School is back in session. The dyslexic child may not be happy to have a new year begin, and the parents may have the same unhappy feelings. An attitude of success is necessary for the parents to maintain. There are steps to insure a smooth transition into a new school year. By this time, the parents have probably already begun a set bedtime, wake-up, and meal times that fit the school time schedule. Hopefully, the parents and child were able to visit the classroom and become comfortable with the surroundings. Often all of these preparations are made and in place, but one of the most important aspects have been forgotten - preparing the home for the school child. Yes, the home goes beyond the rules of bedtime, waking times, and meal times. The home must become an extension of the school. Home is the place were homework occurs. This area needs to be inviting and stress free, not an area to be dreaded by both child and parents. The name of the game for this area is organization! The child with dyslexia needs organization, and often these are skills that must be taught.

On the day that school supplies are bought, begin to organize and continue this skill on a day to day basis. If this skill recognized as a necessary job, the child will soon fall into a pattern of response and learn a life-long skill.

Follow up:

Setup a spot in your home for doing homework. Make the area pleasant, well-lighted, and with few distractions. This spot is not for punishment. It is for learning. Be sure the child distinguishes between the two modems. Have a supply box of extra pencils, pens, paper, rulers, calculator and other requested supplies from the teacher at home as well as at school. Do make sure the supplies are in a box and that they are kept in a box. If someone else needs scissors, those scissors don’t come from the special study area box. Everything in that box belongs there is not to be moved from the area. Now if the child does not bring home everything needed for homework, it will be in the box. Ask about checking out an extra set of books for your child if he/she is extremely disorganized. Place a large calendar over the desk in the work area. Be sure there is room to write test reminders and special due dates for ease of remembrance by the child.

Purchase a notebook that has a zipper closure and is a three ring binder with two pockets. This ensures nothing is going to fall out and be lost on the way home. It also ensures that homework will make it back to school!  The two pockets will be put to good use. Label one pocket for only things that are going home to the parents and will be returned by the parents to the school. Use a Sharpie for labels as the label will not wash away. The remaining pocket will be for papers that the child did not have time to organize while at school. These papers may be organized during the study time at home and placed in the proper areas.

The child with dyslexia responds so well to color coding. Take time to color code everything!  Cut up and punch large colored folder covers or make them from colored poster paper for subject dividers – blue for reading, yellow for math, etc. This allows the child to flip to the area needed instead of hunting through all of the papers in his notebook. Color code everything. Make sub titles for homework, tests, and class notes. If possible, color code the textbooks themselves.

These simple activities will help both the parents and the student be better organized and stress will be lessened. This is a process that will take some effort on the part of the parents and child, but the process will lead to a more harmonious and successful school year.