Marking Dyslexia Awareness Week

Last week was Dyslexia Awareness Week, with the theme of ‘Breaking Through Barriers’.

To support children with dyslexia to overcome the barriers they face, we’ve brought together some helpful resources and links. Take a look below.

The superpowers of dyslexia

Children with dyslexia are often incredibly creative, empathetic, observant and curious! They tend to be good problem solvers and talented at seeing the big picture when others can’t. Many children channel their talents into creative disciplines, with strengths in sport, art, music and dance.

Plenty of famous entrepreneurs, artists, actors and authors have dyslexia. Famous people include Virgin founder Richard Branson, actor Orlando Bloom, chef Jamie Oliver and director Steven Spielberg. It’s also thought that many famous figures from the past may have had dyslexia, including Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso and Leonardo da Vinci!

Take a look at this wonderful piece from Dragon and Entrepreneur Theo Paphitis on discovering his dyslexia superpower.

Top tips on how to support young people with dyslexia

1. Focus on their strengths. Help them to celebrate their dyslexic superpowers such as imagination, listening, questioning and empathy. Make sure they know dyslexic thinking is a skillset to be proud of! Even if certain skills are challenging, or they’re struggling to make progress, celebrate each small win. It really boosts self esteem and helps reframe negative feelings about their learning.

2. Make the most of technology. Use the technology at your fingertips to support their learning! This might be text-to-speech and speech-to-text apps, audio books, spell checkers or tablets to help them visualise their learning.

3. Be there for them. Sadly, lots of children with dyslexia struggle with embarrassment or low self-esteem as a result of difficulties with tasks that their peers have no trouble with. Find time to listen to them when they talk about their struggles.

Read more about dyslexia and how to support children on the Child Mind Institute’s website here.

What is dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a neurological difference which affects information processing. Typically, it impacts reading and spelling ability, although each person with dyslexia will have a unique presentation and set of experiences. It is estimated that between 10% and 20% of the population have dyslexia.

This free ebook, called ‘Dyslexia Explained’, is a fantastic resource for explaining to children what dyslexia is and some strategies for managing challenges.

Dyslexia will also appear differently throughout childhood. The British Dyslexia Association has resources on the signs of dyslexia in early years, at Primary school age and at Secondary school age. Take a look on their website here.

If your child has dyslexia, or you think they are showing signs of dyslexia, we’re here to help you map out strategies for success, and instil confidence in their learning. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.