Homework can be stressful and challenging for children with dyslexia. They will often need help not only with the homework tasks, but also with organising themselves, their belongings and their time.
You might like to try some of these strategies with your child…

• Allow ‘down time’ before starting homework tasks
• Allow your child to have some control over the time homework is done
• But, establish a predictable routine
• Find a quiet place and make sure pens and paper are readily available and phones are put away
• Make sure your child understands what he has to do. Talk through the task.
• When helping your child, keep your explanation as simple and practical as possible
• Be realistic
• Set a time frame for each subject. If set homework is not completed in the time allowed, send a note to school explaining how much time has been spent on task. If your child would like to complete the task, draw a red line under the work that was done in the time allowed so that it is clear to the teacher how much time was taken to complete the whole task.
• Help your child to prioritise homework. Encourage him/her to tackle the hardest homework first
• Break it down into manageable chunks
• Negotiate with the class teacher:
  – Can you act as scribe?
  – Can the homework be typed?
  – Can the homework be presented in an alternative format, eg timeline, diagram?

• Encourage your child to check his/her homework after a short break
• Once homework is completed, look at the completed assignment together – each find three good things and two things that could be improved next time.

Sometimes children need an extra ‘boost’ to help them with learning. This may help them to discover more about the way they learn and strategies that can be put in place to support their difficulties. This extra support can be for a short period of time or for longer should your child need it. Follow this link to read more about Specialist Tuition from Helen Arkell. Follow this link to read more about Specialist Tuition from Helen Arkell.

We recommend that tutors have a specialist qualification such as the OCR Level 5 or 7 Diploma in Teaching Learners with Specific Learning Difficulties.