Words Apart. How to triumph over Dyslexia

I discovered a fabulous book shop this week. It's called Turn the Page and it is a children's bookshop in Aberystwyth. It's tiny but crammed full of lots of little gems including a lot of dyslexia friendly books, many of them published by Barrington Stoke.

The owner Mande gave me a fascinating book entitled Words Apart. It's contains accounts from people in Wales with dyslexia or living with someone with dyslexia plus some tips on supporting those with dyslexia. It's all very interesting and inspiring from actor Lloyd Everitt's account of how he memorises his lines using symbols to Catherine Jones's account of how she fought for her son's dyslexia to be recognised.

Catherine's account struck a cord with me as it closely mirrors what I have witnessed in my own dealings with schools. In fact, I was advising a parent on this very subject just last week.

So, this is a brief synopsis of Catherine's journey to get her child's needs addressed. Catherine and the class teacher suspected her child was dyslexic when he was in Year Three. Catherine spoke to the school. Someone from the LEA did a very brief screening online and told her there were 'no real issues'. Catherine wasn't convinced. She took her child to be assessed by a third party. Dyslexia was confirmed. She took the results back to school. The LEA subsequently did a full screening and confirmed that her son was dyslexic.

I have had a number of parents report this to me. When I do a screening, and it suggests dyslexia, schools usually either a) agree or b) do their own screening which confirms my findings.

What was heartening to read in Catherine's account, though, was what happened next, and again, it mirrors my experience. The report contained recommendations for changes in the classroom - simple things like making sure the child was near the board. After some initial hiccups, most of the teachers took the advice on board and ultimately her child flourished.

My experience is the same; some children I have screened have had a lot of classroom adjustments made and have been given loads of additional support. Sometimes lessons with me have been included in their IEP (Individual Education Plan). Sometimes, it has been a bit more of a battle with parents having to meet with the ALNCO/SENCO and headteacher to get something put in place. But ultimately, something positive is achieved.

Of course, some schools are very thorough and are meeting the needs of all the children in the class but the knowledge that 10% of school children are dyslexic and many of them are being neglected by the school system is depressing.

Books like Words Apart  show how hard the battle for diagnosis and support can be but also what a positive effect intervention can have on helping those with dyslexia to reach their potential. It also shows us how creative, tenacious and inventive people with dyslexia can be and that being dyslexic doesn't have to be a barrier to having a happy fulfilled life and to achieving your dreams.


If your child is struggling then contact me today to get them the help and support they need to succeed.