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SEN

Here you'll find advice from parents and teachers on special needs education.

Dyslexia Home Resources Recommendations

21 replies

ShastaBeast · 09/04/2020 00:05

My 8 yr old is being assessed for dyslexia and I’m pretty sure she has it. I’m trying to find resources to help me teach her at home. Any suggestions of workbooks or websites etc we could use to structure the learning? It’s almost only to get her to read to me so she’s going to fall even further behind with reading. I’m ordering overlays to see if it helps and we have a book about getting letters the right way round, plus magnetic letters to start with.

OP posts:
Perkyduck131 · 13/04/2020 08:17

Hi, I have a specialism in dyslexia and run the interventions at my school (although am secondary). Dyslexia can present itself very differently in children so these are just general advice points for a very unique situation, please take with a pinch of salt!

I would say repetition of letter sounds would be key to keep up at home- something like reading eggs may seem slightly babyish but would be good for her to practice her letter sounds, blending and HFWs. If you have an iPad, the sounds write app is fairly self explanatory and good for practicing.

In terms of comprehension, download some of the shorter reads from Twinkl and using paired reading approach and answer the questions.

For some parents with children who struggle with particular comprehension skills I’ve recommended buying this book :

www.amazon.co.uk/Teaching-Comprehension-Strategies-Developing-Reading/dp/1846541174?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

As each task is based around a specific skill and it also gives prompts and guidance for whoever is using the book with them.

Games like taboo are great for developing vocabulary, there’s also a phonics game called swap/ fix which is a bit like uno- all my students love it!

Most importantly, remember she can continue to develop her comprehension, vocabulary etc through listening to audio books or listening to you read to her. The phonics and independent reading/ spelling will likely be the biggest struggle for her and tiring- maintain the love of reading in other ways so she doesn’t switch off.

Hope that helps. Sorry- writing while sat under two toddlers so apologies if anything is unclear!

halulat · 29/04/2020 19:44

NESSY is a really useful reading and spelling online programme which is aimed at children with dyslexia. It does cost but I think you can do indidvidual subscriptions from home if you wish.

NotVeryChattySchoolMum · 30/04/2020 13:25

Perkyduck131 - thank you for the recommendation - about the book, reading comprehension is definitely the big obstacle in our case and it breaks my heart to see them panic at text.

OP - I'm using the popular recommended Toe by Toe book - and I feel like I am making nice progress with my DS8, because this books reveals what gaps my son has and we are both learning along to cover them. But some parents find it more like Toenail by Toenail than Toe.

Atomsaway · 04/05/2020 17:48

@Perkyduck131
Sorry, I am slightly hijacking this thread. As a dyslexia specialist in a secondary school, how would you oversee support for a child with an EHCP that names dyslexia?

Perkyduck131 · 04/05/2020 21:42

@NotVeryChattySchoolMum love that re toenail by toenail- I’ve heard similar but it seems to deliver! Completely agree with ‘filling the gaps’, I do feel with some students it is a case of working out which aspects of phonics they need reinforcing and working on that. Builds their confidence as they start to encounter more and more new vocabulary at KS2/KS3. Twinkl have some nice comprehension activities as well and organise them by the different comprehension skills- if there’s a particular area your son needs to work on you could get some additional pieces from there. Like I said, worth doing some paired reading for some of the comp bits so he gets a chance to develop the actual comprehension skill rather than being preoccupied with decoding words.
@atomsaway it really depends. I’m state school and it’s the first I’ve worked at where they’ve offered specialist support. I know at private it is common for parents to employ a dyslexia specialist who will work with the students during school hours. In my school we have a tiered intervention system - so some students are withdrawn from MFL and have small group literacy support, others receive one to one intervention. Students eligible for support are decided based on recommendations from the English teachers and the SENCO, so not all students have an official diagnosis of dyslexia. With my one to ones I carry out a series of assessments (reading, phonics, comprehension, spelling, writing) of needs and then create a plan of weekly interventions to support them.

In other schools I’ve worked in dyslexic students haven’t been withdrawn at all but will have in class TA support (although TA is usually spread across several students).

I suppose it would really depend on the nature of the EHCP and the level of support the school had - from my experience schools vary hugely on what they can offer.

Atomsaway · 04/05/2020 22:19

Thank you so much for replying perky.

Sorry, I’m going to ask you two more questions and then leave you alone!

What does the TA do in the class with the child and are they specifically trained for supporting that child?

What sort of things do you plan to do as intervention tasks?

I’m asking because my son has just got a EHCP for dyslexia and I’m wondering what kind of support school will provide. He’s year 7 and in a state school.

Thanks so much again.

Atomsaway · 04/05/2020 22:19

an EHCP!

Perkyduck131 · 05/05/2020 07:08

Oh no problem at all- my DD has speech and language issues and I was asking so many questions about that, when it’s new you absolutely want to make sure they are getting the right support.

So with TA’s I haven’t known of any who are specifically trained in dyslexia, there tend to be more specialists for ASD or EAL. They might write notes for the students, read extracts to them aloud and generally help organise their notes. In most schools TA’s are loosely allocated to specific children and part of their performance management would be monitoring how the student is getting on and whether they need any more support. Our TA’s also often act as advocates for the child and will speak to teachers directly if something isn’t working. Class teachers would be expected to adapt resources if necessary, so changing the font or the background colour or printing out additional resources.

In one to ones I focus mainly on phonics and comprehension. Half the session will be working on gaps in letter sounds (I use some methods from sounds write for this- if you have a tablet you can download) and the second half will be comprehension skills. In the small group sessions we focus more on things like PEAL paragraphs and an analysing/ expanding vocabulary.

