Start Here | Homeschooling with Dyslexia

Your ‘Quick Start’ Guide to The Site

When we discovered that our oldest child had dyslexia some 18 years ago, we were at a loss as to what our next steps were. That is why this site was created. I don’t want other parents to have to go through the same frustrations or the waste of time and money that our family experienced all those years ago. To learn more about Marianne and her family’s journey with dyslexia, visit our About Page.

Could it be Dyslexia?

If your child has 3 or more of the following signs of dyslexia, and a close relative with dyslexia, your child could be dyslexic.

Signs of Dyslexia in Young Children

Trouble with concepts of time.
Unable to follow 2 or 3-step directions.
Learn to talk later than other children their age
Difficulty learning the names of shapes and colors
Difficulty learning letter names and sounds
Reversal of syllables and phonemes (letter sounds) within a word.
Unable to recognize or produce rhymes.
Early stuttering
Cannot sequence rote memory concepts such as days of the week, months of the year, alphabet, and numbers.
Trouble recognizing letters in words or even their names.
Delays with fine motor skills like tying shoes, coloring and writing

Dyslexia in preschoolers is hard to diagnose because many of its symptoms are developmentally common for all preschoolers. The more symptoms that are present, and the longer they persist, the more likely it is that your child may need some help. Dyslexia is marked by a combination of signs and a lack of progress over time.

Signs of Dyslexia In Elementary School

does not enjoy reading but likes being read to
slow, inaccurate reading
uses context clues rather than sounding words out
skips or misreads little words (at, to, of)
poor spelling – very phonetic
trouble telling time on a clock with hands
difficulty expressing self
inattentiveness, distractibility
slow and messy handwriting – also called dysgraphia
letter and number reversals after first grade
trouble memorizing math facts
hesitant speech; difficulty finding the right words to express self
extremely messy bedroom, backpack or desk
dreads going to school

Signs of Dyslexia In Adolescence and Adulthood

All of the above signs plus:

difficulty processing auditory information
losing possessions; poor organizational skills – also referred to as executive function
slow reading; low comprehension
difficulty remembering the names of people and places
difficulty organizing ideas to write a paper
difficulty reading music
unable to master a foreign language
inability to recall numbers in proper sequence
lowered self-esteem due to past frustrations and failure
may drop out of high school

Myths About Dyslexia

Dyslexia doesn’t exist. Dyslexia is one of the most researched and documented conditions that impacts children. Dyslexia is genetically based and has been shown to be clearly related to neurophysiological differences in brain function.

Learning disabilities are correlated with IQ. Dyslexia is not related to intelligence. In fact, one of the clear signs that a child may have dyslexia is that there is a discrepancy between their intelligence (average to above-average) and their processing speeds and academic performance.

Children will outgrow dyslexia. Research shows that if a child is struggling with reading, writing, and spelling in mid-first grade, there is a 90% chance that the child will still be struggling in 8th grade and into adulthood. With early intervention, kids with dyslexia can avoid the embarrassment of falling behind their peers. They also learn and progress much more quickly in the younger years. Don’t worry though – it is never too late to learn to read!

Dyslexia is caused by bad diet, bad parenting or watching too much TV. Dyslexia is genetically based. Although bad diet, bad parenting and watching too much TV aren’t good for any child and certainly won’t help the situation.

Dyslexia can be helped with medication. There is no medication to help with dyslexia. As many as 40% of kids with dyslexia also have Attention Deficit Disorder {ADD}. There are some medications for ADD, but they won’t help with reading, writing and spelling – only attention issues.

Dyslexia is a visual problem. Most kids reverse letters or numbers while they are learning. Continued reversals after 2 years of instruction is considered a sign of dyslexia. This, however, is not a vision issue. Dyslexia is a language processing disorder. The confusion lies within the brain and how it processes written material.

Dyslexia affects more boys than girls. More boys are sent in for dyslexia testing than girls, but research shows that an equal amount of boys and girls are affected by dyslexia. Becasue boys tend to act out their frustrations of not doing well in class, they are noticed and sent in for testing. Girls who aren’t doing well in class tend to be more quiet and try to avoid being noticed. Sometimes they are only diagnosed in highschool or college.

