Login
Hunter's Bar Junior School

Dyslexia Support

What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a common learning difficulty that can cause problems with reading, writing and spelling.

It's a specific learning difficulty, which means it causes problems with certain abilities used for learning, such as reading and writing.

Unlike a learning disability, intelligence isn't affected.

It's estimated up to 1 in every 10 people in the UK has some degree of dyslexia.

Dyslexia is a lifelong problem that can present challenges on a daily basis, but support is available to improve reading and writing skills and help those with the problem be successful at school.

What are the signs of dyslexia?

Signs of dyslexia usually become apparent when a child starts school and begins to focus more on learning how to read and write.

A person with dyslexia may:

  • read and write very slowly
  • confuse the order of letters in words
  • put letters the wrong way round (such as writing "b" instead of "d")
  • have poor or inconsistent spelling
  • understand information when told verbally, but have difficulty with information that's written down
  • find it hard to carry out a sequence of directions
  • struggle with planning and organisation

But people with dyslexia often have good skills in other areas, such as creative thinking and problem solving.

Read more about the symptoms of dyslexia.

Getting help

If you think your child may have dyslexia, the first step is to speak to their teacher. They may be able to offer additional support to help your child if necessary.

If your child continues to have problems despite extra support, you may want to consider requesting a more in-depth assessment from a specialist dyslexia teacher or an educational psychologist.

As a school, we are unable to offer dyslexia assessments. We can undertake a GL Dyslexia Screening Assessment which will indicate if a child is showing any dyslexic traits but we are unable to provide a diagnosis.

You can request a private assessment by contacting:

Educational interventions

Our main aim with children with dyslexic profiles is to support them to remain working alongside their peers. However, we off a small number of interventions aimed at targeting specific areas of need.

Most interventions focus on phonological skills, which is the ability to identify and process word sounds. These interventions are often referred to as phonics and we will support all children to be secure in phonics using the Little Wandle rapid catch-up programme.

For some children we also offer a range of additional assistive technologies to ensure that dyselxia is not a barrier to their learning:

  • Nessy is an App based programme, designed specifically for children with dyslexia to support the understanding of spelling and spelling patterns.
  • Clicker 8 is a laptop based writing programme to support children with spelling as well as the composition of written texts.
  • IPads are also used to support with spelling in writing lessons.

How you can help your child?

As a parent, you might be unsure about the best way to help your child.

Read to your child

This will improve their vocabulary and listening skills, and will also encourage their interest in books.

Share reading

Both read some of the book and then discuss what's happening, or what might happen.

Overlearning

You may get bored of reading your child's favourite book over and over, but repetition will reinforce their understanding and means they'll become familiar with the text.

Silent reading

Children also need the chance to read alone to encourage their independence and fluency.

Make reading fun

Reading should be a pleasure, not a chore. Use books about subjects your child is interested in, and make sure that reading takes place in a relaxed and comfortable environment.

Parents also play a significant role in improving their child's confidence, so it's important to encourage and support your child as they learn.

Wheel of Apps.
 
Click on the link below to access a whole range of Apps to support specific areas of development. If you are unsure about which are your child may need support with, get in touch with your child's class teacher.
ipad-apps-for-learners-with-dyslexia.pdf