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Dyslexia Q&As

Published by Bupa's health information team, March 2009.

Answers to questions about dyslexia

This section contains answers to common questions about this topic. Questions have been suggested by health professionals, website feedback and requests via email.

 

How will my child's school help my child with his/her dyslexia?

Your child's school may be able to help your child in many ways including extra/specialised teaching, use of computers and extra time for work/tests. Your child's school is required to draw up an individual education plan (IEP) for your child. This is intended to be specifically tailored to meet your child's needs and abilities and will be used to monitor his/her progress.

Explanation

If you think that your child may have dyslexia, you should talk to your child's teacher and to the school's Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO). If your child hasn't already been assessed, you can ask for your child to be assessed by your local education authority (LEA). You can request this assessment yourself, or your child's school or GP can request it on your behalf.

Following a request for a statutory assessment, LEAs will usually contact you within six weeks to tell you whether an assessment is appropriate for your child. If the LEA decides not to assess your child but you or your child's school don't agree with the decision, you should talk to your child's school and organise an appeal (your child's school should be able to help you with this). For information on how to appeal against an LEA decision, you can contact the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDIST).

There can often be a long waiting list for an assessment via the school and LEA. You may wish to arrange a private assessment with an independent Chartered Educational Psychologist specialising in specific learning difficulties. However, you would have to pay for this assessment yourself.

Your child's assessment

The assessment process may include tests, interviews and observation of your child. You have a legal right to be present during any of these. However, your presence may cause your child to behave differently (particularly in the classroom) and this may affect the results of the assessment.

The assessment may provide an indication of your child's possible dyslexic difficulties. However, in order to obtain a full diagnosis and to understand the exact nature of your child's profile of strengths and weaknesses, your child must be tested by a Chartered Educational Psychologist.

Following your child's assessment you will be provided with a full written report with broad recommendations for educational support for your child.

Your child's school

SENCO

The role of the SENCO within the school is to coordinate the provision of services for all children with special educational needs (including dyslexia). These services can include extra services and use of facilities within the school ('School Action') or additional help from specialists outside the school ('School Action Plus').

IEPs

One of the first things that may be done for your child in school is the creation of an IEP. Your child's teacher, your child and you will usually all be involved in the creation of the IEP. It will be used to:

  • identify the areas in which your child needs special help
  • identify how often extra help is needed
  • closely monitor your child's progress

Your child's IEP will detail all of the extra help your child receives and will be reviewed as your child progresses.

School Action

The first level of extra help your child will be offered in the classroom is known as School Action and may include:

  • use of specialist equipment (such as a computer)
  • extra help from teaching staff
  • being taught things in a different way

School Action Plus

If your child's teacher or SENCO doesn't think your child is making enough progress under School Action, he/she may talk to you about getting extra advice and support for your child from someone outside the school - for example, a special teacher or language therapist. This type of support is known as School Action Plus.

Teaching methods

It's been found that children with dyslexia respond best to teaching that is highly structured, thorough, builds up gradually (cumulative) and is multi-sensory (looking, listening, saying and doing). Lessons should be varied, interesting and active, involving different types of learning, including books, computers, interactive DVDs and other materials. They should also be seen to be useful (the children should understand why they are doing a particular task and how it will help them).

Homework

Helping your child with his/her homework is a very important way that you can help your child progress. At home it can be useful to set up a routine and to try hard to stick to it. Arrange a dedicated time (with no interruptions) and space (with no distractions) in which your child can do his/her homework and when you're available to help as needed. Allow your child a break between getting in from school and starting his/her homework. Many younger children with dyslexic difficulties will be particularly tired at the end of the school day because they have to work harder at school. It may be preferable to delay homework until first thing in the morning.

Help your child to divide his/her homework into manageable chunks - large tasks can seem less daunting if they are broken down into smaller ones. Read through all instructions with your child to make sure he/she has a clear understanding of what needs to be done.

Further information

Sources

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I've heard about coloured paper and filters. Can these help with reading?

Some people with dyslexia find it easier to read from coloured paper or if they look at text through coloured lenses or filters. However, these may not be useful for everyone with dyslexia.

