6 ways to help your child with Dyslexia at home
There are many ways you can help your child with Dyslexia at home that is fun for the family and at the same time builds confidence and positivity in your child. Here are six most effective ways, as identified by our Speech Therapist.
Nurture thinking skills.
Encourage thinking skills that support your child in becoming an independent and active, rather than a passive learner. Encourage their curiosity by discussing problems or topics involved in a school assignment or reading. As a parent or a care taker, you should listen before sharing your point of view. This can help them become and independent thinker and also be fun and quality time spent together.
Help them engage with reading.
Encourage them to read of all kinds of materials, including a variety of difficulty levels and topics such as
Comic books
Fiction books or graphic novels
Subtitles in a cartoon or show of a different language
Magazines of their interest
Get them to work independently.
Encourage your child to ask his or her own questions and tackle work independently. You should also set expectations and communicate clearly to them that you will follow up after they are done with their task. Here are some examples on how you can encourage independence by saying:
“Did you use your plan?”
“Can you rewrite this so it’s less messy? Is this your best work?”
“Can you explain this to me, or show me how to do it?”
Help them build a positive self-image.
Avoid making comparisons with other children like their friends or relatives. Always remember that success should be measured against themselves and not others. Focus on what your child can do and give them genuine praise.
Participation in activities in the community after school is also important as it helps them to improve their social skills. You should also always encourage them to take interest in a wide variety of things - this will help your child discover talents and build confidence.
Speaking of building confidence, you can also reaffirm them by showing your child that you value their opinion. You can do so by quoting what they have said before or acting on their suggestions.
To further promote positive thinking, get your child to use positive phrases like “I can read this” or “I can finish this task”.
Set up a study space.
Each child’s learning style is different. Some will be happy at the kitchen table with a many activities going on around them while others will need peace and quiet to get things done. Pay attention to their learning needs especially for children with attention difficulties and auditory processing disorder. Make sure that they know they have a dedicated “safe” space to retreat to when they need it.
Help him engage in spelling and writing
To help them improve their writing and spelling skills, here are a list of activities or habits you could develop:
Family members can write notes and leave messages.
Get your child to write thank you notes and to make and send greeting cards.
Get them to help you when you are making lists (e.g. when planning an activity or shopping).
Author.
Carine El Lakkis
Speech and Language Therapist
Masters in Speech and Language Therapy
Masters in Neuropsychology of Oral and Written Language
Carine El Lakis is a Speech Therapist with 7 years of experience in the field. She graduated from the Lebanese University- Faculty of Public Health, Lebanon and started her career in different inclusive schools and she practiced as well in her own private clinic.
Her clinical experience includes the planning and the administration of therapies to patients from all ages, especially children aged 2 to 12 years old with language and communication disorders (including Dyslexia), feeding and swallowing disorders, learning disabilities, cognitive and voice disorders.