The British Dyslexia Association explains some key areas of dyslexia in children.
There are many indications of dyslexia in children; some are language related such as writing or spelling, while others are non-language indicators and more to do with the child’s physical abilities.
Signs of dyslexia can appear in children as young as four years-old when attending pre-school. Your child may find it difficult to learn nursery rhymes as well as rhyming words, such as ‘mat, cat, sat’. They may also find it hard to remember the names of familiar objects, for example ‘table' or 'chair’, and also substitute words for objects such as ‘lampshade’ for ‘lamppost’.
Non-language indicators of dyslexia could be that as a baby your child may have walked early but did not crawl - a ‘bottom shuffler’ or ‘tummy wriggler’.
You may also notice that your child finds physical activities, such as skipping, hopping or catching, throwing and kicking a ball difficult. They may possibly have trouble getting dressed efficiently and placing their shoes on the correct feet.
As your child reaches primary school their dyslexia will become more evident in their school work. They will have difficulty reading and spelling, either not understanding what they have just read or putting letters the wrong way round when writing.
Dyslexia will also cause the child to take longer than most children when putting together written work or when taking notes, as they have problems processing language at speed. Your child may show difficulties in remembering things such as left and right, the order of days of the week, months of the year etc.
They could possibly still find tying their shoe laces or a tie and maybe even getting dressed a challenge. However, they will still surprise you because in other ways they are bright and alert.
Once in secondary school you will notice that your child still reads inaccurately and finds spelling difficult, this will affect their ability to plan and write essays. The constant confusion of time, dates and places is also a common sign as well as the need to have instructions and telephone numbers repeated.
At this age non-language indicators of dyslexia will be poor confidence and self-esteem. Your child’s areas of strength will also be more apparent as well as their weaknesses.
If your child is in primary school then you speak to your child’s class teacher, if your child is in secondary school arrange to speak to their head of year.
Make them aware of your concerns and explain why you think your child might be dyslexic, by doing this they may be able to identify why your child is having learning difficulties and provide him/her with the relevant support.
You can also contact your local dyslexia association who can provide you with information regarding support that is available in your local area.
If you still have concerns after speaking with your child’s class teacher or head of year, then you should make an appointment to see the school's Special Educational Needs Coordinator. The SENCO should create an Individual Education Plan (IEP) for your child, this should set out the steps which the school needs to take in order to ensure your child receives the appropriate support.
This is all done in line with the SEN Code of Practice which requires: 'Schools to provide appropriate support so that all children have the opportunity to benefit from an inclusive education.'
Try reading the SEN Guide for Parents and Carers, before meeting with the school SENCO. The booklet underlines the main points of the Codes of Practice and will explain procedures and inform you of your rights as a parent.
All in all it will help you to understand what your child is entitled to and what should happen when you talk to the school.
You could also ask for an educational psychologist at the Local Education Authority (LEA) to conduct an informal assessment. If for some reason the school is unwilling to refer your child, you can apply direct yourself or get help from the Parent Partnership Officer at the LEA.
Applying for an assessment through the LEA is free but the service is often over-stretched and there is a chance of a long waiting list. There is also the option of having a private assessment carried out either by a suitable qualified teacher or a Chartered Educational Psychologist who specialises in Specific Learning Difficulties. A private assessment will cost £350; you will receive a full written report with recommendations for educational support.
For help finding out where you can go for a private assessment contact your Local Dyslexia Association or a cooperate member assessment centre.
If you dealt with your child’s school Special Educational Needs Coordinator and they established an Individual Education Plan, the next step will be to implement the plan. Once this is done you should expect regular meetings with the school in order to monitor your child’s progress. Your child should now be receiving appropriate help and support from the school. However, if the Individual Education Plan is not helping your child or has not been implemented properly, you may be better off getting a full assessment by an educational psychologist, or a suitable qualified teacher.
If you opted to carry out an independent assessment, the second step will be to meet with the SENCO and discuss the outcomes of the report. This should provide the SENCO with a basis to build the action plan in order to help your child.
In some cases the school may reject the findings from an independent assessment. If this happens you should contact the Chief Education Officer for your LEA and ask that the school implements an action plan.
If the school still doesn’t provide adequate support for your child then you should request the help of the school governor in charge of Special Needs. If your child has a diagnosed disability then they are entitled to support under the Disability Discrimination Act at school.
For more help and advice on Dyslexia visit the British Dyslexia Association
