Dyslexia as we know is a specific learning disability that impacts a wide range of areas such as reading, writing, organisational skills and spellings.

It can be a significant hurdle for many children in the early years of education leading to low self-esteem and becoming further behind in their learning journey to that of their peers. The question is, is there a solution?

I believe yes!

The key to any dyslexic child’s success in school is being offered an intervention. Early intervention can prevent academic struggles from escalating and provide the foundation for effective support.

What does an intervention look like?
At the heart of a successful dyslexia intervention lies the implementation of evidence-based structured literacy programmes. One such programme is Orton-Gillingham, renowned for its efficacy in teaching reading and spelling skills through a multi-sensory approach. A multisensory approach to learning is highly effective for individuals with dyslexia. Integrating multiple senses, including visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic which enhances comprehension and retention. Activities that involve touch, movement, and visual aids can reinforce concepts and improve progress in learning.

These multi-sensory intervention programmes emphasise phonemic awareness, decoding, and encoding skills, offering a structured path to literacy. In my own experience of using multi-sensory interventions, I have been able to students flourish in their learning and allow them progress at a good pace and in some cases catch up with their peers.

Schools need to recognise the importance of individualisation and understand that dyslexia affects each person uniquely.

They need to be offering tailored one-on-one or small-group sessions which can and will provide the personalised attention necessary for progress.

We need to get to a stage in the education system where every educator is fully equipped in both understanding and providing the right interventions. If we can get this right, then every child with a specific learning difficulty has an excellent chance of early success!