Dyslexia Hub
A Practical & Accessible Dyslexia Resource
10 Takeaways...
This is a quick synopsis one can utilize to facilitate creating a supportive classroom and teaching style.
Reading is reading!
Encourage your dyslexic student's relationship with literacy. If you have a grade 9 student, and he (or she) wants to read a comic book for their book report, celebrate this.
Be kind when you see a student struggling.
Learning disabilities presuppose children to stigmatizing vulnerability. It's human nature to fit in, so these students may appear as class clowns, not paying attention, withdrawn, uncooperative, etc. Assumptions and preconceived opinions have hurt many children. Peer-reviewed studies have highlighted that aside from parental support, the number one predictor of student achievement in children with dyslexia was a supportive and caring educator.
Repeat, repeat, repeat.
Students with dyslexia require very explicit broken-down instructions. You may need to repeat, but it does not mean they are not paying attention. Emailed instructions are an excellent tool for comprehension, or pair them up with a buddy (assuming all due diligence supports a harmonious supportive peer relationship.)
Embrace assistive tech and AI.
Assistive tech is as imperative for a child with dyslexia as a wheelchair is for a child with paralysis. Incorporate AI into your lesson plan, otter notes, etc. Support parents in choosing optimum assistive tech programs and be familiar with them yourself.
Exposure is valuable.
Make lesson plan notes accessible to kids with dyslexia before class so they are not seeing text for the first time. Provide reading lists at the start of the year, etc. Decoding and encoding literacy is 500 times more mentally taxing for students with dyslexia than their peers. Repeated exposure makes literacy more accessible.
Educator bias is documented and dangerous.
Do not let your bias determine how you accommodate and educate students. There are lots of peer-reviewed accommodations and modifications accessible on various websites, so rely on the expertise of others.
A calculator is a learning tool.
All children in JK/SK (mandated by our education premier) should be screened for dyslexia
Early screening is critical.
All children in JK/SK (mandated by our education premier) should be screened for dyslexia
Think outside the box.
Allow dyslexic students to display their learning in various ways. It could be a presentation, poster, YouTube video, comic book, skit, website, or infographic. The list is long.
Structured literacy is fundamental.
Balanced literacy is anecdotal; structured literacy is based on scientific research.