Willow Bank School
‘Better Together’
What is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person’s fluency or
comprehension accuracy in being able to read, spell and write. It manifests itself as a
difficulty with phonological awareness and decoding, auditory short term memory, rapid
naming and orthographic coding (spelling).
Dyslexia is not an intellectual disability since dyslexia and intelligence are not interrelated as
a result of cognition developing independently.
It is found more often in boys and is passed through the family line. It is caused by the
dysfunction of the left side of the brain which does not change with age.
In a class of 30 pupils it will affect approximately 5 students. There are many examples of
famous dyslexics [Appendix 1].
“Dyslexia does not go away. What is important is not to allow it to stop you from reaching any
goal you set your sights on. I learned that many people can spell correctly, but not as many
can write a good story.”
Lynda La Plante (writer)
Dsylexic students may also be clumsy, become withdrawn and not participate, look ‘glazed’
when language is spoken too quickly or act as the ‘class clown’ to mask what they see as their
academic failure.
These students often return home exhausted at the end of the day because they have had
to put so much effort into learning.
“It wasn’t until my son was diagnosed as dyslexic that I realised why I had such a rotten
time at school.”
James Whale (broadcaster)
What are the learning implications?
Pupils with dyslexic-type difficulties make mistakes in writing and reading. For example,
some letters and numbers are swapped or back-to-front. The connection between letter
shape and sound is difficult to learn and remember. When they are learning to read, some of
the usual ways of working out unknown words are harder for them than for others. More able
readers will recognise a word through its shape, or by looking at parts of the word, letter
groups, syllables or the meaning of a sentence. Dyslexic students often have difficulty with
one or more of these methods and when they start to write, the letters are often drawn
wrongly and writing may not flow.
In addition, these students can also find problems with directions, map-reading, recognising
left and right, and reading music.
Dyslexia affects some pupils very little. Others find that they face real difficulties in
learning, their confidence and self-esteem are affected and they lose motivation.
Pupils might find that they need help in recording what they know – for example, with the
use of Dictaphones, charts, diagrams or models.
Transition to secondary school
The transition from primary school is a worrying time for many 11 year olds, but particularly
for those who are dyslexic:

They know it will take them longer than their peers to get used to a new routine.

They may be embarrassed by their limited literacy and/or numeracy skills, poor memory
and lack of organisation.

They may also be worried that their new teachers and classmates will think they are
stupid.
Teaching and Learning Strategies
Dyslexic characteristics
Strategies
Difficulty in reading or copying from books
or the whiteboard.
Use coloured background on worksheets and
whiteboard.
Text moves and words blend together.
Ensure worksheets are uncluttered, clear
and in comic sans font (size 14+).
Difficult to go from looking at the board to
following something on paper.
Avoid asking pupils to copy from the board.
Difficulty structuring written work which
can often be unclear, out of sequence,
poorly spelt with poor punctuation.
Give writing frames including clear
guidelines for each paragraph alongside key
subject words and pictures.
Difficulty in getting ideas down quickly.
Offer alternative ways of recording ideas
with access to technology where possible.
Allow extra time to complete tasks and in
test situations. Use mind maps.
Good cognitive ability, good ideas and
creative strengths. Written work does not
reflect ability.
Offer a multisensory approach to learning
with lots of visual prompts, key words and
opportunities to record work in different
ways [Appendix 2].
Poor coordination and organisation, including
time management. Can be distracted and
find it difficult to concentrate for periods
of time.
Intersperse ‘listening’ times with ‘seeing and
doing’ activities.
Slower processing speeds and ability to take
in instructions accurately.
Ensure students are listening before giving
instructions. Don’t move around too much
and maintain eye contact.
Pre-typed homework tasks to stick into
planners which are clear and suitably
differentiated (e.g. no essay writing without
clear writing frames, key words, etc).
Give one instruction at a time. Avoid any
dictation.
Revision and preparing for exams
Active revision is one tried and tested way to help children who have short-term memory
difficulties associated with dyslexia:

Read the work – this is the visual channel
-


Read it aloud onto tape so it can be played back
Reduce it – this requires thinking skills
-
Highlight the key words and note the associated ideas, try mind mapping / diagrams
-
Invent mnemonics, rhymes, acronyms or word associations
-
Use coloured pens or arrows to link ideas
-
List key facts and number them
Write it – this is the kinaesthetic channel
-
Writing down the main points helps to commit them to memory. If a week later the
notes are not sufficient to enable the pupil to remember all the facts then they
need to go back to the text.
-
When good enough, notes can be transferred to large sheets of paper and hung on
bedroom walls.

