What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a set of processing difficulties affecting the acquisition of reading and spelling. In dyslexia, some or all areas of literacy development are below expected levels when compared to a pupil’s age, typical teaching and instruction, and their attainment in other subjects. 10 to 15% of the UK population is estimated to have dyslexia. Despite this, up to 80% of individuals with dyslexia complete their education without ever receiving a formal diagnosis. This means that in any given classroom, it’s likely that at least three pupils have dyslexia – many without the support they need.

Understanding Dyslexia in the Classroom

Children with dyslexia may struggle with one or more aspects of literacy, including reading, writing, spelling, punctuation, grammar, and handwriting. These difficulties are often linked to underlying differences in phonological processing, orthographic processing, working memory, and processing speed. Dyslexia can also impact the acquisition of other skills, such as mathematics, reading comprehension, or learning an additional language. Many children with dyslexia may experience further challenges with organisation and planning.

If children in your class are significantly behind in reading, it's important to consider underlying factors such as dyslexia or visual processing issues, such as eye-tracking difficulties. One potential early indicator of dyslexia is difficulty passing the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check, although this should always be considered within the wider picture of a child’s strengths and challenges.

Most children pick up reading naturally with some instruction - they begin to make connections and progress independently. However, children with dyslexia typically require more structured and explicit teaching. They often process language differently, and simply reading more may not lead to improvement without targeted support.

While home reading can influence progress, for many children - especially those with dyslexia - reluctance to read often reflects the challenges they face with reading itself. It can be a frustrating and exhausting experience, leading to avoidance rather than a lack of motivation.

In these cases, evidence-based, one-to-one programs - particularly those that can be gently reinforced at home - are often more effective than relying solely on reading schemes. These targeted interventions provide structured support tailored to the child’s needs, making practice more manageable and meaningful for both families and teachers.

Foundations for Reading Success

Before a child can learn to read using phonics, they need strong phonological awareness - they need to be able to hear that a word is made up of different sounds. Phonological awareness is taught in nursery though games like ‘I Spy’ and nursery rhymes. However, children with dyslexia usually require more practice and ongoing support until they demonstrate a solid understanding. Fortunately, there are many excellent phonological awareness games and worksheets available online. Programs such as Reading Unlocked and Fluency Builder are great for helping children develop their phonological awareness.

Before a child can learn to read, they also need to be able to focus both eyes on the same letter and smoothly track across the page. If a child skips words and lines when reading, it may indicate difficulty with focusing both eyes together, known as a convergence issue. Improving their ability to converge - getting both eyes to work together - is an important first step before working on eye tracking skills. Vision training programs like Engaging Eyes can be very effective in developing these abilities and supporting smoother reading.

If a child lacks strong phonological awareness and effective eye tracking and focus skills, learning to read can be especially challenging. The sooner support is provided, the better the chances of helping the child catch up. Our programs are designed to tackle both of these areas through engaging, easy-to-use online interventions that make learning enjoyable.

Effective Teaching of Reading

The most effective way to teach any child to read is through a structured phonics program, but it’s important that the above foundational pre-reading skills are in place first.

One-to-one or online interventions that last around 10 minutes a day tend to be more effective than longer small-group sessions of 30 minutes to an hour. Consistent daily practice, even if brief, is generally more beneficial than a longer session once a week.

While advice on teaching sight words varies, only a small number of words are typically taught this way in most reading programs. For children who find phonics challenging - such as children with dyslexia - the best approach is not to rely on teaching sight words, but rather to strengthen their phonological awareness so they can successfully learn through phonics.

When children begin learning to read, they mainly rely on the phonological route, sounding out words letter by letter to understand them. Most children without dyslexia soon develop the ability to use the lexical route, which uses a different area of the brain. This enables them to instantly recognise whole words without needing to decode them each time. This automatic recognition is what makes reading fluent and efficient.

However, many individuals with dyslexia never fully transition to reading via the lexical route. As a result, even when they are able to read, their reading tends to be slower and less fluent because they continue to rely on the phonological route. While fluent readers automatically recognise words at a glance, those with dyslexia often need to consciously focus on decoding each word.

Approaching Spelling with Confidence

English spelling has developed over many centuries, which means there isn’t a simple, one-size-fits-all approach to teaching it. Phonics instruction encourages children to sound out words and write each sound, which is an important part of spelling. However, phonics doesn’t cover everything needed to become a strong speller because English has many exceptions. Many common words—like two, every, and Wednesday—don’t follow phonetic rules, as their spellings reflect older pronunciations that have since changed. This means that alongside phonics, children need support in recognising and remembering irregular words.

Teaching pupils with dyslexia to spell requires clear, structured, and multisensory instruction, along with plenty of practice and encouragement. Overlearning and repetition are key - these pupils often need more exposure than their peers to retain spelling patterns. Regularly revisiting previously learned words helps to reinforce memory and build long-term retention. Spelling Tutor is designed with these strategies in mind, providing personalised, spaced practice that supports retention through repeated exposure and review.

If pupils can spell the most frequently used 1,000 words accurately, they’re considered proficient spellers, and their spelling skills will meet most everyday needs, which is why Spelling Tutor concentrates on these 1,000 words.

While people tend to notice errors in simple words, it’s important to remember that no one expects anyone to spell every English word perfectly - it’s a complex language, and mastering spelling takes time and practice.

Supporting the Whole Child

Dyslexia frequently co-occurs with other developmental difficulties, such as dyspraxia (affecting motor skills and spatial awareness), ADHD/ADD (impacting attention), developmental language disorder, dyscalculia, and developmental coordination disorder. While these conditions often appear alongside dyslexia, they are distinct and should be assessed and addressed separately.

Many children with dyslexia are bright and articulate, though some may experience difficulties with word retrieval, which can make it challenging for them to explain what they’ve learned. It’s essential not to judge their abilities based solely on written work or to unintentionally lower expectations because their reading and writing skills may not meet the expectations set for their age.

Dyslexia affects more than just literacy; it impacts how an individual processes information and completes everyday tasks. Many pupils will feel frustrated by the gap between their intellectual ability and classroom performance, which can affect their self-confidence. It’s important to recognise these challenges, focus on their strengths, and provide supportive learning environments that build both skills and confidence.