Parenting: Helping with child's Dyslexia

Now, my 10-year-old daughter has just been diagnosed as dyslexic.

It does explain a lot as doing homework with her has always been a big challenge.

She was really struggling with reading and writing.

She would often come home from school totally confused about what homework to do and would not have written in her diary.

I have shared the report with her teacher and they hope to provide some additional resources at school.

I'm just wondering how best to talk to her about dyslexia and how to help her with her homework.

I mean, she absolutely needs and deserves extra supports in school.

It will make the world of difference and not getting them will make the world of difference in the other way.

Is it standard in schools now what they will get or can that vary from school to school?

It's going to vary child to child because you could have three, four children with the diagnosis of dyslexia, but their needs are going to vary within that diagnosis.

So her report will outline in quite a bit of detail what specific supports she will benefit from.

It depends on when you get those reports in and if allocation of resource hours has already been assigned for the year and then the school will have to be...

Or try to be somewhat flexible around ensuring she gets resource support.

But they may have to apply for those hours again.

I mean, at least they know this now.

And the important thing, and I think what this parent is asking is, does she need to know? Yes.

I'm a fan of children knowing their diagnoses.

So I think it's important.

I think it's part of who they are and how they experience the world.

And I think far from burdening them, it can alleviate some of the confusion and overwhelm that they sit with because it gives context to the struggle.

So I would pick a calm time.

Whatever that is in anyone's home.

That's a very subjective statement.

But pick a calmer time, perhaps.

And what you're going to do with this conversation with her is obviously highlight her strengths, everything that she's good at.