Supporting children with dyslexia

Dyslexia is a literacy disorder that affects the ability to read and write, therefore, mismatches in the order of letters, syllables, or words are evident. Like any learning difficulties, family support is essential and beneficial.

It is possible that the difficulties of children with dyslexia can go unnoticed for a period and that they may suffer moments of frustration, both at school and at home, affecting their self-esteem and emotional regulation. The family environment is a fundamental in the evolution of children’s education as it enables the possibility of increasing learning opportunities and offering immediate modifications, which favors the progress of children with difficulties.

The most important role of the family in dyslexic children is emotional and social support. Giving confidence and reinforce self-esteem at all levels, while avoiding overprotection. It is good for a child to face and overcome challenges, so they know that they can do it.
As Fathers or Mothers, we must understand the difficulties in daily tasks associated with dyslexia that our child may present with, such as; confusing the hours, being messy, easily distracted, and difficulties in completing tasks, among others. For this reason, it is necessary to know the organizational changes of our child and be less demanding in some areas. In addition, it can be very useful to apply relaxation techniques at home to combat anxiety and generate bonds between parents and children.

Here are 5 easy-to-apply tips that will make your daily routine more bearable and improve your family relationships.

1. Help them organise and prioritise their work order, some examples are:

· Making a weekly schedule with all the activities in a visual way.

· Organising school subjects by colors with the corresponding materials for them.

· Performing tasks for short periods and with breaks.

2. Give them some independence for the tasks that they can do, this will help to boost their self-esteem.

3. Do not force the completion of homework, record the time that they spend doing homework and share any doubts with their teacher. Coordination between educators and parents to be on the same page in order to support their needs is essential.

4. Do a joint reading of books that are of interest to them, i.e. read aloud together to help with understanding the text.

5. To work on specific activities, use games such as:

· Alphabet soup

· Games to form words

· Hang man

· Spelling games

In short, the objective as parents is to seek happiness and autonomy for their children, for which it will be useful to encourage their motivation for learning, support them through difficulties they encounter and enable situations that encourage their personal and social growth.

This can of corse be overwhelming for parents, so if you find yourself wanting further support feel free to contact us on 8838-8687 or book an appointment online & come see one of our friendly Psychologists.