While dyslexia is a reading disorder, children with dyslexia are capable of learning and succeeding in their life at the same pace as their peers who do not have a reading disability.
Dyslexic children experience lots of failure in their everyday tasks and notice the other children around them can do the same task which they are finding complex. Due to this they experience a lack of self-confidence and consider themselves a “dumb” child.
To develop a positive attitude in your dyslexic child it is essential to draw attention to their inner strengths. Most dyslexic children have strengths in the areas of creativity or social connection. They show a positive social attitude as they have a high level of empathy. As a parent, it is essential to convey to your dyslexic child that although the children within the classroom may be great readers, they may lack in other fields.
Self-confidence does not come overnight and needs continuous nurturing. Make use of special treats, appreciation, good remarks, and certificates for daily tasks; rewards can be achieved for good performance in all areas not just for reading and writing tasks. Always remember to reward effort not only success. Here are some tips to promote confidence in your dyslexic child.
Identify Their Other Strengths
Your child may be a struggling reader in their class, but recognizing the efforts they make in reading skills and acknowledging their other strengths can help enhance their confidence level. Many dyslexic people have other special skills that should be recognized.
While a dyslexic child may experience trouble in reading, they may excel in a science lab, be a strong player in their sports team, or have an amazing sense of imagination and exceptional creativity. Parents and instructors can acknowledge these inner strengths and encourage dyslexic children to recognize and concentrate on their other strengths to improve confidence levels.
Provide the Best Opportunities to Shine
Some of the unique strengths of many dyslexic children are exceptional creativity, spatial awareness, reasoning skills, out-of-the-box problem solving mindset, interpersonal skills, and new perspective.
Traditional classroom assignments may not provide opportunities to showcase inner strengths. Instructors can provide engaging ways for children to show what they have learned. This may take some reflection on the instructors part, but the outcome for dyslexic learners enhances their self-confidence, recognizes their talents, and improve a positive attitude.
Learn and Read with Your Dyslexic Child
Although it can be quite challenging, practicing reading and learning skills is important to helping dyslexic children learn to read and write properly. Making reading activities a fun and engaging for the whole family, rather than a hard classroom assignment, can make a child with dyslexia willing to practice more and more.
Whether it is reading a chapter together or assisting your dyslexic child follow along with an audiobook, regularly reading together helps make reading a fun activity rather than a boring and complex task.
Appreciate Openly
Developing strong connections and trust with students is essential, particularly for students who experience a lack of interest or failures. They may not yet recognize their inner talent or skill. Instructors and parents should appreciate the differences each child brings and highlight these unique talents. This recognition helps dyslexic children understand there is value in what they bring to the world. Dyslexia doesn’t define any child, there is no barrier, and children with dyslexia too can achieve their goals.
Developing confidence and a positive attitude is not dependent on receiving appreciation from others, but rather from experiencing inner satisfaction, which is an important tool to help dyslexic children develop an exceptional level of confidence. Certain challenges accompany a dyslexia diagnosis, but there are many reasons why dyslexic children should feel confident in themselves and proud of their achievements. Reading and writing may be more challenging, but people with dyslexia bring a unique perspective to the world around them.
Signs and symptoms of dyslexia generally appear before formal schooling begins. Early intervention makes a significant difference in a dyslexic child’s development of reading and writing skills. Children with dyslexia must receive assistance as early as possible to reduce continued frustration and failure.
An experienced Orton Gillingham Tutor helps students recognize different aspects of dyslexia which helps them build self-confidence. Orton Gillingham tutors develop an environment of acceptance where children with dyslexia can improve self-confidence, build self-esteem and better understand their unique challenges.
Orton Gillingham Approach uses the cognitive skills of the student and is highly flexible. The Orton Gillingham approach takes the mystery out of reading and learning by concentrating on why words are spelled the way they are and promote confidence in children with dyslexia. A highly trained Orton Gillingham Tutor is dedicated to transforming people with learning differences and attention challenges into confident learners.
Final Thoughts
Confidence is the main characteristic that children with dyslexia need but often lack. Dyslexic children or who are at risk for dyslexia benefit the most from engaging instructional approaches that are systematic, cumulative, and multisensory, such as the Orton-Gillingham approach. Orton Gillingham tutors encourage dyslexic children to show their unique talents and skills. This not only enhances the confidence level of dyslexic people but also gives them the strength to try new words.