How to Homeschool a Child with Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a neurological problem. Kids may have trouble recognizing words when they read, spelling words, remembering what they've read and decoding letters. Once you've identified your child as dyslexic, you don't have to give up your homeschool routine, but you do have to educate yourself about how to accommodate your child.

Instructions

1. Find an educational psychologist who can test for learning disabilities, including dyslexia. She can do a complete evaluation and give you a report outlining your child's reading and writing abilities. Ask her for educational recommendations.

2. Visit the International Dyslexia Association website for information about dyslexia and resources where you can get help. Check out their discussion forum for parents and educators. The Yahoo! group LearningAbledKids can also provide some support.

3. Find a copy of "The Human Side of Dyslexia" by Shirley Kurnoff. It features interviews with dyslexics of all ages telling how they coped with the disability. It covers kindergarten to college and might give you some ideas about coping with your own child.

4. Check out the LearningAbledKids website for suggestions on inexpensive reading programs you can use when you homeschool your child (see Resources below). Use a reading program based on the Orton-Gillingham method. It was developed specifically for kids with learning disabilities.

Tips & Warnings

• Some reading programs emphasize decoding (reading) or encoding (spelling) techniques. Maximize your child's learning by using both simultaneously.