Helping Your Dyslexic Child

Learning that your child has Dyslexia can be both a negative and positive experience. Of course, the negative part is because you know that you have a lot of hard work ahead of you. Anyone with Dyslexia is going to take more time, effort and patience to help than other people. However, the good news is the fact that you now have an answer as to why your child has been struggling so much. Rather than thinking that perhaps your child is not very smart, you now know that he or she is struggling with a learning disability. You can begin to get help for your child now, with greater understanding and knowledge of how frustrated he or she must be also.

Some statistics say that 10-15% of the population has Dyslexia. Dyslexia usually only applies to certain academic areas, such as spelling and grammar, because it is a learning-specific disability. People with Dyslexia are unable to recognize words that they know and have trouble sounding out words and remembering the sounds of particular letters. Reading out loud is especially painful, as they are not able to read as quickly and often stumble over simple words. Because it is a symptom of a problem within the brain, there is not a cure for Dyslexia. However, there are things that you can do to help your dyslexic child learn to cope and have a greater chance for success.

If you are wondering rather or not your child may have Dyslexia, plan to get him or her diagnosed. Because of the high percentage of kids who struggle with Dyslexia, it's better to know what you are dealing with. Oftentimes, children are accused of being stupid or lazy and therefore, their parents don't bother to get a real diagnosis of their child's problem. However, many times, a parent or teacher will have an inclination that there is truly a deeper problem. Rather than waiting and guessing, get the answers you need so that your child can get the help that he or she needs. You can't effectively help your child until you have a diagnosis from a professional.

If you get a positive diagnosis for Dyslexia, one of the first things you need to do is get in contact with your child's school. His or her teacher can go a long way in helping your child to have a successful school year. If you have not had a good relationship with them in the past, now is the time to make things right. It's important that these people are on your team. Set up a meeting, without your child, between you and your child's teacher and anyone else that may be involved in his or her education.

Take any and all test results to your child's counselor, teacher and anyone else that is very involved in his or her educational process. The more open and honest you are about this, the more likely the educators will be to give your child the support that he or she needs. Explain to them what you think your child needs to be more successful, offer your services, and listen to anything they have to say. Do your best to be agreeable and learn from their experience and knowledge of dyslexia. Your child's teacher and counselor can be some of your greatest assets in this journey.

You can now begin to give your child the support that he or she needs, based on the advise given by the physician, teacher and other professionals involved with your child. Remember that your child has probably had a rough time for many years because he or she has probably been very misunderstood and even punished for his or her lack of ability to perform as other children in the classroom or family. So, you can sit down with your child and explain things. How you explain things will depend largely on the age of your child. There are books, magazines and even DVD's and videos about dyslexics, their struggles and their ability to succeed. After all this time of feeling discouraged, you now have the ability to help your child be more positive.

The positive side is that there are so many tools available to help your dyslexic child. Now that he or she is getting support from friends, family and teachers, your child will be able to get some self-confidence and learn how to cope with his or her disability. Through your child's teacher, you can learn what particular problem your child struggles with. There are techniques specifically for teaching dyslexics that will bring a greater chance of success and accomplishment.

Knowing that your child is quite likely very bright, you can now settle into a pattern of helping him or her learn. No longer do you need to feel the frustration of what he or she should be accomplishing, but you can realize that he or she is likely doing the best work possible. It will take time, patience and perseverance, but will be well worth it to see your child begin to stay positive steps in his or her learning process.