Son has dyslexia - how can I help him

[Dechap]

My son's (10) school believe he has dyslexia after a screening test.
They sent me an email of dyslexia assessors in our local area who can help with formal assessment. The schools he has issues with him phonological processing

However, would it be better to get an educational psychologist to give him a full assessment? I do have some minor concerns about his behavior - for example, he is very defeatist; he has a tendency to fib or exaggerate things, and he is very, very sensitive and scared about things - won't climb a ladder because he think he'll fall. I was just wondering that is there were some other issues an educational psychologist might be able to find them.

Thanks for any thoughts / suggestions.

Anyone?

His behaviour is probably anxiety from low self esteem due to the undiagnosed and unsupported Dyslexia.

Not sure what an educational psychologist does to be honest but he's 10. Of course he's going to be intimidated by some things, tell fibs etc. If he's only being diagnosed now, his confidence has also taken a large knock over the years.

The most useful advice we got from the dyslexia evaluator [recommend being tested for dyscalculia, dyspraxia too] was to work on building confidence because they often believe they are a bit thick and give up on things / don't expect to succeed before they even start. We took DD through her report and pointed out where she was below average and would struggle eg recall of timetables but also pointed out where she was significantly above average. As she has gotten older she's realised that yes, she is significantly better than many of her peers at some things and that has given a real boost of confidence.

He doesn't have low self esteem, rather the opposite. What surprised me was that he was doing so well in school. He was exceeding expectations in year 1 and year 2. Then his new teacher thought something wasn't right.

I am very nervous, so i am not making much sense

Why wouldn't he be doing well academically though? Dyslexia doesn't make you thick or mean you are thick. If he is dyslexic he's obviously learnt his own tricks to get through schooling

Get him assessed and if he is then...

Get him to try different colour see through covers for his work so the words don't jump around as much

Ask for his school work sheets he has to be printed on said colour if possible and that goes for homework too

Encourage him to read as much as possible even if it's a football magazine

Get his eyesight checked

Ensure good sleep hygiene and diet

Help him with things indside and outside of school like keeping organised bedroom etc and ensuring you help him back his school bag the night before if he is forgetful as that's often hard for those with dyslexia

When the teacher explains what work they need to do that lesson or homework ask for your child to have it written down for him because often those with dyslexia struggle to remember instructions

Ensure when he moves to high school the school are aware so he gets extra time for handing in homework and exams

Thanks for these suggestions.
He is pretty organised; he sorts out his school bag, pe kit himself, so that isn't something to be concerned about.
Its mostly reading & comprehension, probably the later is worse.

2 of my children have just been diagnosed, I had suspicions with one but the other was a surprise to me. I've started doing some research into dyslexia and realised I really didn't know much and had some preconceptions (neither of mine struggle with reading for example which I had thought was a given with dyslexia). Mine just had dyslexia assessments though.

I say the main thing is to make sure school are onboard, there's some things they can do immediately that could help. For example my eldest is now given extra time before starting a piece of writing to plot his ideas before actually starting.

I'll be honest it knocked me for a while but researching has helped me feel more positive. Happy if you want to pm me for a chat.

My son has dyslexia. i also work in schools (back office, so i'm not student facing) and there are so many children with SEN, it's not as big of a thing as it was in the past.

My son had an Ed Psych assessment at school and then we got a more comprehensive assesssmenf from a Dyslexia assessor who was more detailed. We sent sent this report to his secondary school when he started in year 7 and they accepted it and gave him adjustments. He gets to work from a laptop and has extra time in exams.

I thought he had mild dyspraxia, as like your son, he is scared of climbing etc and his fine motor skills aren't great. He thinks he's scared of heights, but i think it's more that he just doesn't know where to put his hands and feet. This has slowly improved with him, but he can't really tie laces and struggles with using a knife.

His dyslexia assessor said that there are overlaps within SEN and many people have more than one condition.

We've been attending dyslexia tuition classes for a few years now and they focus on learning skills and developing techniques for learning.

One think I will say is that, children with SEN will eventually find their own strengths and it's amazing to see. For example, my son has a good memory and whilst it takes a bit longer than normal to get the knowledge in his head, once it's there, it's secure!!!