This week we are acknowledging Dyslexia Awareness Week at Dover Court.
Across both our Primary and Secondary school we are thinking about how we are all different learners and how dyslexia is just one of the many different learning styles an individual might have.
Did you know that it is estimated that around one in ten people has difficulties associated with dyslexia? This means that in every classroom, there could be two children who struggle with reading, writing, listening and spelling.
Our Primary SENCo Ms Singh would like to share a message to our community along with some strategies for supporting students who might be finding reading, writing and spelling challenging.
“Dyslexia is a general difficulty with language and words with the most common characteristic being in reading, spelling and writing. It is important to see the difficulty beyond the label, as there are coping strategies that these individuals can work with.”
Reading:
•Avoid black text over white background, use a coloured overlay when reading
•Use a multi-sensory approach, for example use magnetic letters to introduce letter sounds by substituting sounds in words – “hop”, “mop”, “pop”
•When reading, pause to ask questions – this will help children retain information in the text
•Read daily with your child for at least 20 minutes
Spelling:
•Clap hands or bang on drums to count the syllables in words
•Encourage overlearning and repetition so spelling the word becomes automatic for the child
•Use different colours for syllables in words as this will help with memory
Writing:
•Encourage the use of comic strip writing for reluctant writers
•Use a word processor if and when appropriate
•Always make a plan to help with scaffolding ideas (e.g. mind mapping & spider diagrams)
For further support, do contact our Learning Support teams:
Primary: Ms Sing
Secondary Mr McHardy
