10 Ways to Manage Dyslexia in Children

Watching your child wrestle with reading can be a tough experience. If they struggle to identify letters or sound out words, it’s natural to feel concerned. However, understanding that your child may have dyslexia can be the first step toward helping them thrive. Dyslexia in children isn’t about a lack of intelligence; it’s simply a different way of processing language that can make reading feel like climbing a mountain. Despite a child's ability to excel in other areas, they may find tasks like decoding words and reading fluently particularly challenging. As a parent, you have the power to help your child conquer that mountain with the right tools and strategies. 

Dyslexia Diagnosed: My Personal Journey

My son, JC, is dyslexic, and I knew it when he was just two and a half years old. As a mom, it was hard to accept, but I also knew what needed to be done. From that moment on, he received only Orton-Gillingham (OG)-based instruction, which is one of the most effective methods for dyslexia. Over the years, he also worked with programs like Wilson and Lindamood-Bell, adjusting as he needed. And let me tell you—he’s fully remediated in terms of reading, which is a huge win.

Understanding JC's family history was significant in diagnosing his dyslexia, as it helped us recognize potential genetic predispositions to the condition.

But it hasn’t been a smooth road, especially when it comes to spelling. To this day, JC struggles with spelling, but we’ve figured out ways to make it work. He uses voice dictation, and we’ve embraced that as his tool. What truly matters to me is that he loves learning. His confidence as a learner means everything.

As a mother of what’s called a “triple deficit dyslexic,” I’ve seen firsthand how critical it is to get the right help and do it early. JC still sees his OG/Wilson tutor regularly, and we make sure to keep working on his skills, especially during the summer. I know that not every family has the same resources or knowledge, but it’s important to understand that every child is entitled to a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).

We had to fight for what JC needed, and it wasn’t easy. There were times when it felt like a constant battle, but I knew I couldn’t give up. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that being an advocate for your child’s education is key. It may feel like a boxing match sometimes, but knowing your rights and standing up for your child is worth every moment.

If your child struggles and has trouble learning familiar words and identifying letters with phonics or in reading, it is time to consider whether they have Dyslexia. Reading, one of the most neurologically complex tasks a person will learn, involves auditory and visual systems, as well as cognitive processing, memory, and attention, all of which must work simultaneously. Here are ten ways to help kids with dyslexia.

1) Get a Dyslexia Evaluation For a Child with a Learning Disorder

Getting a formal evaluation is the first step toward helping a child who has trouble learning and struggles with reading, either phonics or comprehension. Moreover, early intervention is often the key to helping your child long term.  Skilled evaluators use well-developed measures to identify specific phonetic and language-based deficits as early as possible, such as the CTOPP-2, WADE, TILLS, Test of Phonological Awareness, LAC-3, etc.

If, despite receiving an intervention, your child still lags behind their peer group, obtaining an evaluation can be critical to future success. The sooner an evaluator identifies specific deficits, the sooner targeted instruction can help your child read with greater fluency.

While some public schools evaluate children appropriately, others don’t train their staff well enough to identify children with reading disorders or Dyslexia. A comprehensive evaluation should look at a child’s cognitive skills, attention, memory, oral language, phonological awareness, phonological memory, rapid naming, specific phonetic skills, decoding, reading, and comprehension at the word, sentence, and passage level, as well as spelling. A private evaluation should assess all these areas plus have concrete recommendations about the appropriate program, instructional methods, goals, and accommodations.

2) Hire an Advocate or Attorney to Help your Dyslexic Child

The process of getting assistance for your Dyslexic child can be a daunting one, and sometimes you need professional assistance with getting the right support for your child.

In order to get services through an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), a formal process needs to be followed. A team of professionals and you should meet and determine if an evaluation is needed or review your private evaluation. Then, that data is reviewed, and your qualification as a special needs student with individual service needs is determined. If the team agrees to an IEP, then a plan with goals and objectives is put into place. An IEP means that your child gets an individualized program, which specifies that they are getting a higher level of services with measurable goals and objectives.

Most kids with dyslexia need a 504 Accommodation Plan or special education services through an Individualized Education Plan (IEP); an advocate or an attorney acts as your child’s voice. They know what to ask for and how to ask for it and can expedite the process because of their experience. They prepare you for and attend meetings with you, as well as assist with all the technical processes involved with an IEP or 504.

3) Talk to Your Child’s Teacher About Your Child's Specific Learning Disorder

Your child’s teacher plays a crucial role in delivering direct reading instruction and should be aware of your concerns regarding your child's specific learning disabilities. These challenges can encompass various areas, including difficulties with pronouncing and reading simple words, issues with speech sounds, struggles with spoken language, or learning a foreign language. Many children with dyslexia may reverse letters when reading or writing, often confusing similar-looking letters like “b” and “d.” They may also have a hard time learning new words. Sharing these insights will help the teacher tailor their approach to offer positive support like specialized instruction for your child’s learning needs.

Asking the teacher for a school meeting is important, and I share key school meeting points in this blog.  Since teacher training about Dyslexia varies from state to state, some teachers might not have been exposed to the training necessary to help your child effectively, so partnering with the classroom teacher can help everyone.  If your child has more than one teacher, meeting with the team to share specific information about your child’s Dyslexia and how it impacts them in the classroom can help everyone achieve their needed learning goals. 

Although most teachers want the best for their students, some educators and districts can be resistant to working with learning-disabled children. Thus, you should always follow up with an email to document your concerns.

