As the parent of 5 dyslexic children the first time I heard about dyslexia I thought I’d been thrown into the deep end of the swimming pool and didn’t know how to swim. There was no information given to me on how to help my child.

So when I found out about the  Dyslexia Association of Ireland (DAI) I had somewhere to ask for help. Their parent liaison officer was full of practical information on how to help my child and she explained what dyslexia was. She attended a meeting of the DAI’s local workshop and Branch to give advice to parents. (See their website for where their local branches and workshops are).

So how can I help my child?

This requires a rather large answer so I feel I need to answer it over a number of weeks. It’s a lot of information to take in at once so please copy this blog post and the others in the series so you can go back to it at any time. The information contained in this blog will also help you if your child has any disability.

How to help in general.

Other ways to help are covered under different headings over the 3 blog series so do check these out.

1. Be consistent in your parenting first and foremost. You don’t need to treat them differently than your other children.
2. Stop Feeling Guilty, it’s not the end of yours or your child’s life. You didn’t do anything wrong nor did your child.
3. Yes, you will grieve it’s a normal part of this. So seek advice or help if needed.
4. Your child will live with this for the rest of their lives. It’s not a disease so it’s not curable! Don’t buy into the fads!
5. Find out what dyslexia is. See www.dyslexia.ie or the national Dyslexia association where you live. You need to know all you can about it as you  will spend a lot of time explaining it to others including teachers.
6. Find out what it means for your child – as it’s on a spectrum. Don’t get bogged down in their report just concentrate on the summary section, usually at the end of the report.
7. Find out your child’s right and entitlements with regard to their disability, remember it’s covered by disability and education legislation. Make a note of these and know them.
8. Ask for help for you and your child. See if there is a support group on social media or in person in your locality. Talking to other parents is key for you. Meeting others with dyslexia is also vital for your child’s self-esteem.
9. Speak to the school, make an appointment to see their teacher if they have only one, if not ask to speak to the Year Head or Principal. Take someone with you who can take notes or ask questions. Make sure you have a list of questions written down you may want to ask.
10. Bring a copy of your child’s report to the meeting, if they are already having resource hours try to see both teachers at the same time. If the school got the educational assessment done then ask for a copy of the report you are entitled to one.
11. Ask their teacher(s) if they understand what dyslexia is, don’t assume they know. Be able to explain what it means for your child and how they can help them. I’m not trying to scaremonger here, it’s just not every teacher knows about hidden disabilities It is getting better.
12. It’s your job to help build your child’s self-esteem, so make home a safe place. Don’t focus too much on the negative but always emphasise the positive skills and attributes they have.

Keeping Organised Is Key.

1. Keep a copy of your child’s reports, language exemptions in a safe place. You need them in the future. I’ll cover this in a later post.
2. Ask the teacher to give your child notes on the subject being taught so they can concentrate on what is being said not taking notes. The secondary & Third level in particular.
3. Ask if they can use a laptop to complete homework or assignments.
4. Ask if your child can have help from a peer to copy down homework from the blackboard or better yet can the teacher give them the homework in a form of a note.
5. Distractions should be banned from homework area in the home. Easier said than done I know.
6. A good designated study space for your children is great and always helps any child.
7. A multi-sensory approach to organisation is great. So colour code books, copy books, folders etc., per subject – a bit hard at the start of the year but once set up works well.
8. Colour code the timetable to match also is a brilliant help!
9. Use colour for note taking or key points – so markers, pencils, index cards etc.
10. Learn to Mind Map – I already wrote a blog post on this so check it out.
11. Calendars are also great mark off all important dates at the beginning of the year so they can see it. Give each child their own calendar is helpful. I always gave mine their own calendar for their rooms each Christmas.

I will post more about helping your child next week as this topic is so extensive. Remember this is a lot of information to take in. So read this a few times, make notes for yourself and keep a copy of it handy. I always found it useful to keep notes together in one folder about dyslexia so I could refer back over the years.

Don’t forget to seek help for you and your child if you need it. The cost of any disability is high on the family as a whole. It takes courage to ask for help.

Link to Part 2

Link to Part 3

Work With Me.

Remember you are allowed to ask for support. No one is an island. If you need extra support then you can also work with me. We all struggle with stress and overwhelm from time to time. If you find this has become a problem for you and you’d like some support then schedule an appointment with me.