Dyslexia- what support your school provide?

[SlowSwimmer]

Hi, My 8 year old daughter has dyslexia and is struggling at school. Homework is a nightmare and we all end up stressed out. I am not sure whether we are getting enough support or we are getting the same as everyone else- which seems to be very little. What support does your school provide for children with dyslexia? Do you have regular meetings with the teachers? Do they get sent the same amount of homework? Do they get any extra one to one support? Thank you in advance.

hi op. My DS is dyslexic, he is now in year 6. i think we have been lucky, he has had a lot of support from school. He has one to one literacy support twice a week, focusing on phonics knowledge and spelling which has been amazing. before that he went through their OT programme which was supposed to help with his handwriting. In the classroom he does some work handwritten and some on a computer. He also uses coloured acetates and coloured worksheets though i am unconvinced by the value of those. We mainly just see the teacher at the usual parents evening and we meet with the senco then as well and normally catch up with the TA who does his one to one support about once a term on the phone. We have asked for more meetings over the years when we have been worried about him and the school have been really good about that. i think you have to be really clear exactly what your DD is struggling with and how you think they can help and keep reiterating it especially if it is affecting her emotionally. Re homework i sympathise, it can be really stressful and i would say pick your battles to keep the upset to a minimum. My son generally gets set the same as everyone else but at times we have negotiated that he doesn't do the literacy and does basic spelling and letter formation instead that we hand in and the school has been open to that. We have tried to prioritise so insist on good effort with basic skills such as times tables etc but allow him to just get away with the minimum when it is make a poster or write an extensive diary or suchlike. I would also talk to the school about supporting her emotionally, my DS has really benefited from being given chances to shine in other areas such as public speaking and that has helped with some of the misery and frustration of school for him. Good luck, it is really hard to see them struggle x

SlowSwimmer, if your DD has a recognised problem, when was she diagnosed and did the school not put a plan in place for her/ meet you to discuss it then? If they haven't had that meeting with you, insist on it. They'll probably tell you that they can't do much, but they should be aware of her needs and adjust teaching accordingly.

For e.g. the homework thing sounds worrying - I know with my DS, his primary adjusted, but I had to complain loudly. Learning spellings were a particular thing for him, as were the times tables against the clock and the threat that they'd be kept in if they didn't get a certain amount right - all downright cruel for a kid with a recognised processing and working memory problem.

All depends on the nature of the dyslexia. My DS was at a state primary and diagnosed with dyslexia in year 5. He'd developed compensating strategies in his earlier years which masked it, was only when the written work cranked up a gear that these strategies were less effective. He reads well, but handwriting is messy and spelling is very poor compared to his other attainment levels. OP, I'm pleased you are getting lots of support as DS got very little. This was due to him meeting and exceeding age related expectations. School didn't understand you could be smart AND dyslexic. So they told us they were unable to give him support as there were others that were worse( ie not meeting age related expectations.) SATS year 6 was hideous for him, he passed, but with hindsight I wouldn't put him through that again. Look at what your school does for SATS, especially any boosters. We found work for months was aimed purely at passing the exam, not a more rounded English language education. And the Spelling test was a waste of time and effort. He's now at an independent senior school that get that you can be smart AND dyslexic. Local state secondaries would have failed to help to, again because they concentrate their funding on those that need an extra push to get exam passes, rather than encouraging tjose brighter students to reach their fullest potential. The SENCO at one couldn't understand why we didnt want him to be in a lower set. Hence the indy choice. Wish we'd moved him at year 5, as the experience really knocked his confidence too

Some schools are more dyslexic friendly that others

They may provide the whole class with visual aids coloured paper and written instructions

They may offer touch typing or recording work via technology text to speech or video

Depends of the deficits and what would help

Thank you all.