How to Learn with Dyslexia [MUST READ BOOK FOR PARENTS]

It's a long day at work.  You get home and you see your kid playing video games. 

You feel frustrated because you have told him a million times that he need to do his homework as soon as he gets home.

You have your child take their homework out of the backpack and notice that nothing has been completed.  

You are so mad at this point you want to shout from the rooftops, but you know that won't help motivate your child to do what they need to do.

So instead, you say, let's sit down together and figure out how to do this.  You know that you should be making dinner, but for now, that can wait.

As your child begins to read the instructions, he reads slowly.  He stops for a long time on a little word and you think, "Oh my goodness, you know this word.  The word is /the/.  

But your child was actually looking at the word directions because it was the next big word they were trying to figure out.  

Sometimes as parents we easily get frustrated with our kids.  When they struggle, we struggle, and when we struggle our emotions can cause us to say and do things that are not supportive.

How I know

My own daughter struggled with learning to read.  My two girls before her read without a problem, but Mikayla struggled more than the other two.  Today she still looks at words and reads them differently, but she has managed to overcome her reading difficulties and is a member of the National Junior Honor Society.  

Today Mikayla gets all B's and A's.  She has overcome her reading difficulties, but the process wasn't easy.

When she was a little girl and I would have her read, she would put the book close up to her face and guess the word.  At first, I thought she had a vision problem.  I immediately took her to get her eyes checked, but she had perfect vision.

I could tell that she didn't understand how to read words from left to right and we worked on it daily.  She would get mad at times in her frustration and tell me, "My teacher doesn't teach it like that."  

I just wanted to look at her and say, "Don't you know what your mom does for a living?"  I mean seriously, she sees me teach kids how to read every day from my office in our house.

When she was 3 years old she would play under my desk, with her dolls, while I tutored kids in reading.

There was a small piece of me that knew my daughter hadn't accepted me as her teacher yet. That can be a defeating feeling when you want to help your kid.

Dr. Frankin's Book

I wish I had Dr. Franklin's Book then.  His book is filled with a new perspective that all parents need to read.  He has tips on how to focus their attention and how to really understand the difficulties that your child is facing.  He shows all of us how to inject the gift of positivity into your child's life.

Click the book above to grab your own copy.

Dr. Franklin shares tips on how to be

1.  Calm and patient

2.  Help calm your child if he is agitated

3. Use physical proximity to enhance your child's focus

4.  Model emotional regulation

Often we feed off of our child's emotions.  The more upset they become, the more upset we become.  Dr. Franklin shares how to regulate our own emotions for the benefit of the child.

You can watch the full interview here. 

 How to Learn with Dyslexia

All kids with dyslexia can learn, but they are going to need a supportive team on their side.  They need a great tutor or reading specialist to help close the reading gaps, they need strong parental support when they struggle with their homework, and they need a great teacher that can make accommodations for them.

Some of these accommodations include:

1.  Give more time on tests.

2.  Oral tests vs. written tests.

3.  Ability to not only read books but listen to them.

4.  Prepare them for when they are called on in class.

5.  Give positive feedback on the things they can do well.

When a child has a supportive team, they can succeed in learning anything.  If you are looking to get your child more help, contact Joanne today.

The Struggle for Your Child is Real for Both of You

Your child's struggle with reading is not only hard on them, but also on you.  It can be time-consuming, emotionally draining, and ongoing.  

You may be wondering if things will ever be different.  Will they ever be able to do work on their own?  Will they be able to go to college?  Will they be ok in life as an adult?

With a supportive team in place, your child will do very well in life.  Just do the best you can do today and all will be well.  

Franklin, D., & Cozolino, L. J. (2018). Helping your child with language-based learning disabilities: Strategies to succeed in school & life with dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, adhd, & processing disorders. New Harbinger Publications.