Explanation

Some people, particularly those with dyslexia, find reading text on a white background difficult because they are particularly sensitive to light reflecting off the white background (glare). This is often called Meares-Irlen Syndrome. Reading text that is on a coloured background, wearing tinted glasses or putting a coloured filter over the white background often makes reading much easier for people with Meares-Irlen Syndrome.

Some people with dyslexia report that words and letters can appear to move around on the page, making reading more difficult. Why this happens isn't fully understood but it may be due to the eyes not 'tracking' (moving slowly and steadily across the page) properly. Some people with this problem have found that coloured filters (usually blue or yellow) stop the letters and words from moving around or makes the gaps between words clearer. This can make a big difference to their ability to read effectively.

To see if this technique could help your child, try overlaying text with see-through coloured plastic sheets to create a coloured filter. If you think this might help with reading, you can ask your child's school, GP or paediatrician (a doctor who specialises in children's health) to refer your child to a specialist eye clinic. In the clinic, optometrists (or ophthalmic opticians) can use specialist equipment called an intuitive colorimeter to prescribe tinted glasses and lenses. If these are appropriate for your child, he/she may only need to wear them for a short time, or may need to wear them long term. However, this may not be standard procedure in your local area and you may have to pay for these eye tests and spectacles/lenses privately.

Further information

Sources

  • Eyes and dyslexia. British Dyslexia Association. www.bdadyslexia.org.uk, accessed 27 July 2008
  • Robinson R, Boyle P, Garvey P. Ocular interventions, excluding correction of significant refractive error, for specific reading disorder. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2004, Issue 4. Art. No: CD005140. www.cochrane.org
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How might dyslexia affect my child socially?

Dyslexia is unlikely to be a direct cause of behavioural problems in your child, but it can lead to frustration, which in turn can lead to low self-esteem and behavioural problems. Children with dyslexia can be singled out as being different from their classmates and this can result in bullying. If you're worried about either your child's behaviour or the behaviour of other children towards your child, you should talk to your child and your child's teacher.

Explanation

Behavioural problems aren't usually a symptom of dyslexia. However, if your child becomes frustrated because he/she is unable to do the same things as other children, this might show in the form of bad behaviour. To help prevent your child becoming frustrated it's important to talk to him/her about his/her dyslexia. Encourage and support him/her in his/her efforts to progress. Give him/her regular praise and try to focus on the positive aspects (such as creativity) rather than the negative aspects of his/her condition. If you're worried about your child's behaviour, talk to your child and his/her teachers - it's important to get to the root of the problem as quickly as possible so that his/her progress isn't too badly affected.

Children with dyslexia can also lack self-confidence because they find it difficult to do many things that other children their age are able to do easily. They can often be the victim of bullying as other children don't understand their condition and just see them as being 'different' or 'stupid'. If you're worried that your child may be being bullied, talk to your child's teachers. He/she will be able to look into the issue and deal with it as necessary.

Focus on the positives

Your child's dyslexia may make certain tasks like reading and writing difficult, but he/she may be talented in other ways. For example, he/she may be very creative or have good problem-solving skills. Your child may also be very good at expressing him/herself in other ways, such as talking, drawing and painting. Make sure your child knows that having difficulties with reading or writing is only part of who he/she is. Remind your child often of his/her other skills and achievements.

Further information

Sources

  • Getting help for your child. British Dyslexia Association. www.bdadyslexia.org.uk, accessed 27 July 2008
  • Homework tips. British Dyslexia Association. www.bdadyslexia.org.uk, accessed 27 July 2008
  • Introduction to bullying. BullyingUK. www.bullying.co.uk, accessed 28 July 2008
  • A framework for understanding dyslexia - the 'deficit' versus 'different' models of dyslexia. Department for Education and Skills. http://excellence.qia.org.uk, accessed 27 July 2008
  • Confidence building in dyslexic children. Being Dyslexic. www.beingdyslexic.co.uk, accessed 31 July 2008
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Related topics

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RThis information was published by Bupa's health information team and is based on reputable sources of medical evidence. It has been peer reviewed by Bupa doctors. The content is intended for general information only and does not replace the need for personal advice from a qualified health professional.

Publication date: March 2009

 

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