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Learning something new is time-consuming. But when it comes to your child's life, you must dive all in, especially when you're new to the terminology that comes along with dyslexia. If your child has just been diagnosed, you're likely encountering many new terms like "auditory processing," "phonemic awareness," and "LD learners." These terms can be overwhelming if you're unfamiliar with this educational landscape.

Beginning the Journey

• Tutoring and IEPs: It can be frustrating not to see results despite paying for tutoring or securing the Individualized Education Program (IEP) you wanted.

• Family Connections: Often, dyslexia runs in families, and many parents might not be the strongest readers or spellers themselves. This can add another layer of complexity and an opportunity for shared learning.

Essential First Steps: Phonemic Awareness

One of the most crucial steps is ensuring that both you and your child understand the letter sounds:

• Focus on Sounds: Start by learning all the correct sounds a letter can make. For instance, the letter "y" has multiple sounds. This foundational skill is more critical than simply reciting the ABCs.  You will still want to find a reading program. This is not a sponsored post. But I did All About Reading to help my child go from reading at a 1st level to a 4th grade level in less than 8 months. It is an excellent program if you don't know where to begin teaching reading, are dyslexic yourself, or have little money to spend on a tutor.  It will get you going.

• Educational Resources: In hindsight, using tools like flashcards to learn sight words was not helpful.  Teachers were telling me to use flash cards, but my child did not know the letter sounds. If this is where you are in your child's journey, consider educational apps that reinforce letter sounds first. I am not a teacher or tutor, but the sound that letter makes should be where you start. This is what we should be teaching parents before they leave the hospital.    

Recommended Resources

• Apps for Letter Sounds: A sound app like "All About Reading" can be beneficial. While it's a paid resource, it offers interactive features, such as pressing on letter squares to hear all the sounds a letter can make. This can be a significant advantage in your child's dyslexic education journey.  A poster hung up in your house where you eat, with all the letters, digraphs, and vowels, is excellent, so kids can start seeing the bigger picture of all the sounds, how they work together to make many more sounds. Let your child know there are still many sounds and rules to learn. This way, they know they still have more to learn, and tutoring is not just a continuous line that never ends. They see the reading road they are on and where it is going.  Knowing where you are going when doing something so hard can be just what the whole family needs to keep going. It can be engaging for dyslexic kids, as we dyslexic want to know the entire picture first.  Mapping out the process, I think, is a great idea, and you can do it in age-appropriate ways.

• Free Alternatives: The App Store offers free apps that can provide similar benefits. Find one that works for you and your child.

By focusing on understanding letter sounds and utilizing the right tools, you're setting a strong foundational base that supports your child's phonemic awareness. Remember, every step forward is progress; with these resources, you're already ahead in helping your child, and you become better readers. You're in the age of the science of reading revolution (well, it has been here for a long time, some people choose to ignore it), and so many great teachers and tutors are sharing tips for learning letter sounds on Instagram. Type in letter sounds in the search bar, and you will find a favorite to follow.

I will be diving into The Word Wasp this summer with my kids. I found it by following The Literacy View. They have a podcast, Instagram, and website. If I were starting on a new dyslexic diagnosis or struggling to get a child to read in public, private, or homeschool, I would fact-check all my information on everything, reading through these ladies!

If you need further assistance or resources, don't hesitate to contact me. I would love to point you in the right direction to get you the help you need to help your child. Stay tuned for more tips and insights in our upcoming newsletters. If you have a question about dyslexia or schools, no question is too small.  

Take care and stay tuned for more insights next week.

Best,

Dyslexic Upgrade