Dyslexia is a common learning difference that affects a child’s ability to read, spell, and decode words. For children in kindergarten through second grade (K-2), early intervention and the right strategies can make a world of difference. If you’re a teacher, parent, or caregiver looking to support a young dyslexic reader, here are three essential tips to help them build confidence and develop strong reading skills.
1) Have your student read words sound-by-sound.
Make sure your student reads words sound-by-sound. This means, a child should read “nap” as “nnn-aaa-p… nap.” Notice that the child reads the word 2x. First, he decodes the words sound-by-sound, elongating continuous sounds like nnn and clipping stop sounds like p-. Next, the child blends the sounds together… nap! This process will help your child master phonics units. In addition, he’ll learn that words are composed of sounds and if you add, delete or change a letter (ex. get vs. pet) then the entire word changes.
This tip also means that you should NOT have your student guess at words, memorize the text or use pictures as a crutch. Your child should sound out the words. This will give him strong decoding skills. Eventually, your student will become so fast at this process (in later grades) that he’ll develop automaticity. In reading, automaticity is the ability to decode words rapidly, effortlessly and accurately.
Your student can practice reading words sound-by-sound using decodable books or decontextualized word lists like the following:
- red
- cap
- ham
- pit
- hop
- rat
- pet
- nap
- vet
- pot
A decontextualized word list (like the above) will ensure that your student is really decoding words and not guessing based on context clues.
A decodable book, like the excerpt below, is designed to ensure that kids really decode the words as well. The book is not repetitive or guessable (like books that repeat the same sentence (Jane ran to a rose. Jane ran to a field. Jane ran to a tree.) Decodable books are designed to systematically introduce phonics sounds and to vary the sentences so the child cannot guess at the words.
For our step-by-step printable phonics books, check out our shop.
2) Use flashcards. On them, write the phonics sounds your student is working on.
Flashcards are easy to create and implement and they’re an effective activity. Flashcards will help your student learn and retain phonics sounds. Be sure to mix them up before each lesson. That way, your student doesn’t memorize the order.
As an example, let’s imagine a student, Ben, at the early kindergarten level. Ben has learned: short vowels, sh, ch, _tch, and he’s weak in letter sounds c, d, b, y. Ben would practice using the following sounds. The teacher would write each sound on a separate flashcard:
a_, e_, i_, o_, u_, sh, ch, _tch, c, d, b, y
The teacher would mix up the flashcards. The student would say each sound ONE time, elongating continuous sounds (like aaaaaaa) and clipping stop sounds (like b).
Use flashcards in every lesson. They’re a simple activity and they’re effective.
For our printable phonics books designed to help dyslexic children learn one phonics sound at a time, check out our shop.
3) Teach one phonics sound at a time.
Dyslexic children need to learn one phonics sound at a time to improve their decoding skills. Teach the new phonics sound by introducing it in a sentence. For example, to introduce /ee/ as in tree, you can write the following on the board: “The bee sat on a green tree.” Allow the student to practice the new /ee/ sound in reading and lesson activities. Once your student has reached mastery, he’s ready to learn a new phonics sound.
That sums up the 3 tips for dyslexic readers. These tips are relatively simple to implement and they’re effective.
For printable decodable books for dyslexic students, enter our shop.
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