A parents guide to the dyslexic learners needs and school support

Hi, 

When talking to the parents of my students they have expressed their frustration with "the system". What they continue to tell me about is how they feel that their child's challenges are not really understood. 

It's not easy supporting a Dyslexia learners 

...… especially in a class of 30. Statistically, there could be 3 dyslexia learners in that class and possibly 9 other children that have Literacy challenges. 

That is a lot of supporting and with teachers workloads and expectations from the school management/ Governors/parents/ Ofsted  etc etc they are under pressure. 

Dyslexic learners need time to take on board and process new information

Dyslexic learners learn in a different way, they have different learning styles and they have different needs than students who are not dyslexic. 

The British Dyslexia Association offer schools an opportunity to qualify for their Dyslexia Friendly Quality mark and in an ideal world, all school would hold this accolade. 

Dyslexia friendly schools are able to respond to the challenges encountered by the dyslexic learner. They can support their students as they understand and work with their diverse learning needs. Teachers are supported  by the school procedures and systems.  Dyslexia friendly schools recognise that teaching staff, as individuals, are key to the success of students overcoming their difficulties.

But it is not an ideal world so what you can do to support your child? 

If you are concerned about your child's progress, discuss your concerns with the school SENCo as they should be able to organise support. They may also recommend a cognitive assessment to be carried out with a Dyslexia diagnostic assessment. This will hopefully help you access the support to develop your child's learning style. 

Dyslexic students benefit from tuition with a specialist  tutor using an appropriate structured multisensory programme. Tutor lists can be found on the British Dyslexia Association and Patoss websites

British Dyslexia Association - tutor list  https://directory.bdadyslexia.org.uk/

Patoss tutor list   https://www.patoss-dyslexia.org/About-the-Tutor-Index

Enjoy your week