Primary School section - Would you be willing to share what helped your dyslexic child in school please?

[Italiangreyhound]

I hadn't realised there was a middle/junior school section so have been posting in primary, although my daughter is now year 5. I decided to post in Middle/Junior sectin but also in the primary still as I would value all view on this.

My dd has dyslexia and her ability at reading and writing is a few years below her chronological age, where as I am told she is very bright and her intelligence is ahead of her chronological age.

School is a real struggle, and so is home work.

Please can I ask Primary School section - Would you be willing to share what helped your dyslexic child in school please?

If you are a parent to a child with dyslexia how do you view it? Is it a special educational need, is it disabling their ability or enabling them?

Education: The art of being dyslexic

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_diagnosed_with_dyslexia

Many thanks

What type of dyslexia? DD2 had intensive, early intervention combined with behavioural optometry and is doing really well at a super selective indie. She views her dyslexia as a bit of an irritation (can't spell, gets extra help with MFLs, has specially produced exercise books) and a gift (sees pattern where others don't, amazing creativity).

As an adult dyslexic in a family of dyslexics, with an almost certainly dyslexic DD I am come from the following view point.
It is unfair, bloody unfair you have to work ten times harder than anyone else. You can not change this you have to accept it. You have to learn ways to work with your dyslexia. However, if you accept the unfairness and learn the coping strategies you can achieve anything you want to.
I am absolute proof of this two excellent degrees from top Unis and about to embark on my MBA.

Thanks for replying, horsemadmom, I did not realise there were different types of Dyslexia. Where can I learn more, please? She has no problems with eye sight or hearing.

Lonecatwithkitten thanks so much and well done for your achievements. I also have dyslexia and also got a degree, although not so good or from such a good university, but I did also study Mandarin, and as someone kicked out of French at 14 I feel this is an achievement.

I totally accept my dd as a child who is dyslexic. I really do want to learn how to help her to achieve all she can.

I got to a good (ie red brick) university where I was finally diagnosed with dyslexia and went on to get a good degree - I probably did worker harder than my contemporaries but I got there.

One siblings and several cousin have also been formally diagnosed. I haven't had my DC formally diagnosed. Every teacher whose had DD1 knows there is something off or wrong but there is always a reason school doesn't want or think testing would be helpful - she yr 5 now.

If tracking along a page is an issue - as it was for DD1

www.engagingeyes.co.uk

Her eyes test normal - but there was something there - ( there are theories about convergence and divergence in eyes and we decided with one off payment to take a chance) - and this does seem to have helped her with speed and tracking with her normal reading.

www.soundfoundationsbooks.co.uk - these are great - for reading and spelling. Good phonics understanding especially of the more obscure sounds/patterns is a seriously useful tool.

I've read theories that some dyslexia is actually a brain that takes longer to automatic behaviour - thus meaning it's thought about more meaning alternatives are considered- I could see that with DS. We went thought the early sound foundation levels at least twice ( though his hearing was normal he had huge issues hearing sounds in words as well) - I also think that it's why mathfactor helps him so much - constant practise though it's supposed to be a highly visual way of learning as well.

I tend to view dyslexia negatively - it was a caused huge problems for me despite me ultimately doing well. I was good at English lit and late primary school read widely - much to my teachers regrets I didn't peruse that subject and went more science/maths as I was fed up of the issues my poor spelling was causing. I have no idea how much it's affected who I am.

It's meant early years for eldest two at school have been exceptionally tiring - meaning tantrums and bad behaviour to deal with - also finding time for this extra stuff to help them.

Yes I'm creative, not artistic, but so is my DH who isn't dyslexic and he is artistic despite being in a heavy science/maths field, so it's hard for me to count that as a positive.

My DD1 is dyslexic and has just started Y4. I had suspected since reception that she was, but for various reasons put off having her assessed. Part of the problem was that she was doing ok.

I wish we had done this earlier, as the specialist report showed that she was having significant difficulty in several areas - not just reading and spelling, but working memory and sequences as well. School and homework were a constant source of struggle and she was putting more and more energy into resisting doing things because she was afraid of failing. I had no idea how to help her.

I have tried to get as much feedback from people I know who are dyslexic/have dyslexic children, as well as looking for feedback here. There are some constant themes - one being that specialist teaching and coloured overlays can help. My DD's reading speed goes up dramatically when using the latter.

One parent advised me to look for things that she's good at, so she is less conscious of not being 'top' in academic subjects.

You don't say whether your DD's school is giving her appropriate learning support - if not, why not?

DD is not dyslexic so this may be a pants idea, feel free to ignore. But her writing and spelling lag very far behind her oral ability, so I often find dyslexia threads useful. Her fab Y2 teacher suggested she use a tape recorder or voice recording app to help her writing. She records what she wants to say (fluently, keeping the flow), then gets them down on paper in slower time without losing her thread. It stuck in my head because a dyslexic school friend of mine used a tape recorder all the time for revision. Similar sort of thing - it freed her from the battle with the written words.

Hexu2 thanks for all those ideas, I will look into them.

elltee yes, my dd also has problems with having significant difficulty in several areas - not just reading and spelling, but working memory and sequences as well. And yes for us too I would say School and homework were a constant source of struggle and she was putting more and more energy into resisting doing things because she was afraid of failing..

I knew DD had dyslexia a long time ago, or suspected it. I looked at my diary and DD's teacher (now retired) "... does not think it is worth thinking in terms of dyslexia because children as young as six cannot usually be tested by the state..." But DD had it and now I feel early diagnosis would help!

So the next academic year I had dd tested at a charity and they came back with a sort of semi diagnosis, she was just about to turn 7, she is now 10 so that is three years of knowing about it but it was only in the last year that DD was diagnosed about a year ago just before going into year 4 and year 4 they made a massive effort and she has improved, so it is really what they do once they know the problems.

erin99 good idea. I will look into this.