Dyslexics are lazy and need to work harder. Research has shown by the use of functional MRIs and brain mapping that slower readers use different parts of their brains when reading and working with language. The findings provide evidence that people with dyslexia are not poorly taught, lazy, or stupid but have an inborn difference in brain function that has nothing to do with intelligence.

Accommodations for kids with dyslexia are a crutch. Dyslexics are just as intelligent as their peers but because of slower processing speeds, may need more time on tests to be able to reflect what they really know. The difficulties in taking notes are so profound that students will often miss the entire meaning of a lecture just trying to copy down the pertinent words.

Dyslexia is untreatable. There are successful treatments for dyslexia. It is not a disease that can be treated with a pill. It is a way of thinking, the way the brain is wired and how it processes information. Research has shown that the brain can actually be rewired if the individual is taught with systematic, explicit, sequential phonics taught in a multi-sensory way.

Getting Started Homeschooling Kids With Dyslexia

If you are just getting started with homeschooling or still trying to decide if homeschooling is the right choice for your family, you will want to head over here to How to Get Started Homeschooling With Dyslexia. Here you can download our free 50-page ebook and learn about all of your educational options, legal issues, how to find support and curriculum, and what to expect if you choose to homeschool.

Learning About Dyslexia

Although dyslexic learners struggle with reading writing and spelling, they have many other unique and meaningful talents. As many as 40% of entrepreneurs are dyslexic! As you begin your homeschool journey, read How Dyslexics Learn, to begin to understand the basics of how your child learns best.

Parent Education Classes

If you have a child with dyslexia, getting educated about what that means is one of the most important things you can do. This allows you to teach your kids in the ways in which they learn best and also to teach them what dyslexia is – both the weaknesses and strengths. Our parent dyslexia classes were designed to get parents educated quickly and are a combination of current research (dyslexia is one of the most heavily researched learning ‘disabilities’) and my own personal experience teaching our 7 kids with dyslexia for the past 20 years.

Resources

Honestly, there are a lot of programs, ideologies and treatments available out there. Fortunately, there has been more and more research done in the area of dyslexia that can provide us with the information we need to make intelligent, educated choices for our families.

Our Resources page includes links to the best books, websites, apps, assistive technology and curriculum for people with dyslexia and ADD/ADHD.

Are Parents Really Qualified?

You may be desiring to teach your children at home but wonder if you are truly capable. I totally get it. Homeschooling is a big responsibility and homeschooling a dyslexic child can be difficult.

Even the International Dyslexia Association had this to say about students with dyslexia:

Dyslexic students need direct, systematic and individual instruction in reading and spelling and traditional schools do not always provide adequate levels of service. – International Dyslexia Association

If this is a concern to you, read this post that answers the question, Are Parents Really Qualified to Homeschool Their Dyslexic Kids?

Get Connected

There is nothing quite as encouraging as having another parent with whom to share your concerns and questions. We have quite an active Facebook community where I frequently post articles of interest and encouragement. It is a great place to connect with a group of people who are experiencing many of the same things that you are experiencing. I also have a growing Pinterest Page with a wide variety of teaching tips for all subjects.

Blog

As I research the latest information about dyslexia I share the latest research and what is working (and not working) in our home on the Homeschooling With Dyslexia Blog. Visit the blog for Teaching Tips, Curriculum Reviews, and Encouragement from Preschool thru High School and beyond.

For your convenience, you can also sign up to receive all blog updates via email below.

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My Books

Dyslexia 101: Truths, Myths and What Really Works is meant to be a Parent’s Quick Start Guide to understanding dyslexia. Visit the Dyslexia 101 book page for more info and purchase options.

What is Dyslexia: A Parent’s Guide to Teaching Kids About Dyslexia was written to help parents teach their kids the facts about dyslexia including the little-known strengths of dyslexia. Visit the What is Dyslexia? book page for more information and purchase options.