This is a guest post from Sue Kerrigan, tutor, dyslexia campaigner and owner of the Let Me Learn website. Sue is dyslexic herself and really understands the issues involved in dyslexia from a personal and professional point of view. You can follow her on Twitter or like her Facebook page. This post is part of Better Tuition‘s SEN Awareness Week. Read our post on the key indicators of dyslexia.
SEN Awareness Week at www.bettertuition.co.uk
Dyslexia – A Multi-Sensory Approach by Sue Kerrigan of Let Me Learn
Sue Kerrigan of Let Me Learn
If you think your child is dyslexic or your school is concerned that he or she might be, you might be very unsure and concerned about what is going to happen to help your child learn in-spite of it all. To help you set your mind at rest, this is what I know from my experience of helping children over the past 10 years.
The earliest age for detecting dyslexia was thought to be 6. However, there are many early warning signs that can lead parents and teachers to suspect their child might be dyslexic earlier than 6. The problem or confusion is that these early warning signs don’t always mean dyslexia. For example letter and word reversals are the most confusing indicator because traditionally this was thought to be the outright number one sign of dyslexia. The reality is that many children do this up to the age of 7. Therefore it is a culmination of many symptoms and abilities that can lead to an early diagnosis.
Dyslexia in the family is one of the most useful and earliest indicators and is often overlooked because family members may not know that they themselves are dyslexic because they’ve never been tested and they get by okay now they are out of the educational system – they have learnt how to cope / mask / compensate without realising. They may have always felt a little different from everyone else but really not known why.
In terms of testing by a professional or a screener the earliest age varies from between 5-7. Dyslexia can more easily be detected around the age of 7 but this is already two years into your child’s schooling so the earlier the diagnosis the better. The availability of testing varies from school to school and will depend upon the expertise within each individual school. If you’re concerned and you don’t know who to turn to, you can contact the British Dyslexia Association or your local association. They WILL be able to help you.
There are questionable claims by certain companies that dyslexia can be cured. Dyslexia is caused by the way that the brain has been wired – it is a neurological and cognitive difference in the brain.
What happens now you know or suspect your child might be dyslexic? If your child is given the right multi-sensory methods to learn how to read, write and spell from the start, most will overcome their dyslexia by learning how to adapt and cope with it.
The earlier the multi-sensory approach is introduced, the easier it will be for your child to learn. (In fact it is easier for most children to learn with a multi-sensory approach.) This is why understanding your child’s specific needs and learning style is so important because this is how you and their teachers can best help them learn in-spite of their dyslexia.
There are severe cases where children have been given the right multi-sensory instruction and still not have made progress at the end of primary school. However, there is no way of knowing if other factors have influenced their progress, like the child’s belief in their own abilities and will to succeed or other problems that may not have been treated for example vision problems with Irlen’s Syndrome or late development of eye tracking skills or hearing problems such as ‘glue’ ear, ADHD,ADD….
Multi-sensory learning is fun and if your child is struggling to learn, they need your help to keep learning fun.
Get your free Dyslexia Playbook with lots of multi-sensory activities for school and home use. Teachers – please feel free to print and give to your parents.
