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Does your child have a hard time reading? Do they mix or confuse letters? Do they reverse letters in a word? This is common when your child is very young. However, if you think it is more than just part of the learning to read process, consult with your child’s doctor. These tips can help whether you just have a struggling reader or your child has been diagnosed with dyslexia.
Use a Reading Guide
Reading guides become very useful as they help the child only stay on the line he is reading. This helps with the tendency to try to insert words from the lines above or below the line the child is currently reading. You can purchase actual reading guides or you can use a bookmark. Have the child slide the bookmark so the line the child is reading is directly above the bookmark. This helps the child stay on track.
Make Your Own Reading Guide
Make your own reading guides as a fun art project. Take manilla folders, construction paper, or any other paper the child prefers. Cut out strips to be used when reading. The child can even make different sizes depending on preference and the size of the book. You can use that as the guide or make a more advanced one. Use transparency film and make it the size of the strip. Draw a line on the sheet as this is the line the student will use to track where he is on the page. Since ones purchased are often in yellow shading, you can highlight above the line so letters fall in the highlighting. This helps the child to take ownership and be more willing to try to read when using something he created.
Use a Finger and Point to Words
Besides using a reading guide or making one, the easiest and cheapest is for the child to use his finger when reading. The finger stays on the word the child is currently reading and helps him to focus. This way, lines do not get mixed up and there is no jumping ahead. This makes staying on track easier for the child with dyslexia.
Cover Letters of Words when Reading
If your child has trouble with mixing up letters in a word or is having a hard time sounding out a word, try covering up the letters of that word. Slowly reveal each letter for the child to sound out. This makes it easier for the child to figure out the word. By covering up the letters, it helps the child focus and slowly read the word.
Hands-On Practice to Reading
Children who have dyslexia are often Kinesthetic learners. This means they like to get their hands dirty and learn through doing. Use this to help your child to read. Use magnetic letters and let your child make words on the refrigerator or even a file cabinet. Make small words yourself for your child to figure out. Create letters and then words out of clay or Playdough. Not only is your child learning pre-reading skills, but will slowly start to see how putting letters together create specific sounds. Then you can move on from sounds to make words.
Use Assistive Technology
There are a few types of assistive technology you can use to help build the confidence of children and help them learn to read. There are many resources out there from audiobooks at a local library to apps that read the story to the child as the child follows along.
The following are some assistive technology tools you can use to help your child with dyslexia learn to read.
- Audiobooks: They let the student hear the book read aloud. They have the option of following along with a book so they see and hear the word at the same time. These are read by other people, usually adults.
- Digital TSS Books: These books are created with TSS. They are read by a computer-generated voice.
- Text-to-Speech: The student sees the text and hears it read aloud at the same time by a computer-generated voice. TSS can be used for more than just books, such as: webpages, emails and any other digital text. To use this tool, the child highlights the words and they are read by the computer-generated voice.
- Graphic Organizaers: These are visual representations of ideas and concepts, such as diagrams. Students are able to use graphic organizers to take notes while reading and that increases comprehension.
- Display Control: This can change the way text is displayed to the student. It can change the font, font size or color and even the spacing. One of the greatest benefits of this tool is that it can cover up some of the screen which decreases the distrations for the student when reading. An equivlaent of this when reading a book in print is to use a reading guide.
Places to get Assistive Technology
Now that you know there are tools to help you make the challenge of reading easier for your child with dyslexia, you need to know where to find this technology. The basics such as highlighters, reading guides, post-it notes, can be found at many stores or made at home, such as the reading guides. Local libraries have many books on cd and also in digital format where the student could follow along as it is being read. There are also apps for children where they see the book and you set it up in the settings how much of the book the program will read out loud from all to not at all.
Computers and Assistive Technology
There are about three computer platforms where assistive technology can easily be accessed. The type varies on the computer.
- Mobile Devices: These include tablets and smartphones (although I would recommend the use of tablets over your smartphone for youngsters). Mobile devices have a built-in assistive technology. You can add more tools to help with reading through various apps.
- Computers, such as Laptops: These are nomrally installed with assistive technology. You do have the option to download more assistive technology software programs for reading. and add other options to the computers.
- Chrome books or the use of the Chrome browser: Chromebooks come with assistive technology already built-in. You can add extensions to the Chrome browser to add more features for reading. This can be done on any device where Chrome browser is installed.
Choose Books of Interest
Struggling to learn to read can be hard enough especially for a child who has dyslexia. Children are more likely to read if the story is about something the child likes. Look for simple books on that topic, such as a movie character or even dinosaurs. Most libraries have a beginning reader section. They start with pre-1 and then move through until level 5 where your child can start to read paragraphs independently. Take it slow. There is no need to rush through the levels which would only confuse and frustrate your child
These tips are just a few suggestions to help your child with dyslexia to read. There are several other things you can try. Sight words games or even making your own sentences can help the struggling reader. Silly sentences is a great game to play as the child chooses which words to put together. The whole point is to learn to read while having fun.
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These are great tips for teaching a child with dyslexia to read! Good for you on homeschooling and putting in so much work with your kids, I am sure it makes a huge difference!
As a teacher, I absolutely love these tips. I’ve worked with many dyslexic kids and I use these methods. I am dyslexic myself.
These are excellent tips. I will incorporate some of these techniques with my five-year-olds. I like the hands-on approach with the magnetic tiles.
Thank you. I have found that young children learn easier and retain the information longer when they are moving and being involved in the learning. You can start with simple words to full sentences, silly ones are often a favorite.