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7 Tips for Parents of Children With Literacy Difficulties
Do you think your child may be experiencing some literacy difficulties in school? Are you unsure where to turn? Here are 7 tips on the steps you should take if you are worried about your child’s literacy:
- Go with your gut
You know your child better than anyone. If something inside you keeps telling you your child is experiencing significant difficulties with literacy (reading, writing and or spelling) the time to act is now. - Don’t Wait
Many parents of primary aged children are under the impression that it is too early to diagnose a child with dyslexia. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Young children are like sponges. They will soak up whatever you throw at them. They are generally eager to please and will happily be taken out of classes for intervention support. Now is the time to act. The earlier the diagnosis, the sooner strategies can be put into place at home and at school to support your child. Don’t wait. - Seek the right kind of help to determine a diagnosis
It is important to approach the school as soon as you have any concerns. What are they seeing? What are their thoughts? Ask to speak to the school ‘SENCO’ (Special Education Needs Co-ordinator), the official person designated to help with specific learning needs, engage in an open dialogue with them and ask about their process of diagnostic testing, if tests are not forthcoming you will want to understand why.
Speak to professional organisations that may be able to help you. Consider contacting the British Dyslexia Association and Patoss (the Professional Association for teachers and assessors of students with Specific Learning Difficulties – SPLDs) as good starting points.
If you can afford to, hire a private Educational Psychologist to perform testing on your child. This can be partnered with any school testing to give a better picture of the child as a whole. - Next Step at School
It is important once a diagnosis has been made to see what the provisions are that can be put into place to help your child. You want your child to have a plan in place that has SMART goals.
What is SMART?
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Time-Based
Do not be afraid to question the targets set, the methods to achieve them and the ways to measure them. You are your child’s advocate and you want them to fall under the SMART umbrella.
Ask about the possibility of bringing in a qualified dyslexic intervention specialist into the school for your child. Funding may be tight but there are structured intervention specialists in literacy and dyslexia who are willing to come into schools and be paid directly from the parent or through the school by methods such as Pupil Premium money.
- Next Step at Home
It is important to recognise that dyslexia can often impact far more than just reading, spelling, writing. Children diagnosed with dyslexia may typically struggle with issues such as difficulty telling time, or have problems remembering sequences such as phone numbers, the alphabet, times tables. They may have difficulty with gross and fine motor control. They may be easily distracted by background noise. They may also struggle with organization and find it very difficult to carry out multistep instructions. This can all manifest itself at home on top of the added difficulties associated with school work completion in reading, spelling, listening and writing.
What can you do at home? Keep multistep instructions to a minimum. It saves you both becoming frustrated. Provide visual planners for routines that the child struggles with, for example, morning routines. Start with the basics. Flexible knowledge of the alphabet is a must! This builds cumulative knowledge, which in turn boosts confidence and encourages the child to take the driving seat in her / his learning. Ultimately the goal is for them to become independent learners. - Tutor v Intervention Specialist
Whilst a tutor may be beneficial to help with tasks such as homework completion, they do not have to be a qualified teacher and it is unlikely that they will have dyslexia expertise.
It is important to look for a Structured Intervention Specialist in Literacy and Dyslexia. Seek out those approved by the British Dyslexia Association and that are members of Patoss. The BDA is currently working on an online registry. Patoss already has one in place, simply type in your postcode and specialists show up in your catchment area. - Embrace all that is good
It is estimated that at least 1 in 10 children have dyslexia. Some figures suggest it could be as high as 20% of the population. Dyslexia is not tied to IQ. Those diagnosed with dyslexia simply learn differently and are generally of above average or average intelligence. Children with dyslexia are often found to have great problem-solving abilities as well as 3D spatial awareness. It is therefore not surprising that organisations such as NASA and GCHQ actively recruit those diagnosed with dyslexia. The out of the box thinkers have the ability to become our pioneers of the future. It has been estimated that 35% of entrepreneurs are dyslexic. Encourage and embrace the gifts that come with your child being dyslexic.
Written by: Juliette Laliberte BSc. Hons, PGCE (SpLD), QTS, ATS, PATOSS
Juliette is the mother of a child diagnosed with dyslexia, and a classroom teacher with over 15 years’ experience. She is also a qualified structured intervention specialist in literacy and dyslexia. juliette@independentlearner.co.uk