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Introduction:
Make sure your child gets the very best opportunities to succeed and flourish with this practical toolkit of checklists, templates and make-or-break advice.
The Dyslexia Toolkit for Parents is a brand-new ring-binder toolkit of practical resources that you will be able to pull out over the coming years to support and assist you through the various challenges of dealing with the schools, the authorities... and the many decisions you will have to make in order to best help your child.
With step-by-step advice and real-life case studies throughout, this lifesaver of a resource will tell you exactly what you need to be doing, exactly what you should expect, and what to do if you're not getting it.
Questions The Dyslexia Toolkit will answer or tell you:
- How can you be sure your child has dyslexia? Use these professional assessments and checklists at home… PLUS – the truth you need to know about formal assessments
- How to fast-track through all the red tape and handle the education system so your child gets the extra help they need fast
- How to avoid the stress, the huge expenses and the too-common delays in diagnosis and treatment that mean many children slip behind
- Everything you need to know about dealing with schools... the true implications of dyslexia on learning and exactly what kind of help you need to get for your child
Summary of contents:
- A pull-out assessment to informally diagnose your child yourself and really start understanding how their dyslexia affects the way they think and learn (because every child and every case of dyslexia is slightly different).
- Templates for letters to send to teachers, schools and the authorities to ensure they really listen, and that you get the extra help you need.
- Crucial advice, checklists and successful case studies to help you push for the maximum hours of help, choose the best schools and give your child the right support and coaching at home.
- An all-important log book and records section to help you keep your 'campaign' in order. These are crucial both for dealing with the educational system but also for making sure that you too keep up with what needs doing with your child – and the different needs they may have.
- Whole sections of learning resources including activities and exercises you can pull out and do at home with your child to help them develop their learning skills and really start getting on top of reading and writing.
Details:
The more you know about your rights and the effective ways to approach the educational system, the more help your child will get.
With special needs budgets now being cut back drastically, it is becoming even more important that you know how to play the system to your advantage and stand your ground when dealing with both your child's teachers and the relevant decision makers who hold the purse strings.
With The Dyslexia Toolkit by your side you will know what you need to be doing right now to start building your case and assembling the evidence you need to present to the teachers and authorities.
You will also know exactly what kind of extra help and support the teachers and school can and should be giving your child – as well as what you can do at home to best support them in their learning and give them the advantages they will need to succeed.
Here are just a few of the components you will find in your toolkit…
RESOURCES:
- An indispensable 'pre-assessment questionnaire' compiled by a top dyslexia expert. This questionnaire is a hugely useful tool both for parents who are still unsure about their child's diagnosis – but also for any parents of dyslexic children.
- By going through a long list of important questions, it can offer you an increased awareness of the specific aspects of development that are affecting your child and how you can better target what you do to help him. Once you've completed this questionnaire, this will also form a crucial resource that you will be able to take in and show to schools or other professionals.
- A checklist of tell-tale signs that can indicate dyslexia. (The more clued up you are about the symptoms, implications and the educational jargon for dyslexia, the more likely you are to get your child the help they need fast.)
ADVICE AND GUIDANCE:
- How to win when you go for a formal assessment: What to expect, how to proceed, how to get the authorities to foot the bill, and two common mistakes that many parents make.
- Why dyslexia often goes 'unnoticed' at school, and the subtle but effective strategies you can employ to get not only the right help, but also the right funding and allowances you need.
- Know how to turn even the most stubborn of teachers by dealing with them correctly. It is crucial to know the kind of detailed information you should write down and share with the teacher to ensure they give your child the exact kind of help he needs. It is also vital that you have access to information about what you should “reasonably expect” from your school and how to get it if these expectations are currently not being met.
- How to fast-track your child's ability to read and help them discover the fun and joy of learning with a huge section on the very latest in teaching methods for dyslexia – includes how to help your child with multi-sensory learning, the best resources to buy for your child and the keys to encouraging good reading and writing skills, as well as tons of ready-made exercises and games that you'll be able to take out of the binder and start using with your child straight away.
- How to help your child deal positively with the emotional side of being dyslexic. Low self-esteem, for example, can be very common but simply saying 'that's brilliant' to their work all the time can actually make them feel worse.
- Everything you need to succeed with IEPs and SENs and the bodies and people you need to contact if you're not getting what you need from your school.
- How an understanding of the seven different causes of reading difficulty could help your child make a massive leap in their progress. Some are physical, some more neurological, some are even very easily fixed.
TEMPLATES:
- A collection of professional letter templates that will give you the winning edge in your ‘campaign’. Includes a letter to send to your local authority and request that your child is assessed for dyslexia, an appropriate letter to write if 'expectations are not being met' and a letter requesting a meeting with the SENCO (special needs coordinator).
Published reviews:
“When a parent first learns that their child has dyslexia, a natural first response is to seek information with two ends in mind: to understand the condition and to know what to do to help. From my experience, an internet search leads to an overwhelming amount of confusing information. What parents need is a resource that answers their questions and guides them with practical insights, advice and exercises.
This is what I found in The Dyslexia Toolkit for Parents. Both my son and I appreciated that dyslexia was explained as a “learning difference” and we also appreciated that the toolkit includes explanations of the different types of dyslexia and ways to help. This is a vital aspect of dyslexia for parents and educators to understand so that time and attention is focused on relevant activities.
The book is filled with all the information parents want and need, including creative ideas for home activities. As both an educator and a mother of a child diagnosed with dyslexia, I highly recommend it as a parent’s resource.”
Miriam Macdonald
“I feel this book will fill a gap in the market and is a must read for all parents/carers. Not only does it explain in detail the barriers that are presented to parents, but then it outlines the correct procedure to follow to achieve the best outcome for the dyslexic person. I particularly liked the real case studies which will allow parents to realise it is not them that is the problem, which is how it can appear when no one seems to listen.
The book has excellent templates for parents to use with useful contacts and addresses. Chapter 3 is probably the most important reading in reinforcing the parents' need to support, help and reinforce any methodologies being introduced in the school.
I would highly recommend that any person who suspects that they may be dealing with a potential dyslexic person read this book, and make use of its excellent resources.”
David Corns
