This post is part of a three part series which discusses tips for helping teachers reach dyslexic students. To read the first post of the series visit the link next to #1:

1.    Understand How Dyslexia Affects the Student

2.    Help Dyslexics with Language Difficulties

Although you might think helping dyslexic students improve their reading skills is a daunting task, it is possible.

As discussed in the first post of this series about understanding dyslexia, the dominance of dyslexics’ right brain is what makes language tasks difficult for them.

To know how to help your dyslexic students improve reading you must use the simple logic found in a line from one of my favorite Disney® movies, Hercules:

Hades: “How do you kill a god?”
Panic: “Um... their immortal…?”
Hades: “Bingo! So, first we got to turn the little sun spot mortal.”

(I apologize if that is not word for word since I derived it completely from memory.)

The connection of this quote to helping dyslexics improve reading is that in their current state reading will remain difficult. However, if you help them use their brain in a different way, the task of helping them improve reading is no longer impossible.

How is this done?

Have you ever done a logic puzzle (such as a Sudoku) and gotten to the point where you feel there is no way you can figure it out or find one more answer. But, you keep trying and out of no where you have a moment of genius! The next thing you know you have solved the once deemed “impossible” puzzle. 

These “moments of genius” are a result of new connections in your brain; the same thing that is needed for dyslexics to improve their reading. 

You need to include two things in your reading instruction in order to help dyslexics make the new brain connections that will allow them to improve their reading:

1. teach phonics with an explicit & systematic approach
2. engage students in multisensory instruction

Explicit and systematic phonics takes a step-by-step approach to teaching students how to decode words starting with a single letter or sound before progressing to the whole word. This helps dyslexics to understand the sounds and rules of language and transfer these concepts to what they are reading.

The lack of foundational knowledge that comes from many strategies for teaching reading is what prevents many dyslexics and struggling readers from excelling with reading.

When teaching explicit phonics to dyslexics, it is important for you to realize that dyslexics have developed many coping strategies that help them get by with language tasks. Because of this, this type of instruction can feel below their level or too basic. However, the reason this instruction helps them with reading skills is not because they are unintelligent, it works because it helps them make new connections in their brain.

The other concept that you need to incorporate in your teaching is multisensory instruction. By engaging multiple senses during instruction, dyslexics are able to make new connections in their brain.

Dyslexics are not always the strongest visual or auditory learners; thus, when hands on activities are connected to visual and auditory instruction, their brain can make new connections and understand concepts in a way that didn’t make sense to them when they were only being taught through auditory channels.

To help incorporate both explicit phonics and multisensory techniques into your reading instruction for dyslexics, use Reading Horizons Online Workshop for Teaching Phonics>

(Although these concepts are crucial for helping dyslexics improve reading, they are beneficial for any student that is learning to read.)

3.    Focus on Dyslexics Strengths

"That was the kind of battle I had. I knew what I had, but my teachers didn't." – Charley Boormam

Recently actor Charley Boorman discussed his struggle with dyslexia on an interview with BBC News. It was interesting to hear him discuss the problems he had faced because of his dyslexia. Rather than having low self-esteem because of the difficulties he had in school, he had a hard time in school because of the negative way his teachers responded to his difficulties. He understood that he struggled because of his dyslexia, but his teachers didn’t.

Because Boorman would have been saved from a lot of emotional and educational issues if his teachers had properly responded to his dyslexia, our next few posts will discuss 3 ways you can better meet the needs of your dyslexic students:

1.    Understand How Dyslexia Affects The Student

Often when people think about dysleixa, they associate it with reading problems. Although most dyslexics do struggle with reading, they also have many talents and abilities that are valuable. In fact, dyslexics often demonstrate above average levels of intelligence.

Why is this? The more you understand dyslexia, the more you understand that the dyslexic brain is not inferior or less valuable than the average brain, it is just different. Compared to the typical brain, dyslexics have a very dominant right brain.

Recently, Dr. Papanicolau of the University of Texas, discovered that because of the dominance of dyslexics right brain, it is also the area that is activated when dyslexics are performing language tasks. Typically the left brain where the “language center” of the brain is accessed is used for language tasks. This is the reason dyslexics have a difficulty with many language tasks.

Papanicolau described the difficulty of performing language tasks with the right side of the brain by comparing it to “an artist trying to paint with their toes.”

Understanding how difficult language tasks can be for dyslexic students can help you be patient with these students and to be more realistic about your expectations.

2.    Help Dyslexics with Language Difficulties

3.    Focus on Dyslexics Strengths