Dyslexia is often seen as a stumbling block in the path of learning and education, but for many it can be a unique source of strength, creativity and innovation. It certainly has been for me.
This is part of my story – a journey of transforming life’s lemons into “melonade” – and how I now use my experiences to support and inspire the students I teach.
Diagnosed with dyslexia in primary school, my early education was a mix of confusion and revelation. Born in 1994, my schooling coincided with the surge in research around specific learning difficulties, particularly dyslexia, which occurred between 1997 and 2005.
This period shaped my educational experiences, making me acutely aware of the need for tailored teaching approaches.
Reflecting on my journey, I often recall the quote: “Children know how to learn in more ways than we know how to teach them.” (Edmonds, 1991)
This idea emphasises the individuality of each learner and suggests that educators can learn a huge amount from their students about how the learn best.
My experiences have significantly enhanced my teaching methods and have helped me to understand more about myself along the way.
Dyslexia: Differences and commonalities
There are challenges related to dyslexia that are experienced uniquely by the individual. However, other aspects are well-documented and appear more generically. Research (e.g. Riddick, 1996) has underscored how psychological distress caused by dyslexia can decrease academic confidence.
Performance anxiety, stemming from continual perceived failure, can be particularly debilitating in competitive and socially expectant environments (Collinson, 2012). I remember the dread of examinations growing worse as I moved through secondary education, fuelled by a self-perception of failure. It was only through receiving exam coaching that I learnt the skills needed to pass my GCSEs and A levels.
Why did I have such a perception? Well, I’d been at a primary school where, although there were many wonderful teachers, my differences led to bullying.
I have, to this day, a strong recollection of one particular teacher who informed me that I would never finish secondary school. I remember too that when I later did extremely well in my SATs, this same teacher could not believe my mathematical understanding was that good.
Second and less obviously, but also more pervasive, was the view society holds of “normal” or typical development and learning. This links to “lexism” – a term used to define discrimination against dyslexic people (Collinson, 2017).
This resonates with my own self-identification and is a reminder of the importance of understanding and empathy in teaching.
Researching this in more depth during my time at university led me to internalise how we all need to be able to look at ourselves and our students with honesty and acceptance, recognising that we do not all learn in the same way or at the same pace – but that we can all learn, nonetheless.
Perception colours the way we each see the world and our truth is never the whole truth because we cannot see and know everything. However, with a culture of inclusion we can all succeed. We just need the right strategies for us.
My strategies for success
While the understanding of dyslexia evolves, strategies for overcoming these difficulties have been researched and their merits debated for nearly a century.
Effective methods can involve multisensory stimuli – tactile, visual, and phonemic. This approach has been considered successful since Gillingham and Stillman’s work in 1956, based on Orton's earlier research (Orton, 1937).
Brooks and Weeks (1998) meanwhile identified different cognitive profiles among dyslexic students, those with developmental delays, and those without difficulties, advocating for teaching to individual strengths to enhance learning efficiency.
Brooks (1995) also found that matching strategies to students' cognitive profiles is just as valuable as structured teaching. This aligns with my own experience, both as a student and a teacher, where teaching to strengths and trial and error have yield results.
One of the most important lessons I have learned is that learning should be fun and engaging. As a child, memory games helped me transfer concepts to long-term memory, especially when they were mentally stimulating and enjoyable.
My parents used “Kim’s Game” as a party game, not as practice or work. For those who do not know, Kim’s Game involves placing 10 objects on a tray, asking the child to look at them for 30 seconds, and then taking the tray away and asking them to recall as many as they can.
This approach helped me to overcome my reluctance to practise. As a teacher, I have found that strategies targeted at the needs of one child are especially effective if presented as games and challenges engaging for all students.
Other games such as “Pairs” and “Snap” are still used in schools today as they were when I was a child.
My top six strategies
I would like to conclude this article with six strategies that will help you to support your dyslexic students more effectively.
Assistive technology: Tools like Dragon-dictate software and audiobooks provide significant support. These technologies enabled me to get my ideas onto paper quickly and to listen to information as well as following the written words. They can be used for students to learn through listening and speaking, reducing the reliance on reading and writing skills.
