Dyslexia - Advocate for your child's technology use

     As a Mom of a 2nd grader with dyslexia, we are just at the beginning stages of what is going to be his ability for the rest of his life.  I say ability because while reading and writing are hard for my son, his creativity, math skills, and love for science is above others in his grade.  I just got an email from his teacher the other day saying she couldn't slow him down from working on math.  She was trying to keep him in pace with his classmates but his brain was 10 steps ahead.  I don't know what our struggles will continue to look like with his reading, spelling, and writing as he continues to develop. But one thing I know for sure is that I will advocate for his use of technology to assist him in his learning.  I found the following article about three technology have to's for students with dyslexia that I wanted to share.

https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/3-technology-must-dos-for-dyslexia-at-school/

     At the start of this article, it quotes, "My teachers won't let me take a photo of the Whiteboard..."  My first reaction was that I had gone to a conference about two months ago and I took at least 20 pictures of the slides that were presented so I didn't have to copy so much down, and I don't have dyslexia.  This is such a simple tool for someone who has trouble writing.  Is there something to be said of writing and the ability to remember what you wrote better?  Yes I'm sure there is.  But students with dyslexia won't have that same ability to remember what they wrote because they would be so focused on making sure they wrote the letters correctly so that when they go to study that information later, it will make sense.  Their brain won't be focusing on what they are actually writing.  So what is better???  This is just one simple way parents of children with dyslexia have to be ready to stand up for what is best for their child.  And technology has immeasurable assistance in these types of tasks!

     Part of the problem here is just lack of understanding and training of dyslexia for teachers.  When you approach your child's teacher, there is no need to be confrontational.  Rather, be prepared to share your research about the use of technology and how it can benefit your child.  "Assistive technology is not a crutch.  Assistive technology provides access to higher level information as well as having beneficial effects on remediation itself."  


Eide, F.  (2018).  3 Technology must-do's for dyslexia at school. Dyslexic Advantage.   Retrieved on Dec. 4, 2018, from https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/3-technology-must-dos-for-dyslexia-at-school/