What is Dyslexia?

The British Psychological Society says that "Dyslexia is evident when accurate and fluent word reading and/or spelling develops very incompletely or with great difficulty despite provision of appropriate learning opportunities." This means that dyslexia gets in the way of children learning to read and spell properly. They struggle even though they want to learn and they have been taught well.

We know that the way schools teach and treat children with dyslexia can make a big difference to how well they can overcome the difficulty. Many Leicestershire schools are changing to become more 'dyslexia friendly'. The Local Authority and central government is supporting schools to make this change. A training package devised by national experts will be available for all Leicestershire schools from this autumn.

For many children learning to read is difficult. This has nothing to do with their intelligence. Leicestershire teachers know a great deal about dyslexia and how to help children learn to read and write well.

Your child's rate of progress in reading will be assessed at regular intervals. If school assessments indicate more help is needed this will be provided. You will be told what the school is doing and how you, as a parent/carer, can help.

Educational Psychology Service - If you would like to speak to an Educational Psychologist about your child please telephone the duty service on 0116 2845100.

How parents can help if children make a slower-than-hoped-for start learning to read and write

There is much that parents/carers can do to help with reading and writing. The following five rules provide useful guidelines:

		Try not to put your son or daughter under stress. Reading should always be an enjoyable activity. Let your child re-read favourite stories as often as he or she wishes.
		When choosing books with your child, teach the '5 finger test' to see if you have the right book. Ask your son or daughter to read from a page in the chosen book and put a finger on each word he or she has difficulty reading. If there are more than five words on a page which your child cannot read easily then the book is too difficult at present to read for enjoyment.
		Read to and with your child every day. It doesn’t matter what you read – comics or magazines are fine. 5 minutes spent reading together for enjoyment every day will be more useful than half an hour once a week. Choose a time when it is fairly quiet, other children are not around and your child is not tired.
		Join your local library. Allow your children to choose their own books and change the books regularly. Using CDs is also recommended because listening to favourite stories helps to develop vocabulary knowledge and maintains interest in books and reading generally.
		Create a real purpose for writing e.g. thank you letters, invitations, shopping lists, diary notes etc. Handwriting practices can be suggested by your son or daughter's teachers. Learning the skill of writing in a joined style is important since it will help your child memorise spellings.

How can I help my child learn to read? Tips for parents and carers

1. Reading to your child - this improves their listening, grows their interest in books and increases the number of words they know.

2. Shared reading - the adult reads and the child joins in.

Encourage your child to join in by:

Discussing what the book is about with him / her
Talking about the pictures and asking your child to describe what is happening or might happen.
Running your finger along the line of print as you read together
Suggesting your child joins in by reading some words

Asking your son or daughter to retell the story in his/her own words

3. Supported reading - this approach encourages the child to read to you. You can then decide whether your child is able to read most or just some of a book.

Supported reading means:-

Looking at the books and pictures together and talking about characters and plot - before and after reading
Asking your child to guess what the story is about
Allowing time for your child to work out words (it is recommended that you give the word after five second)
Reading aloud together until your child takes over the read for him / her self - remember to start reading aloud again if (s)he gets 'stuck'

4. Over learning - This may seem tedious to you but it is actually very worthwhile to re read a child's favourite book over and over again. This helps to build familiarity and helps to reinforce his or her understanding of the story. This builds reading confidence

5. Silent Reading - Children need the opportunity to read alone. Young children need time to look through books and more skilful readers need practice to develop fluency. Talk to your child about books (s)he has read, - not only what the story was about, but also whether it was a good read.

6. Enjoyment - Reading should be a pleasure. If you seem to enjoy reading then your child will pick up on this.

Education Psychology Service

Dyslexia

What is Dyslexia?

How parents can help if children make a slower-than-hoped-for start learning to read and write

How can I help my child learn to read? Tips for parents and carers

further information