Dyslexia - Support for Parents
Parent workshops are offered to schools, delivered by the Special Educational Needs Support Service (SENSS) team based on the Parent Activity Pack (available at a cost of £5).
In addition, staff in the Education Services and school staff are encouraged to be more supportive to parents and to act on parental concerns. SENSS have also worked with the Parent Partnership Service to deliver two conferences for parents.
A number of leaflets and other Parental Resources are available to download
Below are some of the questions most often asked by parents of dyslexic children:
Q What is specific learning difficulty (dyslexia)?
A Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty affecting a person's ability to deal with text and sometimes number as well. The British Dyslexic Association estimate that 4% of the population may be affected severely with specific learning difficulties (dyslexia), and a further 6% with mild to moderate difficulties.
Q What causes specific learning difficulty (dyslexia)?
A Dyslexia can either be 'acquired' through medical difficulties or is congenital or 'developmental.' Its cause has not been fully established but creates varying degrees of difficulty using words, and sometimes symbols.
Q What are the symptoms of specific learning difficulty (dyslexia)?
A Children will have phonological difficulties, that is, they will find it difficult to sort out sounds within words. This means that they have problems with reading, writing and spelling. They may have difficulty with text, memory and the sequencing processes of mathematics. Schools will have a more comprehensive checklist of difficulties that children may show and so consult with them if you have any concerns.
Q What should I do if I think my child is dyslexic?
A If a parent has concerns about their child's progress there is a clear procedure that will be followed. This is set out in the 2002 Code of Practice (this is a government guidance document on the identification and assessment of special educational needs) and is called a staged model of assessment. Through this staged approach a pupil will receive extra help in the classroom. Discuss this with your child's school.
Q Are boys affected more than girls?
A Three times as many boys are affected as girls.
Q Why do some people say specific learning difficulties and not dyslexia?
A The term dyslexia is both accepted and recognised in Staffordshire. The term specific learning difficulties is useful because we feel that this term better describes the complete range of difficulties that a child may be experiencing.
Q Does my child need specialist teaching?
A Not all schools can have a teacher with specialised training although Staffordshire are working towards developing expertise in all schools and has a recognised course for specialist teachers.
Happily it is not necessary to be a specialist teacher to use many of the effective teaching strategies that are mentioned in the " Achieving Dyslexia Friendly Classroom" booklet (All schools have a copy of this booklet). Help is a 3-way partnership between parents, child and school.
Q How does my child's school achieve Dyslexia Friendly Status?
A All schools in Staffordshire have had opportunities to be part of the Dyslexia Friendly Initiative. Staffordshire are working in partnership with the BDA (British Dyslexia Association) and in the first instance would need to contact their District Special Educational Needs office.
Q What can parents do to help at home?
A All of the ' partners ' (parents, school, and child) can help by working together. The strategies that will be most successful will be those that build on a child's strengths and are likely to be multi- sensory, structured and cumulative. TALK to your child's school to see what you can do to help re-enforce their learning. Many schools have Home / School link books to help keep in touch on a regular basis.
Last Modified:
12/05/2009 09:06:34
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