To question if we really need to be able to spell properly these days??

[BeanCalledPickle]

My DD8 is severely dyslexic. She can read reasonably well, her writing is quite good but her spelling is probably at year one level on a good day.

School have been making adjustments and have allowed her to work on a chrome book using voice recognition. Not all the time but for when her class do a big bit of writing or something.

At home we try to work on spelling. She hates this and pretty much refuses. It made me think; do we actually need to be able to spell these days? How often do we ever really write? I’m a solicitor. The only time I use a pen is when I write a note to myself and only I need to be able to read it back. Wouldn’t matter if every word was misspelled.

What I’m not clear on is whether a severely dyslexic child can do their eventual exams on a chrome book or do they have to actually write them? Are there any other crunch points in education where spelling is essential or can she get away with voice recognition for ever more?

Aibu if I give up encouraging her to learn to spell?!

My daughter is dyslexic. There was no point trying to teach her spellings. She'd spell it differently every time and didnt even know. She's at college now and is allowed to use a laptop and spell check for exams. In her coursework for her BTec its all submitted on line and she can spell check that aswell.

Even if she doesn't physically write she will still have to be able to spell and to recognise incorrect spelling if she has a decent job. Have you never seen the poem 'I have a spelling chequer'? And grammar! Grammar saves lives- you need to know the difference between "your dinner" and "you're dinner".

I’m not suggesting we abandon grammar. I am just musing over the extent to which adjustments for a disability exempt you from spelling if you just can’t do it

@stillcrazyafterall do you know anyone dyslexic. My dd wouldn't recognise wrong spelling at all. Realistically she won't ever have a job where her writing is important but I refuse to believe that means she can't have a good job!!

Dd is 15, she does all her school work on a laptop. For English language spell check has to be off but it's allowed for all other exams I think (unless there is any Spag points)

She also uses something called read, write, speak I think. This reads her work back to her. This is the only way she will correct her grammar. She certainly won't ever notice it written down.

Literally everything on a laptop? That’s awesome. Typing or using voice recognition?

She is allowed to use it for everything but she doesn't. She uses it for any essays and long answer questions.

She has a text to type on her iPad but doesn't use it much.

From memory once we had her dyslexia diagnosis the senco tried a range of different things with her. Then when she started doing her gcse years they applied to the exam board for special concessions. Then these are listed as things dd can have in exams (as well as stuff like extra time)

She tried using a reader (so someone to read her the questions/extract) but didn't like it. There was also a pen thing that she tried that as you go over the word it reads it to you.

There is so much help out there. My dd is kind, funny and smart but just struggles with reading and writing. I refuse to believe that this will stop her going far in life.

Yes she's not going to become a writer but there are million things she can do that she is good at.

DD has something similar to dyslexia and would be allowed to use a laptop and/or the Reading Pen (I think it was called a C-Reader) plus she gets extra time in exams and tests.

That’s really helpful thank you. She has a proper diagnosis and it says additional time for exams but I wondered if this would extend to using a computer. I really think it should be an exercise in extracting your thoughts and reasoning not your ability to hold a pen for hours on end! School is trying but all interventions etc are suspended due to bloody Covid. spelling tests still happen though which are so demoralising for her

It must be difficult for your daughter and anyone else who is dyslexic, but generally, a good level of spelling and punctuation is important, as mistakes can completely change the meaning of a sentence.
It's very good that there are spell checkers, but automated checkers are often wrong (I'm thinking predictive text) and can make nonsense of a text, as well as taking time to implement.

There is excellent software out there to help dyslexic students and pupils. There is no excuse, given that, to allow poor spelling. In a professional or work setting, poor written English is likely to be frowned upon by clients and colleagues. I'd be doing everything I could to encourage her.

In a professional role you can use spell check.

DD has just started really needing to email lots of external people for jobs and for college applications. I have helped her construct some emails which she is then able to adapt.

Dyslexia is not just about spelling. She struggles with structure and punctuation amongst other things.

Learning to spell is incredibly difficult. Her phonic knowledge is dreadful, despite learning it all at school. I know that she really learned to read by sight. She really struggles to break unknown words down phonetically. Spelling tests were a nightmare. She would always write the same words wrong each time we tested her but would mis spell them differently each time.

It’s definately important to spell words correctly, especially if you ever become a bent officer.

Joking aside, I would continue to encourage her to try as much as possible with spellings. Have you come across Nessy? That can be a fun way to practise spellings.

Thanks all. She does gradually pick up spellings, albeit slowly. I do encourage her to practice. I suppose I’m just hoping that dyslexia isn’t a barrier to success in an otherwise bright and academically able child.

It is a barrier but it's one you can break through.

Fwiw I do think it's worth persisting with spelling.

Have you tried Nessy? We're also having great success with that and Word Wasp.