How we found the key to unlock our son's reading

[Lucy Prabhu]

Hi. I'm the parent of a 12 year old boy who was assessed with a Specific Learning Difficulty (dyslexia) aged about 10. He really struggled at primary school to learn to read, spell and write. For years he was given extra help from the school SENCO (special needs co-ordinator) and the educational psychologist. In spite of that he only made slow progress and never had that 'lightbulb' moment with his reading so many parents speak of. We became increasingly worried as his self confidence plummeted - "I'm stupid, Mummy" - and his behaviour worsened, mainly at home. With the transfer to secondary school looming we became increasingly worried about how he would cope.

I started looking into just what the term 'dyslexia' actually meant and found it was not clear cut. Our son's uncle was dyslexic so we thought it might be genetic but I found out even that is disputed. Luckily I came across a really informative website http://www.dyslexia.org.uk - Dyslexia Demystified - which pointed me in the direction of the Reading Reform Foundation and the work they do to address reading difficulties in the UK (rrf.org.uk). Lots of reading, phone calls and emails followed and 6 months later I managed to find a tutor who specialised in Synthetic Phonics who came to coach our son for 1 hour a week. She was excellent and really turned it round for him and within about 6 months he became a good reader, and I'm happy to say is coping well with the reading demands of secondary school.

It's been quite a ride for the whole family. We've learned a lot about how children learn to read, how they are taught in most schools, why some children struggle more than others and how you can effectively tackle reading difficulties. I could write a whole lot more but I think that's enough for now! I hope parents find this forum a really helpful starting point to help them understand and address the needs of their children who have a reading difficulty.

[Anne Glennie]

Dear Lucy,

Thank you so much for sharing your story and your family's journey with us. I am so pleased that your research led to a positive outcome and that your son is now reading and able to cope with the demands of secondary school. The detrimental impact of reading difficulties not just on every day life - but on confidence and self-esteem - mean that we must do whatever it takes to ensure that all of our children are taught how to read. Where there are barriers or difficulties they can be overcome - if teachers know what to do.
I hope your story will not only provide hope and inspiration for parents in similar situations, but that your story will be the catalyst to their turnaround moment too. Our hope is that parents will feel they have somewhere to share their concerns and have questions answered. A perfect start to the forum. Thank you.

Anne