4) Get Extra Help at School for Learning Disabilities

Once you have a formal evaluation and have created a formal learning plan for your child, either a 504 or IEP, your child’s school must provide the appropriate resources to manage their learning disability.  Schools have a legal obligation to provide a free and appropriate education (FAPE) to all learners. Additionally, most kids struggle with reading for a variety of reasons, and some of the generalized support already available can help Dyslexic children as well.

Supports for learning disorders can also be put into place before an IEP or 504 accommodation plan is put into place, either informally or through a formal response to the intervention plan or school child study committee. Common regular education supports include in-class help, small group instruction, reading assistance from the reading specialist within the classroom (referred to as push-in) or outside of the classroom (referred to as pull-out), and different types of specific assistance (comprehension, phonics, segmenting, sight words, etc) or types of programs (Wilson Reading, Read 180, etc).  

5) Track Data

Formal, measurable goals offer insight into your child’s progress and reading skills. Starting with baseline data and then collecting more along the way allows you to objectively measure progress.

These measurements allow you to determine whether a particular support or program is effective for your child in improving his or her learning disability. When a child is struggling, we want to make informed, accurate, and efficient decisions so we can support their reading. When a child is behind in reading, there is no time to waste, as reading is key to learning.

6) Get the Right Reading Program

If a particular reading program isn’t working for your child, another might be more appropriate. Depending on the way your child’s Dyslexia presents, you may need to explore more than one reading program, and it would help to get the help of a reading specialist to help you navigate through your child's learning disorder.

Orton-Gillingham approach

Since 1917, children with Dyslexia have benefited from a structured, multisensory approach called Orton-Gillingham (OG). The OG approach emphasizes the connections between the sounds and letters in a very formal and sequential way. It teaches children how to recognize words, specifically how to decode or break words into their syllables and phonemes and how to encode or break down words orally into their syllables and phonemes to be able to spell the word. This approach works to develop automaticity and fluency at the word level. Since Orton-Gillingham is an approach and not an educational program, only highly trained individuals can administer it.

Other very effective programs to address learning disabilities have been developed using O-G principals, including Wilson Reading Program and Lindamood Bell’s LIPS program, Seeing Stars, and Visualizing and Verbalizing. These research-based programs are designed to be in a language that your Dyslexic understands and can begin to learn how to read and spell. While there are various programs available, experience shows that one program may not be as effective for all children; what works well for one child may not yield the same results for another.

7) Insist on a Highly Trained and Certified Tutor or Teacher

Unfortunately, most dyslexic children and their learning disabilities aren’t identified until after third grade when direct reading instruction in the regular classroom has ended, and they are expected to read at the same pace as other students. Remaining below grade level in reading means they miss important information and vocabulary, causing them to struggle with the workload.

As part of the IEP and/or 504 process, you need to talk with your child's teacher and advocate to obtain the most effective reading program for your child as well as a highly trained and certified instructor logically can get your child the right targeted help that will give them reading skills to put them on a learning trajectory with their peers. Ideally, children get the report at school, but parents can choose to hire their own qualified tutor.

8) Talk to Your Child About Their Dyslexia

Children can recognize from an early age that they are different from others. Thus, starting a dialogue early empowers them by defining Dyslexia, its challenges, and its gifts.

Talking about Dyslexia’s difficulties with a licensed therapist can also alleviate its emotional toll on an individual over time. Formal counseling support helps proactively deal with minor issues before they become big ones and ensures your child or teen emotional core is secure. It can also enable you, as the parent, to find the skills necessary to help your child and to offer emotional support.

9) Optimize Their Brain

Reading programs and instructors are only one part of the learning process. You also need to support your child’s brain health.  Following an anti-inflammatory diet, getting quality sleep, monitoring sleep levels, proper exercise, and making sure you are getting the right supplements and nutrients for brain health are ways to optimize the brain so processing is easier. 

Most Dyslexics don’t just have problems with reading; they often also have problems with anxiety, memory, attention, or executive functioning. Making their brain work better helps make learning easier.

10) Neurofeedback for Dyslexia

One specific way to optimize your dyslexic child’s brain is with neurofeedback. Neurofeedback training involves reinforcing the brain to self-regulate with better connectivity and timing, which results in improved learning.

Children with dyslexia can display both under-activity and overactivity in their brain wave functioning; improving connectivity helps the brain to work more efficiently. Neurofeedback training involves reinforcing the brain to self-regulate with better connectivity and timing, which results in improved learning. The areas of the brain that process phonemes, language, attention, and executive functioning can all be directly targeted to help manage dyslexia.

During neurofeedback sessions, children engage in activities while their brainwaves are monitored. The feedback allows them to see how their brain responds to various stimuli, helping them develop better self-regulation and focus. Over time, this practice can enhance cognitive functions such as attention, memory, and processing speed, all of which are crucial for effective reading.

Parents have reported significant improvements in their children's reading abilities and overall confidence through neurofeedback. By incorporating this innovative dyslexia treatment into a comprehensive approach that includes supportive reading strategies and resources, you can empower your child to overcome the challenges associated with dyslexia and thrive in their educational journey.

To make an appointment with Dr. Roseann to discuss how a QEEG Brain Map or brain check or one of our clinically effective and natural therapies to manage dyslexia in children, Learning Disability, ADHD, anxiety, and depression, such as Neurofeedback and PEMF therapy can help you or your child, contact us TODAY. Live out of state or another country? We work with children, individuals, and families and remotely with at home neurofeedback and coaching.