In the majority of families with a dyslexic child there are other members with similar difficulties. If you, the parent, are moderately or seriously dyslexic yourself you may be anxious about educating your children at home. However, this can be turned to advantage as you will have developed strategies for coping with dyslexia which you can share, and you can be an excellent role model who has a natural empathy with your children's difficulties.
Parents who are still struggling themselves with seemingly insurmountable difficulties should be aware that 'Adult Basic Skills' courses have been examined recently and were, generally, found to be of a low standard - The (sic) 'learning facilitators' of these courses whilst being 'sympathetic and understanding', are mainly poorly qualified and relatively unskilled (Guardian Education Dec 2. 03) Possible solutions for parents with literacy difficulties are to either employ a private tutor (check that they use a synthetic phonic programme) or, to undertake an easy-to-use phonic programme (see 'Sound Foundations' details at page base) along with their child.
The Harrison family, well known in home education circles for the battles they fought with their LEA (EO. Cox p34-36), includes four dyslexic children, and Geoff, their father, is also severely dyslexic.
The parents approach to teaching the children was to 'accentuate the positive and ignore the negative' (Meighan 1998 p17). The eventual result was four personable, confident, capable adults who could turn their hands to an amazing variety of practical skills. Geoff now uses voice recognition technology (VRT) on his computer, to great advantage.
Many excellent learning activities require little or nothing in the way of reading and writing. Valuable learning may take place through conversation, stories on tape, educational videos and practical activities such as cooking, gardening and science experiments. The family may enjoy visiting the museums, galleries and other places of interest in the area, recording the outings by taking photos, collecting leaflets or even making a video, and then discussing the visits afterwards. There are a range of educational broadcasts on BBC2 www.bbc.co.uk/learning and Channel 4 www.channel4.com/learning during term time; free guides are obtainable. With all these resources coupled with dedication, commitment and hard work there is no reason why a dyslexic parent should not be able to provide an appropriate and effective home education.
Sound Foundations Reading Programme.
The Promethean Trust,
Riverside Farm,
Easton,
Norwich
NR9 5EP
Sound Foundations is the ultimate answer for dyslexics and slow readers. It is so simple that it can be used by almost any adult-even if they are a bit dyslexic themselves. This is a simple, step-by-step programme suitable for non-readers and very poor readers. Used for 7-10 minutes per day, it will quickly restore your child's confidence and build a sound foundation of basic skills. Available in the UK and USA. www.promethean.fsnet.co.uk/
Read more BBC's site to help adults with words and numbers
www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise
Read more Adult Dyslexia Organisation
www.futurenet.co.uk/charity/ado/adomenu/adomenu.htm
Read more Adult basic skills resource centre
http://members.aol.com/skillsworkshop/index.htm
Read more Learning Practice national tests
www.dfes.gov.uk/readwriteplus
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