Classrooms should adapt for dyslexics

Classrooms should adapt to self-esteem issues associated with dyslexia, it has been claimed.

Barry Whiting, chairman of the Norfolk and Norwich Dyslexia Association, said that teachers should recognise that spelling is no longer considered the main issue associated with dyslexia. The concern should be a focus to improve self-esteem of many dyslexic children.

Whiting said: “The saying goes, ‘At eight, spelling was murder but at 18, it was suicide’. That couldn’t be more right.”

Adult Dyslexia Training, a course that aims to raise awareness of dyslexia symptoms, has recently been aimed at teachers. It is thought that undiagnosed dyslexia will reduce self-esteem further.

Whiting added that every child should be treated on a separate basis. He said: “Teachers need to realise that dyslexia cannot be treated in just one way. There are different levels of the discibility and every child will progress at a different speed.”

Perceptual skills company, Visual Learning For Life, have devised a new online database that aims to treat each child in their own way. The internet database is claimed to be quick to identify each child’s specific area of difficulty.

Melanie Lambert, Visual Learning For Life director, said: “The website aims to provide stimulation at all levels in a variety of classrooms.”

Dyslexia affects 10 per cent of the population.