Games and puzzles: Use games to teach spelling, reading, and maths. It does not matter which game is used for which specific skill, as they are so versatile, but memory games, word searches, and puzzles made learning enjoyable for me and this was more effective in helping me to develop general and specialist knowledge. Games are also universal and rely on following unspoken rules, verbal elements, and applying information in different ways. Therefore, they are engaging and can stimulate new learning, as well as knowledge retention. I now believe that gamification, which is presenting learning as challenges, puzzles or games, is applicable at every age and stage of education.
Chunking information: By breaking down information into smaller, manageable chunks, I was able to make sense of the meaning in the questions I was asked to answer, so I could identify the correct information to supply, as well as storing knowledge in smaller chunks which were more easily recalled from my long-term memory. As a strategy, this can help students to process and retain information without feeling overwhelmed. It also makes information easier to apply in different ways or contexts, which at GCSE is essential when translating mathematical skills into physics or other applied contexts, for example.
Regular breaks: Allowing for short, frequent breaks during study sessions is useful in preventing fatigue and maintaining concentration. The tricky part is knowing when to implement the breaks so that they support the natural flow of students’ concentration.
Multisensory learning: Incorporating visual, auditory, and tactile elements into lessons allowed me to learn experientially and did not require the same level of sustained mental focus to process. In my own teaching practice, I have found that using sand trays for letter formation, reading aloud, and incorporating movement into learning activities and into the regular breaks calms and allows the neural pathways for learning to be strengthened.
Positive reinforcement: Celebrating achievements, no matter how small, has become an intrinsic part of my learning and progression, especially when I have a tendency towards setting big overarching goals spanning multiple years of work. Positive reinforcement also builds confidence and motivation which leads to better learning progression. I think we would all tend to agree that the more we like a topic or learning the more engaged we become and the better our progress.
Reflective practice and continuous learning
Every child is unique, and this uniqueness should be encouraged. Displaying work from dyslexic students and recognising their efforts also fosters self-esteem and motivation. My experiences have imbued me with empathy and a drive to help the next generation of children understand and believe in themselves.
As Shakespeare’s Hamlet says: “There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.”
Through observation, teachers can gain insights into students' unique needs and learning styles, better guiding their education. My research and reflective practice have made me a resilient and flexible educator. I have focused on making “melonade” rather than giving up because I couldn’t make lemonade.
Understanding of dyslexia today is greater among both educators and the general public, meaning children today should experience less confusion and isolation than I did.
Early identification of dyslexic needs, building self-esteem, and using appropriate engagement strategies are all crucial elements in helping students to turn their challenges into strengths.
By building on my strengths and continuously refining my methods, I aim to create an inclusive, supportive learning environment where all students, including myself as I continue to learn, can thrive. This perspective underscores the importance of understanding and embracing the diverse ways children learn, ultimately enriching the educational experience for both teachers and students.
My journey is a testament to the power of resilience and adaptability, demonstrating that with the right support and mindset, challenges can be transformed into opportunities for growth and success.
- Katherine Brown is a SENCO and teacher, coach and mentor.
Further information & resources
- Brooks: The effectiveness of various teaching strategies in teaching spelling to a student with severe learning difficulties, Educational and Child Psychology (12,1), 1995.
- Brooks & Weeks: A comparison of the responses of dyslexic, slow learning and control children to different strategies for teaching spellings, Dyslexia (4,1), 1998.
- Collinson: Dyslexics in time machines and alternate realities: Thought experiments on the existence of dyslexics, Dyslexia and Lexism, British Journal of Special Education (39,2), 2012.
- Collinson: Lexism: Beyond the social model of dyslexia, 2017: https://buff.ly/4dEdJpI
- Edmonds: Effective schools for children at risk (video), Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1991.
- Gillingham & Stillman: Remedial Training for Children with Specific Disability in Reading, Spelling and Penmanship, Educators Publishing Service, 1956.
- Orton: Reading, Writing and Speech Problems in Children, Norton, 1937.
- Riddick: Living with Dyslexia, Routledge, 1996.