If you are homeschooling a dyslexic student, school can be challenging. It’s challenging but doable!
Be sure to accommodate your dyslexic learner to set him up for maximum success.
There are a few steps that will ensure that you are getting the most out of your learner while minimizing his stress, particularly when it comes to reading and spelling.
First, keep reading instructions separate from all other instructions. That means setting aside a specific time to work on reading and once that time is up, move on to the next subject. Even if the lesson was particularly challenging or frustrating for either of you, cut the lesson off when time is up and move on.
Put it behind you and if there is lingering frustration, take a break.
Second, do not require your student to read his textbooks for other subjects if it is too difficult.
If you require him to read it there are some possible obstacles: he will not retain what he is reading because he is spending too much time decoding and reading words, and it will tire him out, using his study battery for reading and not learning. Instead, do the reading for him or get audiobooks.
Third, if dysgraphia (difficulty writing) is an issue for him, be his scribe. You can write or type for him which will free him up to pass on what he has learned rather than have him wear himself out on all that writing entails for someone who struggles with writing.
This is not cheating, you are simply putting his thoughts on paper for him! The thoughts that are coming directly from him. There are a number of speech-to-text programs that can write for him as he dictates into the computer. This is good training for after he is done with school because he can transfer the speech-to-text software to the workplace.
Any student with a dyslexia diagnosis is entitled to accommodations under the law. Because you are homeschooling you might not realize that you can provide those same accommodations at home. The point of accommodations is to free your child’s energy to be put into actual learning rather than reading, which is hard for him. Accommodations are not a “crutch” and it is not “cheating”.
You are simply taking the information he is providing you after you have helped him acquire it, and showing what he has learned. This is a benefit to you as well because you are able to track his mastery of subject matter without putting additional stress on his system.