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Dyslexia Information

"Dyslexia's like when the wind blows a television aerial round and the screen goes all fuzzy. My brain is the TV."

"My daughter is 10 and a half years old and has dyslexia... We discovered Barrington Stoke about a year ago and since then we have read many books together. For the first time ever she is enthusiastic about reading and actually asks me, "Can I read another chapter?". This from the child who used to cry whilst trying to read. So, many thanks for providing such wonderful, appropriate books for children like my daughter." - Parent

"Barrington Stoke books are ideal for young people with dyslexia because they look good, like ‘real' books, neither babyish nor a colour-stickered graded reader. The visual aspects have been considered with font size and type and background colour, and the illustrations are complementary rather than too intrusive and are appropriately placed in the text. These books really work." -Bernadette McLean, Academic Director of the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre

What is dyslexia?

"Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that primarily affects the skills involved in accurate and fluent word reading and spelling." Rose Review June 2009

The word dyslexia comes from the Greek, and means "difficulty with words".

Dyslexic people find it harder to remember what words sound like and what they look like, hence their difficulties in learning to read and spell.

Teachers might notice a child has problems not just with reading, but also with writing, spelling, maths, memory, motor skills, organisation and maybe even self-esteem. Dyslexics can take longer than others to process words. They may listen and understand more slowly, or read and understand more slowly.

Dyslexia is a difficult concept to understand as it occurs across the range of intellectual abilities. Information is processed by the dyslexic brain in a different way to the orderly sequenced way that many non-dyslexic people think, plan and solve problems. This often means that dyslexic people are more creative and can come up with very different solutions to problems. This can make them very successful in adult life, but maybe not so in school, where children are often expected to all learn in the same way.

Dyslexia should not and need not be a barrier to achievement. People with dyslexia are just as talented, intelligent and capable as anyone else, and with the right kind of support they can do just as well across a wide range of professions. Famous dyslexics include Jamie Oliver, Tom Cruise, Sir Stephen Redgrave, Sir Jackie Stewart and Richard Branson. Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison were also believed to be dyslexic.

Dyslexia - what to look out for

All children have their strengths and weaknesses, and dyslexic children are no different. Not all children with dyslexia are affected by all these aspects, but you may notice:

Poor spelling
Poor working memory
Mixing up sequences such as days of the week, months or the alphabet
Confusing letters and words
Difficulty in learning number bonds or doing mental arithmetic
The child has to try hard, and tires easily
The child is better at ‘talking it' than ‘writing it'
A discrepancy between how the child generally performs and how well he or she is doing with literacy skills

The child may also be struggling in other ways. A few things to consider asking the parent:

Was the child late in learning to speak?
Is the child reluctant to go to school?
Is homework something you all dread?
Is there a family history of learning difficulties?

Anecdotal evidence suggests that dyslexic children may have talents in:

Non-verbal communication - so they may make friends easily
Visual spatial skills - playing with Lego or computer games
Creativity - stories, pictures, poems
Games and sports
Music, art and design

Assessments

An assessment will confirm whether the child is underperforming and give the parent some suggestions on what to do, possibly including some specialist tuition. A good assessment will help everyone understand how the child's brain is working and what his or her strengths are as well as the difficulties.

Read Bernadette McLean's article on creating a dyslexia-friendly classroom.

Read Patience Thomson's guide to choosing dyslexia-friendly books.

Read about actor Charley Boorman's experiences of dyslexia here.

Read Annabel Heseltine's article on dyslexia from the Telegraph.

Further information

British Dyslexia Association

www.bdadyslexia.org.uk

The British Dyslexia Association's National Helpline is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm, and open late on Wednesday evenings, from 5pm to 7pm, to give school teachers access to support outside school hours. You can contact the Helpline on 0845 251 9002 or via email on helpline@bdadyslexia.org.uk.

Dyslexia Action

http://www.dyslexiaaction.org.uk/

Dyslexia Action is a national charity but it operates locally through its 25 main Centres and over 160 teaching outposts across the UK. They provide:

Assessments (identification)
Specialist teaching (help and support for children, young people and adults with dyslexia/SpLD and literacy difficulties)
Specialist training in dyslexia and literacy for teachers, SENCos, teaching assistants and parents
Consultancy services for all sectors and employers
Specialist assessment and teaching materials for teachers, psychologists, parents and those affected by dyslexia/SpLD.

Dyslexia Action works in partnership with schools, LAs, colleges, universities, employers, voluntary sector organisations and government to improve the quality and quantity of help for people with dyslexia/SpLD.

"This year we are lucky to be working closely with Barrington Stoke - the market leader for reluctant readers. Like us, they believe in the importance of reading, and by working together we hope to enable more children to reach their full potential. Barrington Stoke publish accessible, enjoyable and unpatronising short books for children who are dyslexic, struggling to read, or simply reluctant to sit down with a book. They have some of the best children's authors writing for them and their books have proved popular among all our centres." - Dyslexia Action

IDP (Inclusion Development Programme)

Experts from Dyslexia Action and communications charity ICAN worked with the National Strategies to develop the ‘Inclusion Development Programme Primary/Secondary: Dyslexia and Speech, Language and Communications Needs'. This is an awareness training resource for all school staff that should now be in every primary and secondary school.

Partnership for Literacy

Partnership for Literacy is a unique whole school initiative that uses the specialist knowledge of Dyslexia Action's teachers to develop a sustainable model of support for children who have literacy difficulties. It was designed to leave expertise and knowledge with the school leadership, teachers and teaching assistants, ensuring that not just those children involved in the programme benefit, but also those in generations to come. Schools interested in this should contact their local Dyslexia Action Centre for more information.