How to support a dyslexic child at primary school

This October, Dyslexia Awareness Month is putting dyslexia firmly in the spotlight.

In this piece Kate Griggs, founder of Made By Dyslexia, shares practical advice for parents and primary teachers on understanding dyslexia and helping children recognise their incredible strengths. New research from the charity reveals nearly 9 in 10 people (87%) say dyslexia comes with strengths. Yet almost 3 in 4 (74%) say their school’s understanding of dyslexic strengths is poor or non-existent, with the same proportion saying schools do not understand the importance of nurturing these to build self-esteem.

This October we’re aiming to change the story of dyslexia for children around the world, bringing our short film What is dyslexia? to 100 million screens worldwide.

Featuring Jeremy Irons, Liv Tyler and other dyslexic voices, ‘What is dyslexia?’ has a simple message: children deserve to hear a balanced, empowering story about dyslexia - one that recognises the challenges they may face with school work and exams, while also helping them understand their brilliant Dyslexic Thinking.

For families, this is an important conversation. Around one in five people are dyslexic, meaning many parents will either be supporting a dyslexic child themselves or have dyslexia in their wider family.

But what does that support actually look like?

We need to change the story around dyslexia so children understand the things they are brilliant at as well as the things they find difficult. Here are some practical ways parents and teachers can help.

1. Spot their strengths

If you’re a parent of a dyslexic child, the most transformative thing you can do is help them spot their dyslexic strengths, instead of being defined by their challenges. Focusing on things they are naturally good at leads dyslexic thinkers into jobs they love and lives that are fulfilling.

Dyslexics excel in subjects they love because they tap into their Dyslexic Thinking skills (like Creativity, Exploring, and Questioning), but they may struggle with skills peers find easy (organisation, spelling, punctuation, and grammar). Often, there is a mismatch in what they seem capable of and the written work they produce. On paper they might have a hard time organising their ideas, but when asked to verbalise what they’re thinking, they blow you away by the richness of their vocabulary and the complexity of their ideas.

2. Build their self-esteem

Spotting Dyslexic Thinking and focusing on what we’re good at is key to building self-esteem. Dyslexic Thinking skills are needed in all workplaces now, so every dyslexic child should be encouraged to be proud of how they think. There is a real danger that when children find things challenging that their friends find easy, they lose heart and mistakenly believe they are less able or less intelligent than their peers (when neither is the case). Dyslexics are incredibly unique and should be proud of their dyslexia.

3. Support them with positive praise

Positive praise is vital for dyslexic children. Even if certain things are challenging, each small win should be celebrated. It’s vital to acknowledge and celebrate what dyslexic kids are good at, so they can experience the success they deserve.

4. Empower them

Once you understand the Dyslexic Thinking skills, and that dyslexia isn’t a weakness, you can help your child to identify what they are passionate about and encourage them to do lots of it. Not only is this crucial to building positive self-esteem but it will help us find the careers that we’ll be successful at and feel fulfilled in. When dyslexic children are empowered they are truly unstoppable.

5. Trust your gut

You know your child better than anyone, so trust your gut when asking for help. Identification of dyslexia is life changing for dyslexic kids as it gives a reason for their struggles and strengths - 4 out of 5 dyslexics say that knowing they were dyslexic helped them develop the perseverance and resilience needed to succeed. So don’t give up in seeking an assessment.

For teachers: see the whole child

For teachers, understanding dyslexia means looking beyond a child’s difficulties with literacy.

Made By Dyslexia’s Dyslexic Thinking Education Guide provides free training and practical resources to help teachers understand dyslexia and empower Dyslexic Thinking in the classroom.

Three principles are particularly useful:

Understand dyslexia. Recognise that dyslexia involves both strengths and challenges, and that every teacher can benefit from understanding how dyslexic learners may experience the classroom.

Support learners. Use evidence-based approaches to teaching reading and consider ways to remove unnecessary barriers to learning.

Empower strengths. Give children opportunities to use their Dyslexic Thinking skills, including creativity, problem-solving, communication, visualisation and connecting ideas.

For parents and teachers, changing the story can start much closer to home: understand the challenges, recognise the strengths and give every child the support they need to thrive.

This October we’re asking everyone, wherever they are across the world, to host a screening of ‘What is dyslexia?’ or a watch party in their school or community - or simply watch and share the film on their socials.

Find out more about how you can support our 100 million screens campaign and watch What is Dyslexia? at whatisdyslexia.org.