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Read our Dyslexia Information for Teachers and Other Professionals 

Tips for Teachers

Teachers often ask how they can help a dyslexic child in class. Here are a few suggestions; some may seem too obvious to mention, and others too difficult to implement. What can be done must depend on the circumstances and on the ingenuity of the individual teacher.

DO

• Praise whenever possible. Encourage.
• Find something he/she is good at.
• Give less homework (e.g. shorter essays, or underline main points to learn).
• Mark written work on content (not spelling).
• Mark on oral responses when possible.
• If reading long words, divide syllables with a pencil line.
• Help him/her to pronounce words correctly.
• Put him/her at front of class so you can help.
• Let him/her work with textbook open.
• Put important words on blackboard clearly.
• Give plenty of time to copy from the blackboard.
• Check whether he/she knows the alphabet, and can say the days of the week and months of the year in their right sequence; also, whether he/she can tell the time.

DON'T

• Don't make a dyslexic read aloud in public if reluctant. Never ridicule.
• Don't correct all mistakes in written work - it is too discouraging.
• Don't give lists of spelling words to learn; two or three are as much he/she will manage.
• Don't make him/her write out work again. Don't compare with others.
• Don't make him/her change writing (put loops if he/she doesn't, etc.)

REMEMBER

A dyslexic tires more quickly than a ‘normal' person; far greater concentration is required.

A dyslexic may read a passage correctly yet not get the sense of it. A dyslexic may have great difficulty with figures (e.g. learning tables), reading music or anything which entails interpreting symbols. Learning foreign languages is usually a problem.

A dyslexic is inconsistent in performance.

A dyslexic may omit a word or words, or write one twice. A dyslexic suffers from constant, nagging uncertainty.

A dyslexic cannot take good notes because he cannot listen and write at the same time.

When a dyslexic looks away from a book, he is reading, or a blackboard, he is copying from, he may have great difficulty finding his place again.

A dyslexic works slowly because of difficulties so is always under pressure of time.

Contact us to find out how we can help with:

• Professional Training
• Consultations
• Mentoring
• In-service
• ITT
• OFSTED inspections
• Support in the classroom and much more.

Please read further resources:

The Literacy and Dyslexia-SpLD Professional Development Framework for schools, teachers and support staff

The Interventions for Literacy site for schools, parents, teachers and support staff