Parents and teachers of dyslexic children are always trying to think of new ways to help them overcome their difficulties with reading. Below is a list of several tried and true methods of helping them not only read better but to also love reading.

As very young readers, dyslexic children are often asked to write their letters in sand, trace sandpaper letters, or use wooden letters to spell words. Just because they are older is no reason to push the three dimensional words to the back. As these students grow older, use color transparencies that pull the words to them. Have them try several colors to see which color works best for them.

Follow up:

Enlarge print whenever necessary. Replace regular books with large print books. Most schools are able to obtain these for textbooks, but they are bulky. It might be more inviting to get the text on tape and let the student listen as he reads. Workbook pages can be enlarged on a copier.

The majority of dyslexic readers have a visual tracking problem. Their eyes don’t move properly causing them to lose their place easily.  Use a regular index card. Cut a “window” that will accommodate one word or one sentence in the middle. A colored transparency strip may be used to cover the window. Now the child has the ability to see one word or one sentence at a time and the color to help him transcribe.

Teach the child that is it perfectly okay to skim the page. One must teach this practice. Tell the child to look at the whole page at once. The child will get a general feel of what the page is about. Then call out one word per paragraph for the child to zero in on. Be excited when it is found. Tell the child to start at the beginning of the page and to read as fast as his eyes will move as he reads across the page. Allow him to use his finger to keep his place. Be sure to remind him that he does not have to read every word on the page – he’s just getting the general meaning on the page. Both you and the child may be surprised at how much the child understands and can repeat about the material on the page even though it wasn’t read word for word.

Be sure to choose engaging material for the person to read. Comic books are great as are graphic novels. Look for colorful, emotional, engaging, short, and fun to read material.

Don’t be surprised when the child misses easy words like “was” or “were.” Those words don’t create pictures in his mind. He will read the “refrigerator” or “horse” because he can picture a refrigerator or a horse in his mind. When reading for fun, forget phonics. Break the words into syllables and decode them. There’s no need to be fussy when having fun with reading.<.p>

Enjoy reading with the dyslexic child. You are opening a new world for him. It is surprising how many dyslexic children turn into book-loving adults.