In 2019, The British Dyslexia Association found that, “dyslexia is the most common specific learning difference, affecting between 6.6 and 9.9 million people in the UK.”
Children with dyslexia may need additional help with their schoolwork. Whilst teachers are expected to take responsibility for their journey at school, how can parents ensure their dyslexic child is supported with their homework?
Homework is a huge part of a child’s learning culture. Those who excel at homework will likely have established routines that help ensure their work is completed and submitted on time.
However, even if we assist a dyslexic child in ensuring they follow a routine, what strategies can we adopt to help them complete their work?
Firstly, it is important to notify the school that there are some homework issues. Your child’s teacher or SENCO can advise on useful approaches that will be specifically helpful to your child’s needs. For example, there could be a possibility of presenting modified homework tasks in areas that are particularly difficult.
A dyslexic child may struggle with:
- Speech
- Sounds
- Memory
- Blending
- Sequencing
- Handwriting
- Reading
- Spelling
It is not hard to see how this could spill over into their homework achievements.
As your child’s school consider how to support you with a homework plan, you can also try several measures at home to help move things forward:
Key Words: Identifying keywords will help someone with dyslexia break a task down. For example: if your child was given the following task: “Using imagery, describe ONE of the four aliens in the picture”, you could advise your child to firstly underline the KEY words, i.e. “imagery, describe, ONE, aliens.”
Listing: Suggest that your child list the steps that need to be taken to complete the task. What would be the first step? With the keywords identified, your child will be more likely to see that one alien needs to be selected before the task can start. The second step could be to think of imagery words that represent the alien, the third to turn the words into sentences.
Mindmapping: Encourage the idea of mind mapping. So, for this task, your child could think of imagery words that come to mind when looking at the alien, for example, tiny, weird, bumpy, pointy, purple, sparkly or mysterious. Once they have the words written down, it can be easier to form sentences.
As your child works through their list, they may gain more autonomy over their work and feel like there is less of a mountain to manage.
Calm Workspace: A peaceful homework space is advisable. For secondary school children, mobile phones could ideally be turned off for a set period to help maintain concentration.
Timetable: Establish a timetable for your child so they know what time they are expected to do their homework.
Assistive Technology: Text-to-speech and speech-to-text systems can help a dyslexic child with reading and written tasks.
Coloured Overlays: These can help a child with their reading. Dyslexic children sometimes mention that words appear to “jump out” of a page or seem blurry. Check with your optician for further advice about this option.
Learning Tools: These can be a great support, for example, letter blocks, Play-Doh, counting resources, highlighters and mnemonics, to name a few.
Sharon is a hairdresser from Milton Keynes who has dyslexia. She only became aware of her diagnosis in her 30s. She explains, “Now I have a grandchild with dyslexia, who has some of the difficulties that I have, I can see that such a difference can be made with some changes at home to help him with his work.“
As a workable plan evolves to help your child do their homework, they will feel more empowered and will gain more independence.
Sharon recounts her time at school: “I realise now that I really needed more structure to help me both at school and with my homework. Had my dyslexia been acknowledged, I might have had more of a chance.”
As a child gets older, homework will increase; breaks are crucial to regroup and rest. Dyslexic children may frequently require additional energy for tasks, so it is especially important to relax and then revisit the task with a clearer mindset.
Sharon reflects on her school memories; she feared reading aloud, struggled to understand texts and especially dreaded how to manage her homework: “I didn’t really know who to talk to about it at the time. Help is much more available now, and people talk about special needs all the time. It is important to talk to your child’s school to let them help you.”
“My grandchild has had support since his dyslexic diagnosis. There are a lot more possibilities for children with dyslexia today, but there does need to be an ongoing relationship between home and the school to ensure the right help remains in place.”
If reading this blog has made you raise any concerns, reach out to your child’s school. In the meantime, talk to your child to find out exactly what he or she fears most about doing their homework and suggest some changes you could make together at home.
Once homework strategies are agreed with the school, if your child has an EHCP, ensure they are included in the document.
Homework does not have to be a nightmare for a child with dyslexia. With some careful planning and advice, be confident that you will find the best routine available for your child. Be prepared for some hiccups along the way, but don’t give up.
Keep an eye on your child’s progress and their general homework mindset. Above all, praise your child for their resilience in taking responsibility for their homework. It can be quite a bumpy road at times, but it is definitely worth it!
Useful Websites:
https://cdn.bdadyslexia.org.uk/uploads/documents/About/APPG/Educational-cost-of-dyslexia-APPG-for-Dyslexia-and-other-SpLDs-October-2019.pdf?v=1632303330
