Managing Symptoms of Dyslexia
It may be a relief to know that there are many students successfully using the Euka program and managing the symptoms of Dyslexia. We have included additional information below that may be helpful in terms of strategies and tools for learning. Of course, our teaching team is always happy to discuss specific questions with you should you have them.
How do we manage dyslexia while working on the Euka program?
You may already do a majority of the strategies below with your student. You may also like to switch out the reading/writing tasks with verbal interviews to help with fatigue. Using a solid object (like a ruler) to block out extra text can also assist with reading fatigue if you haven't tried that yet. Cutting a rectangular hole in a piece of cardboard would also work just as well. Remember, we also have the choose your own novel units available if you'd prefer to switch out the book for one your student is interested in. Please let us know if you'd like access and we will arrange it.
With assistance and a little creativity, your student will be able to access the full curriculum. That being said, we acknowledge that they may need a little extra time to complete some tasks and may grow tired quickly, requiring more frequent breaks. Using the Euka program you will have the flexibility to do this.
You may also find that your student needs some work sample tasks to be modified or changed to suit their preferred learning style. Our teachers can provide alternative learning activities for the work samples so please get in touch if you find yourself in this position.
Some students living with dyslexia find it helpful to wear coloured glasses while they work which helps to reduce the "movement" of letters on the page or screen. Advice from a qualified health practitioner or GP about wearing glasses may be helpful to you.
If your student uses the computer for their learning it would be helpful if you change the colour of the background from white to another colour (we have heard yellow suits most) so that the contrast is not so stark. If you are using paper copies just switch out the white paper for coloured paper (run a few tests and ask which colour makes it easier for them to read). Apps to assist with managing dyslexia are becoming more popular with students. A quick Google search will bring up the latest available in your location.
The use of read-aloud software and specialised dyslexia text may also help. We have used "Natural Reader" before with some success.
Encourage your student to copy any blocks of text into Natural Reader to convert the font to the special dyslexia-friendly type.
Keeping reading to a minimum (10 minutes is probably enough at one time) is also a great idea. Students have many opportunities to watch videos and participate in other hands-on learning so don't feel bad about skipping over blocks of text in the lessons that aren't for identified 'work samples'.
It is always a good idea to keep in touch with us so we can support you with your Homeschooling journey. The Euka program is fully adaptable.