Say it – this is the auditory channel
-
Reading notes aloud helps reinforce memory

Check it – again, this is using the thinking channel.

Teach someone else.

Encourage pupils to write a summary at the end of each topic throughout the year.
This provides readymade revision material.

Practise exam techniques, for example accurate reading of questions and planning
answers. Dyslexic students will always tend to read more slowly than their nondyslexic peers of equal ability and be more prone to misreading, especially under
stress. They will usually qualify for additional time in exams (if access arrangements
have been made).
How might the Teaching Assistant give support?

Encourage effort

Amend worksheets to make them understandable

Provide key words

Act as scribe

Read out questions

Enable self-correction

Look through materials in advance of lesson

Encourage use of ICT

Plan and evaluate with the teacher and/or SENCO
Further information

British Dyslexia Association (www.bdadyslexia.org.uk)

NHS (www.nhs.uk/conditions/dyslexia)

Dyslexia Action (www.dyslexiaaction.org.uk)

The Dyslexia Association (www.dyslexia.uk.net)
What is Dyslexia (2015) by Stephen Deadman/Children’s Hospital school, shared under CC-BY 4.0
This presentation builds upon and adapts a presentation produced by Ali Lines, SENCO at Gartree
High School, Leicester
Mind map guidelines image by Nicoguaro (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.
Storyboard image: “Pontydysgu MOOC.” Pontydysgu MOOC. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Sept. 2014.
This presentation is shared under CC-BY 4.0
Appendix 1
Famous Dyslexics
 Roald Dahl
 Steve Jobs
 Jamie Oliver
 Richard Branson
 Bill Gates
 Sir Steven Redgrave
 Tom Cruise
 Ben Elton
 John Lennon
 Thomas Edison
 Prince Harry
 Nigel Kennedy
 Steven Spielberg
 Winston Churchill
 Marco Pierre-White
 Leonardo da Vinci
 Albert Einstein
 Agatha Christie
Appendix 2
Alternatives to written recording
‘Annotation spaces’ or ‘speech bubbles’ can be added to a handout, which will enable the pupil
to limit their written work but still provide a valuable resource for a permanent reminder.
‘Audio recordings’ can be used as permanent evidence or an oral presentation. In order to
produce a formal recording it is helpful to have time to prepare and rehearse.
‘Bar charts’ or ‘Histograms’ as an alternative to show data.
‘Bullet points’ – a mixture of bullet points and short phrases put under headings are
extremely useful because:
 They are short and to the point
 They are easily recognised
 They separate facts out in memorable chunks
‘Carroll Diagrams’ allow learners to look at sorting
objects or numbers, basing their decisions on properties.
‘Cartoons’, ‘Drawings’ or ‘Collage’ can be used as a pictorial representation of an idea /
story.
‘Flow charts’ can be presented as a template
for learners to complete with appropriate
words. Students can use them to organise ideas.
‘Highlighting’ key words within a sentence is a useful tool and will act as a reminder of the
important issues / words.
‘Images’ can capture an event and act as a permanent reminder, e.g. digital camera,
photographs, video recording.
‘Labelling’ requires a student to apply the correct label / name to a diagram or picture.
‘Line graphs’ show a relationship between
two variables – how one thing compares to
another.
‘Mind Mapping’ can be used for a wide variety
of activities that involve thinking, learning, revising and
communicating. Mind maps are diagrams based on a
central idea or image, typically used to aid organisation,
problem solving and decision making. Mind maps use a
non-linear, graphical form that allows the user to build
an intuitive framework around the central idea.
‘Paired Reading’ involves the pupil working with a fluent reader.
‘Sequencing’ requires key information or words to be printed on paper which the pupil can
then re-arrange to form the correct sequence and stick into a book as a permanent reminder.
‘Spider Diagrams’ are useful because they
allow you to think about the main idea that
the topic is exploring and then how the ideas
are seen to be present in many parts of the topic.
‘Story Boards’ encourage the recorder to draw
sketches in set boxes – rather like an action
strip and helps to organise and focus their
story / recording.
A linear ‘Timeline’ is an actual picture of events
that happened in history / over a period of time.