What do i tell dyslexic child...?

[kegaleg]

Have had it confirmed today that my little bou (8.50) is dyslexic (teacher, lsa and i suspected but test has now confirmed)

What i'm not sure about is, what do i tell him, how much does he need to know at this age, how do i explain it to him...?

Any experiences with this wld be much appreciated. TIA x

I'd just say to him that the reason why he finds it difficult is he has something called dyslexia, which means he needs to learn in a different way. You can then tell him about successful people who are dyslexic. Reassure him that he's certainly not stupid (as some kids think they are), he's just wired differently.

thanks for your replies guys. Some really useful tips there, and yes I'll make sure i explain to him that he is still a clever boy. i like the tip about explaining how is wired differently too.

Thanks for your advice and tips, and thanks for sharing your personal experiences too.

My first post on this site, and really pleased that i did :) Kx

Hi K

Can I ask please, did you tell him? How did it go?

I, too, have just had my 8 year old diagnosed as dyslexic. The school are suggesting I just tell him we have had a chat and they have come up with some cool new ideas to help with his spelling etc, and that he's going to get a new book and do games on the computer etc.

That's all well and good but what I wonder is whether actually giving it a name, and explaining it as you suggested above might be better, in that he might be more likely to understand that it doesn't mean he is "silly" (his words not mine, in relation to a recent dyslexia related incident in class).

I would be grateful if you could let me know, so far, whether you think giving him more information was a positive thing. Also anyone else out there with experience of this or thoughts would be welcome!

It feels like such a self-esteem minefield!

thanks

S

Does your ds have older siblings? I think the thing my ds found hardest was the fact that his older sisters have always found reading and writing much easier and quicker than him.

Ds was nearly 8 - when he knew there was a reason for finding schoolwork hard, it was quite a relief for him. We said that we were going to work very hard to help him.

We also made sure we did plenty of activities he was good at to boost his self confidence. Quite a challenge as dd2 is little miss competitive!!

He's 14 now and making option choices for next year (aargh!) - he got into grammar school and there are quite a few other dyslexic boys there.