The TA support/ teacher provision is far more important IMO. The one to one support is great, but again something I haven’t seen in any other schools. And a key factor with the one to one is repetition- so even at home something like reading eggs or similar every day would be good for reinforcing patterns and hopefully wouldn’t be too tiring for your son. And also trying to hold on to the passion for reading wherever possible- Tom Palmer is an author who writes specifically for dyslexic students and writes some football/ horror novels that my students enjoy. Barrington Stokes also have some good ones.

I would be prepared to be flexible and see how he responds in those first few weeks, then think about any amendments that need to be made to the provision. I advise colleagues that we should expect less output from dyslexic students, especially in terms of homework, as the reading will take significantly more time. Other students have benefitted just from having print outs of the PP slides rather than having to look at the board- these are both really simple tweaks to provision that can make a huge difference. So keep an open discussion with your son and see what specific elements he is finding difficult (is it reading from the board, is the workload overwhelming him, is his lack of confidence in spelling restricting his vocabulary?)

There’s a really good book- The Parent’s guide to specific learning difficulties, that talks you what to expect at each stage and conversation you might want to have with the school.

Last point (sorry this has gone on!) most teachers I work with are hugely dedicated and passionate about their students. At secondary they may not know their students inside out as they don’t have as much contact time. If they’re not making adequate provisions at first assume it is due to lack of awareness rather than anything more sinister and have a chat with SENCO/ head of year/ form tutor. The vast majority of teachers will go above and beyond to ensure you son has the support he needs to access learning.

Hope that helps- more than happy for any other questions as can empathise with how Confused it is trying to work out support.

This article has written the key points more concisely
www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/special-educational-needs/dyslexia/mainstream-schools

Atomsaway · 05/05/2020 16:10

This is absolutely wonderful perky and exactly what I was after. I just didn’t really know what support would look like.

I will take a look at the books/links you have kindly suggested.

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond.

Perkyduck131 · 06/05/2020 07:52

No problem at all, glad it helped. Let me know if there’s anything else - good luck!

mumsrthebest · 11/05/2020 16:32

Could any of you ladies let me know more about Toe by Toe. What sort of things would the student do? I have a 8 year old daughter who is severely dyslexic.

Elaine01student · 12/05/2020 14:03

Hello there, I've been reading through some of the threads above and wondered if any of you have read a book by Thomas Armstrong, The Power of Neurodiversity: Unleashing the Advantages of Your Differently Wired Brain. I am a third-year university student with dyslexia and this book has helped me to understand my differently wired brain and learning styles that suit the way I think. I'm now working on my Final Major Project at university and have chosen to explore the area of special educational needs (SEN) and virtual learning platforms. My project investigates tools that can be used with online learning platforms to help teacher support learners with SEN in an online classroom. I have created a survey which I would really appreciate your participation to assist me with the project, and if you know of any learners with a SEN condition, I would also value they input with the survery. Thank you for your time.

Elaine01student · 12/05/2020 14:09

Sorry this is the survey... forms.gle/XhLS66xWhSxXPnpN6

Widdendream77 · 22/05/2020 15:51

Thank you all for the helpful advice and resources as a mum with a dd who looks like she is going to be quite dyslexic but too young yet for official diagnosis.

Elaine01student · 22/05/2020 22:45

The book is a great resource... please let me know what your thoughts once you have read it...

Onceateacher · 02/06/2020 20:13

@mumsrthebest are you still wondering about Toe by Toe? You do about 20 mins each time and it's a page of things you have to read correctly - sounds or words or part of words - that progressively builds up skills.
It's boring as anything but a lot of people find it very helpful. Good thing to try in lockdown I would have thought. I bought mine on amazon iirc.

jollyhollyday · 05/06/2020 23:24

Hi I just came on to ask about my 7 year old dd and seen this thread so I hope you don't mind me jumping on.
I've thought for awhile she may be dyslexic but school have done an early rest which came back as negative
However I feel it's maths mainly that she is struggling with. She has no concept of counting on or back. If she has to add say 5+3 she will always start at 1 and not from 5. She says she has to as she gets confused
Today for example she had a sum 1+**=3. This took us ages as she kept saying the answer is 3, she seen the equal sign sign thought that's the answer. I had to use dry pasta in the end to try and explain 1+2=3.

She has maths intervention in school but I feel it's something more than this is giving her.

Any help is greatly appreciated
Thanks

Onceateacher · 06/06/2020 12:07

I'm still using dry pasta with my secondary child, something concrete is the best way to help them understand! There are bound to be some apps and things (you can get a free trial of something called Mathseed which is part of the Reading Eggs apps) Does she use a number line? That might help her know where to start counting

jollyhollyday · 06/06/2020 17:16

Thanks @Onceateacher. My instinct thought she needed a visual aid. I will try Mathseed. Her teacher introduced a number line which did help her.
She's also reluctant to count backward. She also cannot understand counting one on, she guesses the answers
I'll keep trying
Being in lockdown has highlighted the parts she is struggling with and I'm trying my best to help her

Onceateacher · 06/06/2020 17:50

We watched one of the Bitesize daily programmes that did counting on and back while dancing about. You could do that without a presenter! Ds definitely slower at counting back (it was things like 10s up to 100, and then back down, 5s up to 50 and back down)
I'm even trying to encourage the use of fingers, he still counts the fingers in case one day he doesn't have ten of them!

jollyhollyday · 06/06/2020 18:39

Thank you @Onceateacher I will try counting back in fun ways and hopefully she will click

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