Make This Year’s Back-To-School A Success!
August and September mark the beginning of the back-to-school season for many families. For students with dyslexia or other learning disabilities, a successful start to the school year can depend on how prepared they are to meet the challenges of navigating a new year with new teachers and new classes. Here are some tips from the literacy/dyslexia experts at the Multisensory Reading Center:
Set Up a School Schedule and Routine
Routines and schedules help build consistency and confidence in daily tasks. Heather Doolittle, Structured Literacy/Dyslexia Specialist (C-SLDS), emphasizes the importance of maintaining a healthy sleep schedule and recommends transitioning from a summer sleep schedule to a school schedule a few weeks before the start of school. Karen Bruton, Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT), recommends having a designated place to do homework that is quiet, organized, and equipped with all the necessary supplies.
Homework Strategies
Completing homework can be a cause of stress for students with dyslexia. To minimize the stress, Sherri Turnquist, CALT, C-SLDS, gives the following tips:
- Break big tasks into small steps.
- Use a checklist for multistep assignments.
- Work for 15-20 minutes at a time, and then take a brief break.
Karen Bruton, CALT, also recommends following established homework guidelines. Total homework time should be 10 min. for every grade level. That means that if your child is in 3rd grade, their total time spent on homework should be approximately 30 minutes. If it takes longer, note the place where they go in the allotted timeframe and check in with their teacher to come up with a game plan. Also, it’s essential to note any accommodations you provide for your child while helping them with homework, such as reading aloud math problems or scribing answers for them.
Teach Your Child to Self-Advocate
Since we typically can’t be with our children during their school day unless you are a homeschool family, it is essential to help build their confidence in self-advocacy. A short video on self-advocacy can be viewed by clicking here.
Sherri Turnquist, CALT, C-SLDS, suggests teaching them phrases to say, such as:
“Can you explain that another way?”
“Could I get the notes from today’s class?”
“Can I have a little more time on that?”
Heather Doolittle, C-SLDS, and Karen Bruton, CALT, also recommend sharing a brief presentation about your child’s strengths and weaknesses at the beginning of the school year. Click here for a sample presentation!
Remind Your Child That They Learn Differently – NOT Less!
As Sherri Turnquist, CALT, states, children with dyslexia learn “differently – NOT less!” To make this Back-To-Season a success, help your child see their strengths and celebrate the small wins each week. Remember – growth takes time!
If you’d like help making this a successful school year, reach out for a free consultation!