Accommodations and modifications for students with dyslexia

For most kids of school age, recognizing letters and learning to pronounce them comes as easy as possible. However, for children living with Dyslexia, it is typically an uphill task to achieve. Dyslexia is a reading disorder that impedes a child’s early academic development by significantly decreasing the ability to process graphic symbols, especially where it concerns language. Such children may struggle with language development before school age and experience difficulties learning to spell when they eventually enroll in school. Some symptoms commonly exhibited by dyslexic children include reversed letter and word sequences, weak literacy skills, and poor handwriting.

In all these, the good news for parents and educators with dyslexic children in their care is that with early diagnosis and suitable accommodations, they can learn to read like the other children.

Here are some of the accommodations you can adopt to make the learning process easier for dyslexic children:

Classroom Accommodations

Students with Dyslexia need all the help they can get to lead an everyday academic life. In the classroom, the educator can consider providing the following accommodations:

• Working in a quiet environment helps dyslexic children increase their focus. It is very important to their learning process.
• Give the learner easy access to high-grade literature in their field of interest.
• Allow for homework assistance and in-school tutoring.
• Source for and let them play word and vocabulary games. It boosts their recognition and recollection skills. 
• Give them extra time on tests.
• Provide visual clues where it is possible to do so.
• Assign reading buddies.
• Worksheets and handouts for dyslexic children should be in large print text.
• You can improve their phonemic awareness by using methodologies outside the book. 
• Teach dyslexic children about self-advocacy.
• Lessons should be delivered using a multi-sensory approach to make it easier for the dyslexic child to assimilate.
• Colored stripes and bookmarks are significant as well.
• Give dyslexic children the opportunity to read the same content more than once for proper understanding and assimilation.
• High and low-tech assistive devices can aid dyslexic children in reading and writing.
• Give the learner ample time for reading and writing.
• Give the reader access to a glossary of terms related to the studied topic.
• The learner can use advanced organizers to help them tag along during lessons. 
• Use audio and visual support to complement written materials. It will help the dyslexic child to understand better and quicker.
• New concepts and words can be pre-taught to allow the learner to familiarize themselves with the topic.
• Provide the learner with an outline of the lesson or a typed note. Doing this will help them take notes as the lesson progresses.
• Always read written instructions out loud.
• Provide step-by-step directions for the learner to follow.
• Simplified keywords should support essential ideas.
• Highlights keywords in each session on worksheets. The learner can read this first before the class. 
• Check in with the learner often to make sure they understand what’s being taught.
• Provide the learner with a rubric that explains what a successful assignment should look like. 
• Provide examples of what an accurately completed assignment would look like.
• Break tests and assignments into smaller sections.
• The teacher should introduce worksheet problems from the simplest to the most difficult.
• Content that needs to be mastered should form a more significant chunk of the learner’s grading assessment.
• Understanding can be demonstrated in different ways, apart from written tests. 
• Provide alternative ways to answer test questions. This could mean instructing the learner to circle the correct answer instead of filling in the blanks. 
• Provide sentence starters to demonstrate how to answer a question.
• Maintain absolute quietness during tests. If this is not possible, provide a separate room. 
• Allow extended time for tests.
• Give learner guiding questions to aid reading comprehension.

At Home Accommodations

Parents can chip in with their accommodations at home to support what is being done in school. Home accommodations for dyslexic children could include:

• Provide a quiet environment to work.
• Help your child manage time effectively.
• If there are instructions, help to read them out loud. 
• Play word games with them to boost memory and vocabulary.
• Be patient and understanding.
• Teach them self-advocacy.
• Use high and low-tech assistive devices to help with reading and writing.
• Introduce tasks from the easiest to the most difficult.

How do you modify students with dyslexia?

What are some strategies used to help students with dyslexia?

What types of accommodations modifications?

What is version modified for dyslexia?