3 Ways Teachers Can Help Students with Dyslexia: Pt. 1- Understanding Dyslexia

"That was the kind of battle I had. I knew what I had, but my teachers didn't." – Charley Boorman

Recently, actor Charley Boorman discussed his struggle with dyslexia on an interview with BBC News. It was interesting to hear him discuss the problems he had faced because of his dyslexia. Rather than having low self-esteem because of the difficulties he had in school, he had a hard time in school because of the negative way his teachers responded to his difficulties. He knew that he struggled because of his learning difficulty, but his teachers didn’t understand dyslexia.

Because Boorman would have been saved from a lot of emotional and educational issues if his teachers had properly responded to his dyslexia, our next few posts will discuss three ways you as a teacher can better meet the needs of students with dyslexia:

1. Understand How Dyslexia Affects The Student

Often when people think about dyslexia, they associate it with reading problems. Although most students with dyslexia do struggle with reading, they also have many talents and abilities that are valuable. In fact, students with dyslexia often demonstrate above-average levels of intelligence.

Why is this? The more you understand dyslexia, the more you understand that the dyslexic brain is not inferior or less valuable than the average brain, it is just different. Compared to the typical brain, dyslexics have a very dominant right brain.

Recently, Dr. Papanicolau of the University of Texas discovered that because of the dominance of the right brain in a student with dyslexia, it is also the area that is activated when they are performing language tasks. Typically the left brain, where the “language center” of the brain is accessed, is used for language tasks. This is the reason why language tasks are difficult for students with dyslexia.

Papanicolau described the difficulty of performing language tasks with the right side of the brain by comparing it to “an artist trying to paint with their toes.”

Understanding how difficult language tasks can be for students with dyslexia can help you be patient with these students and to be more realistic about your expectations.

2. Help Students with Dyslexia Overcome Language Difficulties

3. Focus on the Strengths of Students with Dyslexia

Free Dyslexia Webinar:

“Dyslexia: From Symptoms to Solutions,” presented by Reading Horizons Dyslexia Specialist, Shantell Berrett.

View the free dyslexia webinar! ›

Dyslexia Resources

What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia in Children

Dyslexia in Adults

Learn how Reading Horizons embeds structured literacy strategies in our elementary reading program and reading intervention program to help students with dyslexia overcome their language difficulties.

No Comments

Authors: No content items.