Going Back to School with Dyslexia

The start of term is an exciting time - it's full of new faces, new challenges, and new ways to learn. But going back to school with dyslexia, especially for those who are transitioning between schools or key stages this time around, it can be a time that feels fraught too. When you've got less confidence in your literacy skills, it can make the whole business of learning feel daunting, and that in turn can give way to some fairly large feelings of anxiety tied to the idea of going back to school. 

But it's not a case of just 'toughing it out' - we need to take back to school anxiety seriously. Too many people the world over see the inevitability of the start of the new term as an indicator that it's simply something that needs to be tackled head-on and moved through, but in reality, there are a lot of things we can do to help children and young people feel more comfortable when the new term kicks off at the end of Summer. 

Beat Anxiety with Assistive Technology 

It's one of our core mottos at Succeed With Dyslexia, but it's a good one so we'll keep on saying it - it's never too early to start thinking about assistive technology. Heading back to class is a great time to take stock of how learning felt throughout the last year and start exploring if there are areas that could be improved with the addition of assistive tech. Text-to-speech support in particular can have a hugely beneficial effect on beating reading anxiety, developing independence and even boosting vocabulary as learners use it to decode, and it's a great way of ensuring that learners feel ready to take on anything when it comes to the texts they'll encounter in the new school year. Knowing that they're headed back to class with something that can break down barriers when they open their books can provide a huge confidence boost that many learners with dyslexia will appreciate as they pack their backpack for the first day. 

It's Never Too Early to Think About Exams 

It's also a great time to start thinking about exam arrangements and accommodations. Although it might feel like exam season should be one of the last things on both your and their mind as we enter into back to school season, we've got to remember that it's never actually that far away from any learner's thoughts. Children and young people are smart and observant, and especially in the UK this year, they'll have seen news reports, articles and chatter on social media about this year's summer of exam results and how they've been negatively impacted by the pandemic. They'll be aware that learning hasn't progressed quite as it should, and especially in SEN students. Many of them will be taking in these anxieties and trying to work out where they fit in relation to themselves and their own learning. Some of them, especially older learners, will be personally aware of how pandemic learning has had an impact on their own learning progress - and all of this creates a huge climate of anxiety surrounding the end of the school year. 

Exams are stressful anyway, and for the next few years they'll be even more stressful as we recover from reading loss during the pandemic. For learners who have dyslexia and literacy differences, they probably feel daunting as they loom not too far away on the horizon - so it's even more important this year to make sure that learners are going into exams supported, with the assistance and the accommodations that they need. Chat to your educators, dyslexia specialists or SENCos about what kind of exam arrangements might be available for the learners in your life with dyslexia - it can have a huge mental health benefit as well as a learning one when it comes to the assessment period. 

Consider A Dyslexia Assessment 

We often tend to talk about dyslexia on SWD under the assumption that either you or the young people in your life already have a dyslexia diagnosis - but the start of term is a great time to consider one if you haven't sought one out already, especially if the children and young people in your life are displaying symptoms that link with how dyslexia manifests in their age group. Again, chat to educators to get their views on the matter, and pay careful attention to how children seem to read and write - but remember that sometimes dyslexia can manifest well outside of how people interact with texts, too. Look at how children play, create and speak and listen - they might provide you with more answers than just flipping through exercise books. And if you think there's a chance, however slight, that a learner might have dyslexia then it's worth getting an assessment and finding out - it could have a huge impact on how they learn as well as on their mental health, and needs exploring fully in order to make sure they have access to the support that could help them achieve their potential. 

And when they have got a diagnosis, go back to the school to talk not only about the support that might be available to them as a learner, but also for reassurance from teachers and SENCo professionals - they'll likely have seen it all before, and they'll be well-placed to help allay any fears or insecurities that might arise as a result of a dyslexia diagnosis. They'll also be most able to ensure that proper sensitivity is maintained around a learner's dyslexia whilst they're in class; for example not calling on them to read aloud in class (which thankfully happens with less and less frequency these days anyway). 

Establish Routines for Homework

Routines slip over summer. Bedtimes get later, getting up gets later, and at least a few meals a week are replaced by a bag of chips and and something carbonated and full of sugar. It's a natural part of kicking back after exams and reclaiming their space and their day-to-day freedom from revision and learning, but it does make it a little harder when the beginning of term rolls around. Swapping back to a pretty regimented routine can lead to anxiety, especially during the transitional period, and especially for younger learners. 

It's a good idea to chat to learners about establishing a period of the day that's dedicated to homework and revision instead of just letting it happen and and when it needs to happen- although it might seem like a less fun and child-led way of doing things, many learners respond well to having homework built into their day in this way, and it can make things feel less chaotic when lots of homework tasks come their way at once. It's not really about beating back to school anxiety here, it's about heading homework anxiety off at the pass with some back to school changes before it happens. It might also help them stick to this routine and feel supported if you can take time out of your day, especially for the first few months or during challenging periods, to be around to support them as they work. 

Keep Track of Screen Use  

Tech is a great thing and it's one of the primary ways that we can support neurodivergent learners and learners with literacy differences, but there are some schools of thought that indicate that certain types of the technology we rely on can have some negative effects when used in excess. This debate seems especially relevant around large-screened devices such as phones, tablets and laptops - not only have they been linked to things like poor posture and eye strain, but also mental health effects such as greater reports of anxiety and lower self-esteem. We can't really avoid using these devices in a lot of contexts like when we're working on shared materials or when we're typing out an essay, but we do have control over how much we use these screens during our leisure time. But rather than banning phones for a few hours a night, try to put together in-house family time where you come together as a family unit over non-screen activities such as board games or creative pursuits - or better still, schedule in a an hour of reading a night, supported by non-screened reading aids such as a pen-style text-to-speech scanner. 

Going back to class is a big change for learners, whether they're in nursery and kindergarten to those who are taking their end-of-school exams and leaving for tertiary study. It's an exciting time and after the past couple of years and their disruption, it's one that a lot of us are probably feeling quite thankful for - nobody likes getting up at 7am on a grey morning to make sure the learners in our house are ready to catch the right buses or do the school run, but it's still regarded by most of us as better than another two years of remote education and learners taking lessons from the lounge over Skype.

Succeeding with Dyslexia in an educational context isn't easy sometimes- it can feel like there are barriers around most corners, and it's more vital than ever before we're seeking out the right kind of support that can open up the world of reading... because it's reading that opens up the curriculum in its entirety.

Reach out, consider your options and look carefully at assessment, accommodations and what you can do at home - it's about creating a plan that works for you.