Dyslexia - Intervention and Tips

5 years old

Intervene early in a pre-school and check if your child has tendency toward dyslexia.

Teach organization, coordination, sequencing, auditory comprehension, eye trucking, spelling and reading.

A balance board

Provide everyday few minute warm up brain exercises to motivate and build confidence for the day. These are some exorcises along with sentences to repeat:

• “This is the way we train our brain.” Move knee to elbow, right to left and L to R and more.
• “Hocus pocus so I can listen and focus.” Spin with a spell. Turn around left then right and clockwise.
• “We keep an eye on the ball cause cool is cool.” Keep eyes on a tennis ball.
• “We rock and roll to stay in control.” Move on a balance board. You can perches one for as low as $17 http://www.pacificpediatricsupply.com/product/SK5053.html .
• “I feel great now I can concentrate.” Twist your hands and legs and then switch sides.
• Check “Brain Breakfast” for the ideas  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoU82nqq35w

Support auditory comprehension:

• Modulate your speech and reading to a normal tone and moderate pace.
• Have your child rephrase your directions in his own words. That helps you ensure he understands what he needs to do.
• Keep your oral directions simple. 
• When you must give a number of directives, give them in steps, one at a time. Allow the child enough time to finish the first stop before proceeding to the next.
• Encourage to ask questions whenever the child feels unsure what you mean.
• Check my old post for more information http://slpzone.blogspot.com/2012/04/how-to-help-child-to-manage-auditory.html

Support visual memory, eye tracking.

• Play: Memory Games, Find differences, What is missing?, How many are missing? Etc.
• Practice these simple exercises:

1. Ball trucking http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nRjPmhVUqM, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOcE1N0k9LI 
2. Big 8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W17IfnBFDc 

• Check good games http://www.eyecanlearn.com, http://www.playkidsgames.com/games/shutterballMemory/shutterballMemory.html

Strengthen fine motor control needed for hand writing.

• Balance marble balls on a balancing board http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Bhf_xrwQU4

Help with school organization.

• Create all-in-one binder with transparent, labeled folders and pencil holder.
• See a suggestion http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvGruYGcCik

When working on reading fluency:

• Make practice reading fun. Check my post for some ideas. http://slpzone.blogspot.com/2012/07/early-reader.html
• Work on Sight Words with picture on one and word on the other side. Check my post for the sight word list. http://slpzone.blogspot.com/2012/06/sight-words.html
• Use leveled reader books. Check my post for on line shot stories and books. http://slpzone.blogspot.com/2012/07/read-short-stories.html
• Work on new word pictographs (check links below for ideas).
• Read together and provide modeling.
• Listen to audiobooks.

Provide reinforcement with LEFT and RIGHT

• Show big L with a pointer and thumb on your left hand.
• Associate side with something the child knows, e.g. You write with your right hand. You have a birth mark on your right leg. Etc.

Use visual cues to help recognize the words when teaching spelling.

• Check dyslexiamom.com or www.dyslexiaroad.com Jennifer’s creative pictographs (a mom of a dyslexic child).
• Watch Jennifer’s presentation on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CpZAH6elIc 
• If you are running out of time or ideas check a web to perches some pictographs. http://www.picturemereading.com/  

Check my other post for signs of dyslexia

http://slpzone.blogspot.com/2014/01/signs-of-dyslexia-and-first-steps.html Learn more about academically proved teaching methods by http://www.learningtechnics.com/ 

Hooray! Hooray! You got it right!