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1. |
If at the age of seven plus, they are still having problems with reading, written work, spelling or mathematics, and yet seem bright in other ways, developing and growing normally, they need help. |
2. |
Have their hearing and eyesight checked and, if all is well go to the school and discuss the problems with the Head Teacher. |
3. |
Ask if your child's name has been entered on the SENCO's register as being in need of support. Ask which stage of the Code of Practice your child is entered at for differentiated teaching. Has an E.P.(Education Plan) been written for your child? You should be consulted and invited to discuss the targets set. |
4. |
Help from the school Psychological Service or from the ELB's Peripatetic Service could be offered. It should be on a one-to-one basis, carefully structured and multisensory. |
5. |
Keep a close eye on the child's progress. If you are not satisfied, look for a second opinion or look for alternative help. |
6. |
Encourage them to develop interests of their own - swimming, art, making a collection, so that they feel they are succeeding. This will boost their self-confidence. |
7. |
Children of this age group need a great deal of attention: reading to, talking to, listening to and working with. If this attention is given, it will help them to come to terms with their difficulty and accept it. THEY LEARN DIFFERENTLY. They will then be encouraged to tackle the necessary hard work, which will enable them to overcome their special problem. |
8. |
Help them to get organised by making a timetable, putting down things they need e.g. Monday-violin, Tuesday-P.E. kit etc. Be firm that they do the remembering and make the preparations for each day. |
9. |
Often their concentration span is limited, so it is important to gauge how long they can work easily. End the task before they lose concentration so preventing further frustration. |
10. |
Remember that they tire easily and may need time doing very little in order to recover. |
11. |
Some dyslexics have to concentrate very hard while watching television. This may be because, if they do not, they lose the thread of the story completely and it means nothing to them. |
12. |
Encourage reading by letting them read easy books and comics, introducing books with the minimum amount of print, gradually increasing this as they succeed. Let them read the books they want to read (Enid Blyton, for instance) not the books you would wish them to read. |
13. |
Read aloud to them every day books that they should be reading but are failing to. Encourage them to watch the text and get them to put in words which you miss out, while continuing to read. This helps eye movement. Then suggest firmly that they read a short passage at regular intervals. It can be helpful to use a piece of card to isolate the line being read, or point to the words with a pencil or finger. At suitable intervals, re-cap the events of the story in order to help them to remember the sequence of the story, the characters involved, and to make sense of the text. |
14. |
Make sure that they know the days of the week, months of the year and help them with the alphabet. Show them how to use simple dictionaries and reference books. |
15. |
Check that they can tell the time, using both the analogue and the digital clocks. If not, help them, beginning with o'clock and half past. Develop into the use of the 24 hour clock and its use in bus and train timetables. Make sure they understand the concept of time: 'yesterday', 'next week', 'last month' etc. |
16. |
Continue teaching multiplication tables. If this proves to be very difficult, teach the accurate use of a table card. It could help to explain the situation to the school. There are many games and tapes available to help. |
17. |
Continue to play ball games and board and card games with them. |
18. |
Check left and right confusion. Help by developing some compensation aid e.g. writing with right hand, wearing watch on the left. |
19. |
The choice of secondary school is very important. If the children are still not coping and no help seems available, then this should be discussed with the new Head Teacher, Year Tutor or Counsellor to see what can be done. |
20. |
Do not be reluctant to confess to the school that there is a family history of literacy problems. |
21. |
At all times remember that parents know their children better than teachers. Try to be firm. Be polite but persistent in your efforts to get help. Do not forget, teachers too are human and can have difficulties in understanding a new situation, about which they may know very little. |
