How to Teach Dyslexic Children

Educators often become frustrated by the lack ofmust be given staunch consideration from day one,
specialized services that are available for students inincluding:
their classroom that suffer from dyslexia, a learning· Explicit phonics instruction in both reading and
disability that chiefly affects the sufferers ability tospelling lessons. Children who suffer from dyslexia
read, write, and spell. Students with this condition oftenmust learn to identify sounds and patterns among
require special tutoring and teaching above andletters, especially where reading and spelling are
beyond any special education classes that they mightfundamental to mastering a concept.
attend. Being unable to spell correctly prevents the· Multi-sensory lessons where viable.
student from being able to express themselves fully,Incorporating lessons that require the use of multiple
which can extend across the spectrum and causesenses other than visual cues, including sound and
long term problems. Children are typically only taughttouch, or even smell and taste in more creative
spelling as part of a language arts curriculum in thelessons.
early grades, and generally only in the perspective of· Focus on individual sounds and letters in
learning to read. Children who suffer from dyslexia, onspelling curriculum, mastering one before moving to the
the other hand, need a much more wide-ranging andnext. For example, focus totally on the letter "d" before
broad spelling support that continues well after the timeproceeding to the oftentimes confused "b". Never
that they learn to read, and even past their tenure inteach confusing letters or letters with similar lines at the
special education classes.same time.
Improving Learning Environment for Teaching Dyslexia· Call for parent participation. While having a
An important component in teaching the dyslexic childgood rapport with all parents is ideal, the dyslexic child
includes specialized instruction across the curriculumneeds the additional support at home in order to be
and throughout many grade levels. Identifying thesuccessful. Ask parents to reinforce skills learned at
dyslexic child early on may be fundamental toschool, and schedule regular progress meetings to
overcoming the ill effects of the condition. Spelling andcompare notes.
phonics instruction must begin in the formative years ofAll too often, the dyslexic student will encounter
elementary school and continue throughout theirclassroom difficulty that relates to a lack of confidence
educational years, particularly in areas of the curriculumthat can cause problems in other areas of their studies
where reading is essential to their success. Dyslexicother than spelling. Paying close attention to the child's
children should always be seated near the teacher'sability to spell and helping the child develop good
desk and the chalkboard, and should be kept fromspelling skills will go a long way toward helping the child
distractions as much as possible. The dyslexic child hasbecome successful throughout his entire education.
an elevated difficulty focusing on the teacher whenContinuing to focus on spelling is vital to achieving the
there is background noise and other distractions, in aeducational goals of the dyslexic student, even after
much more pronounced way than the typical student.any special education services that the child receives
Curriculum Needsare considered unnecessary.
For a dyslexic student to succeed, curriculum needs