Tips and help for dyslexia

 I  get asked, what works for dyslexia?  What tips for dyslexia and help for dyslexia. I have listed some on my website. but here is a short list. hope that helps
http://www.dyslexiamylife.org/help.html

1. Give hope.
2. To understand them, watch: "HOW DIFFICULT CAN THIS BE? A F.A.T. City Workshop". For kids with learning disabilities, the classroom can be an intimidating place. In this videotaped workshop, Richard Lavoie shows why. He leads a group of parents, educators, psychologists and children through a series of exercises that cause frustration... feelings all too familiar to LD children. Check your local library or call PBS Video at 1-800-424-7963.
3. Read/listen to the book Dyslexia My Life. ISBN: 096430871-1
4. Use alternatives to books: software that reads text on a PC or MAC, closed captioned television, textbooks and other books on tape, books on audio cassette. To find out more, call 1-800-424-8567.
5. Use a shape based system. When programming computers to read, phonics is used instead of memorization. In my experience many kids learn through the process of memorization and not phonics.
6. Develop a visual clue to remember something. To help with left-right disorientation, here's a simple trick: When you hold your hands up in front of you, as you view your thumb and index finger on your LEFT hand, you see the letter "L". Words and symbols are often visually confusing to people with dyslexia. Having fun with those words and symbols helps. Some examples: "their" and "there" --"Their" has an "i" in it, and "I am part of 'their' party"; "where" and "were"--"Where" has an "h" in it as in "My house is here"; math signs <, > is an open mouth. The <2. Many persons with learning disabilities tend to be graphical and 3 dimensional in their thinking versus learning by text or 2 dimensional. They must see a picture in their mind in order to learn. For example, if a child needs to learn the song "Over the River and Through the Woods to Grandmother's House We Go", it may work best to have the child draw a picture of hills and woods and a house. Many times the person with dyslexia sees different letters as the same one. For example, the letters "b," "d," "p," and "q" look as though they are all the same letter. It is as though you took a picture of a car and turned the car upside down. The car is still the same car. To help a person distinguish between letters use pictures with the actual letter. For instance, write the letter "q" and draw a queen's crown across the top. The child will associate the queen's crown with the letter "q."
7. Explain/understand that dyslexics think differently, and this is a positive thing. From Don Krueyer, an artist with dyslexia, here are some labels you might want to use:
----------------------LD- Leering Demonically
----------------------ED- Exceptionally Distracted
----------------------SE- Specific Education
----------------------BD- Behavior Disorders or Bountiful Distracters
8. Let them do what ever they do best -- running, skating, etc. Give them time each day to do this. Many people with dyslexia are non-verbal thinkers. Using objects such as clay, LEGGOS, or sand to "build" new words allows the individual to utilize his/her creative outlet and accomplish an otherwise frustrating task. They will develop mental pictures, concepts or ideas using the "hands-on" materials.
9. Have them repeat instructions and give all instructions on paper as a checklist. Many children with LD are easily distracted or may have trouble following instructions. It may be helpful to everyone if you ask the child to repeat instructions or directions back to you before he/she begins the task or goes to a particular place.
10. Use colors to organize things as much as possible. Color code notebooks to match textbooks and folders. Put three lines of spaces between test questions.
11. Join a support group -- local if possible.
12. Dyslexics and many people with LD benefit from a reading program that develops auditory processing, the ability to distinguish sounds in a syllable. Look into enrolling in a program that develops this phonemic awareness.