Dyslexia support in schools
Dyslexia affects around 10% of the population. It creates difficulties reading, writing, spelling and processing. As a teacher, you need to know how to spot signs of dyslexia in children, and how you can support dyslexic pupils.
What is dyslexia?
It is estimated that approximately 10% of the population has dyslexia. In a 2008 government-commissioned report, it was proposed that a working definition of dyslexia meets the following points:
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Dyslexia primarily effects word-level reading and spelling skills (rather than comprehension)
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Dyslexia is typically associated with difficulties in phonological awareness, verbal memory and verbal processing speed
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Dyslexia can be observed across the range of intellectual abilities and that ‘an indication of severity’ can be provided by how well a child responds to well-founded intervention
Dyslexia belongs to a family of Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD), characterised by person having difficulties in areas such as working memory, auditory processing and phonological awareness.
It’s important to recognise that dyslexia is not related to intelligence. Dyslexia is neurological. Children can learn, but learning can be challenging due to the way in which the brain receives, processes and learns information.
Signs of dyslexia in children
It is vital as a teacher to understand that dyslexia is a spectrum disorder. It affects individuals in different ways and by varying degrees. Dyslexia can affect a child’s ability to learn in a number of ways:
Writing
Children may struggle with knowing how to plan different types of writing. They may be very articulate about what they want to say, but their written content does not match their explanation. It may show some of the following:
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Poor handwriting
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The process of handwriting takes longer than usual
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Poor punctuation and grammar
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Strange spelling patterns
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Reversing lettters, e.g. D instead of B
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Incorrect word order in sentences
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Reduced vocabulary for their age and use of shorter than usual sentences
Reading
Children with dyslexia may feel anxious about reading. They tend to read slowly and make errors when reading aloud. Due to issues with decoding words and reading fluency, they may also have difficulties understanding what they are reading.
Behaviour
All children with dyslexia will present differently and will present a range of behaviours and responses in different situations for different reasons. Certain behaviours may be used as coping strategies to avoid or deflect attention when asked to engage in activities that make them uncomfortable.
In introverted children, you may notice:
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Good behaviour
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Quiet
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Withdrawn
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Internally stressed
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Often described as “the invisible child”
In extroverted children, you may notice:
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Shouting out
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Moving around the classroom
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Noisy
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Messy
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Talking to others
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Argumentative
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Often described as “the disruptive, badly behaved child”
Physical
Some common physical traits of children with dyslexia include:
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Switching between their right and left hands or feet
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Issues with fine motor tasks such as tying laces
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Appearing clumsy
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Issues with tasks where they are asked to carry out a sequence, e.g. during P.E or following a recipe
Cognitive
Some children may have difficulty with organisation and planning. This may look like:
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Poor time keeping
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Not remembering messages
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Forgetting homework, deadlines or resources
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Difficulties planning essays or revising for exams
Supporting students with dyslexia
The learning environment should consistently use dyslexia-friendly strategies. Teachers and support staff need to understand dyslexia and know what strategies are helpful.
However, such strategies will need to be used consistently and applied during whole class teaching approaches so that the child does not feel they are being taught differently to other children, which could further impact their confidence and self-perception. Communication and proper documentation are essential here.
Some tips recommended by the Dyslexia research trust include:
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Expose children to more reading. The more they are exposed to it, the more it will encourage the right connection in the brain to develop. You can make reading as fun and stress-free as possible, but it’s essential that you do not avoid it.
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Provide written information in a sans-serif font, such as Arial or Calibri, and in a larger font size than normal. This helps letters to be more recognisable and easier to read.
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When students struggle to write letters, don’t provide them with a laptop and excuse them from physical writing. The physical process of forming letters can be extremely important in learning to read.
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Seat students with a direct view of the board, ideally towards the front of the room and close to the teacher. Some students with dyslexia also have auditory problems.
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Where students are expected to copy information from a board, provide students with dyslexia with a paper copy as copying from the board can be difficult.
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Provide a written summary of instructions in case the student struggles to remember verbal information.
Support your students with confidence
It's vital that teaching staff understand learning difficulties such as dyslexia and how to support students with dyslexia. CPD training can help teachers recognise the signs of dyslexia, know how to approach diagnosis, and learn how to support dyslexia in the classroom.
Our Dyslexia Awareness course outlines key definitions and categorisations of dyslexia, including multiple learning difficulties and the dyslexia spectrum.
It also includes information on the significance of a diagnosis, and how dyslexia can affect a child’s ability to write, read, physically coordinate themselves, and develop cognitive skills such as organisation. It also covers the process of raising concerns about a potentially dyslexic child, and the subsequent internal procedures that ought to be followed.
