Have you ever wondered what your dyslexic child may be dealing with? Take a Dyslexia Simulation and experience what it is like to be dyslexic.
Have you ever wondered what your dyslexic child may be dealing with? Take a Dyslexia Simulation and experience what it is like to be dyslexic.

This post has been updated to include working links and a few additional resources!

Kids and adults with dyslexia are super smart and capable in many ways despite their struggles with reading, writing, and spelling. More and more is being written about the strengths of dyslexia.

However, dyslexia affects many areas other than language; areas such as processing, memory, and attention to name just a few.

To learn more about why dyslexia is such a complex diagnosis, read this article.

If you’re not dyslexic, you probably don’t realize how daily struggles with language, memory, organization, and attention impact people with dyslexia. Kids with dyslexia struggle incredibly with many aspects of traditional forms of education and therefore are often falling below the expectations of their teachers, whether they are homeschooled or not. If they are learning alongside other kids their age, comparison, leading to embarrassment, is added to the mix.

What is it Like to be Dyslexic?

Any person that teaches dyslexic students in any capacity can benefit by having a better understanding of what that student is dealing with every. single. day.

If you’ve been around Homeschooling With Dyslexia for long, you know that 7 of our 8 kids have dyslexia. I, however, am not dyslexic which makes for an interesting homeschool, for sure!  It wasn’t until I completed my Orton-Gillingham Dyslexia Training that I experienced a tiny bit of the agony that a dyslexic person feels when reading.  I experienced what it was like to be dyslexic by participating in the following simulations.

Note:  If you don’t have time to watch these simulations now, please bookmark this post. Experiencing, even to a small degree, what it is like to be dyslexic is so important!

Simulation 1 – Read like a dyslexic

The first simulation is from the PBS website and simulates what it is like for a dyslexic to read.  Click {here} to try the reading simulation.

How did that make you feel?  Could you feel the frustration of figuring out the words?  How was your reading comprehension?  I know for me that I was trying so hard to decode the words, that I couldn’t remember what I had just read.  Sound familiar?  How eager were you to read after this experience?  I know that I, an avid reader, didn’t feel it was worth the effort to read the passage.  If you thought that was eye-opening, try this next simulation.

Simulation 2 – Write like a dyslexic

This short video is an excerpt from the Dyslexia Training Institute’s Dyslexia for a Day Simulation.

Writing for dyslexic students can be difficult.  Try writing quickly with your opposite hand.  I found the comments of the people participating in the simulation very telling.  This simulation illustrates how important accommodations are in helping a dyslexic student to achieve success.

Simulation 3: Processing, Visual Perception, Comprehension and More

The following video from The F.A.T. City Workshop is older but is still used in dyslexia training programs because it is such a powerful example of what it is like to be dyslexic in the classroom.

The following time stamps can help you navigate the video:

Experiencing Frustration, Anxiety, and Tension @3:44

Processing @8:32

Risk Taking @13:48

Visual Perception @16:20

Reading Comprehension @23:10

Effects of Perception on Behavior @27:20

Visual Motor Coordination @31:42

Oral Expression @34:36

Reading and Decoding @45:06

Fairness @55:50Show less

Understanding Leads to Compassion

Hopefully, you have a better understanding of what it is like to be dyslexic now.  Understanding leads to compassion and our dyslexic students need that.

Dyslexics learn differently.  We as parents and teachers need to educate ourselves about how dyslexics learn and how to motivate these bright, creative kids to push past their daily difficulties and access their substantial higher-order thinking skills.

Take some time to think about what you have experienced here today by participating in the dyslexia simulations.  Talk about them with your dyslexic students.  I know that when I shared the utter frustration I experienced during these simulations with my dyslexic kids, there were some tears at our newfound understanding.

The Importance of Parent Education

This site exists to educate and encourage families with dyslexia.  Dyslexia does not need to be a disability if the teacher understands how dyslexics learn and the right teaching methods are used.  For a more in-depth understanding of teaching kids with dyslexia, consider taking one of my parent dyslexia courses.

parent dyslexia courses