Dyslexia
Strategies for the Classroom and/or Home Setting
Summary Statement
A multisensory approach at home will also be beneficial. Providing the child with activities on electronic devices as well as in workbooks will help generalize language learning. For example, a child could watch educational television, sing songs or practice sounds, as well as practice forming letters in a workbook with a parent or sibling.
A child with dyslexia should also be allowed adequate time to complete classwork. Since fMRI studies have shown that the brain of a child with dyslexia is configured differently than a child without, they require more time to understand and decode language. Therefore, adequate time should be allotted to complete assignments. It would not be beneficial to rush the child, since that would put them at risk for not grasping the concept.
Strategies
- Break down larger words into sub parts (i.e. smaller words, syllables, write the consonants first and then the vowels)
- Have a support in place for reading, such as books on tape, buds-readers, or books with highlighted text (Culbertson, 2012)
- If writing is a struggle- have the student record their voice and then listen and type as they hear it play back
- Use graphic organizers to break down assignments and longer writing assignments
- Students do not always look at written language from left- to- right, so it is important to offer many perspectives. Students may be looking at single letters, or they might do better with "chunking" letters together to learn how to read and spell. (Merle, 2014).