HOW TO SUPPORT DYSLEXIC STUDENTS DURING THE PANDEMIC
After the response I received about the post on dyslexia myths that you can find here, I knew it was important at some point to follow up with tips on how to support dyslexic students. One of the most common comments I hear is, “I’m not trained in dyslexia, so I don’t really know how to help.” With many of us feeling ill-equipped, we often punt this over to the specialist on campus, but I know many of you have a sincere desire to support these students. And, with the potential of learning online again this year, I included options for supporting students remotely.
Try cloze activities.
Do you remember these from your education classes? Cloze activities can provide notes for a class with key information blanked out. It allows students to attend to the instruction but without the stress of trying to capture all the notes, which can be particularly challenging for dyslexic students. For a student learning remotely, check into Kami. Here is an article that shares 5 uses for Kami in the inclusive classroom.
Investigate technology support.
While we as educators often lament students’ constant use of technology, we have to remember there are countless benefits. It the realm of support for dyslexic students, it can provide talk to text options, reading of text, or removal of advertisements from online text to help students focus on the text. Specifically, Google has various Chrome extensions to offer this support. Check out Read&Write and SpeakIt. Learning Ally is another great resource by providing recorded books , including many textbooks. It does cost about $135 to sign up, but they have been offering discounts lately.
Provide extra time.
While this may initially seem like a no-brainer, you might want to consider it a bit more carefully. We often think of extra time for tests and quizzes, but many dyslexic students would also benefit from extra time on class assignments or even homework. If you have a specialist on campus to discuss options, this would be ideal. But, as you get to know your student(s) as learners and talk to parents, their needs in this arena will become more clear. Helping your students with dyslexia manage their time if they are working remotely will be critical. Collaborating to create a schedule will help them manage their daily work without overload.
Collaborate with parents.
Investing time in the parent relationship is a powerful tool. One thing I wish I would have done better as a classroom teacher was to place more value the parents’ insight. Taking time to regularly touch base with parents to share what is working/not working in the classroom can be incredibly insightful. It also provides the opportunity to discover what has been successful at home. And, if students are learning remotely, consistent collaboration and support for parents will be key as they navigate this time. You might consider sharing this article that offers some suggestions for parents as they work with their dyslexic child in remote learning.
To end on a positive note, there are a number of strengths that dyslexic students bring to remote learning; some say they can even thrive in this environment. You can read more about it here.
Remember that, with support, our dyslexic students can become high-achieving individuals. And, while we might sometimes get caught up in the exhaustion of it all, your efforts do matter! If this has piqued your interest, you might want to check out MindShift’s recently published, free Guide to Understanding Dyslexia.
:) Brandy