Accommodations for students with dyslexia or dysgraphia?

Question

Does anyone know any special accommodations that you can use for a child who has dyslexia or dysgraphia in the classroom?

Answer 1

Do you mean one that could be added to an IEP?

Use cursive writing it helps with both problems. D'Neilian cursive is best because all lower case letters are taught with connector lines. That way a student knows how to string them into words and both cases have fewer loops and turns than other styles.

For my son I always included read aloud tests upon student request, extended time for tests, no penalty for spelling errors except on spelling tests, word processing, assistive technology (Franklin spelling ace- his personal one), no penalty for punctuation errors.

Answer 2

I am not sure what accoms and mods can be used, BUT I do know that these will NOT help the child understand the problems that the dysgraphia causes.

Accoms and mods only help him COPE with NOT knowing how to do the work because of the dysgraphia or dyslexia.

AND, schools do NOT have to do ANY accoms or mods if the child is not in special ed or has IEP plan.

They can say they will without these, but can stop at any time and you can't do a thing about it.

Answer 3

I have two suggestions.  One, the "Academy of Reading" program helps students with dyslexia.  It teaches them to focus not only on which letters are in the word, but what their positition is within the word, and it addresses "b" / "d" reversals, as well as other typical dyslexic errors.  

The Academy of READING is offered for home use through Bob Jones University Passport Learning.  For more information on that please visit

http://passportlearning.com/.  I believe that Princeton University also permits parents to access this program for their children for a fee.  

Second Suggestion: Spelling out words on a child's back, allows the image to reach the child's brain, without being flipped.  Their eyes often play visual tricks.  This trick will bypass the visual problem, and help eliminate reversals in written form.

Answer 4

I don't know about other people, but for myself, something that really help are:

-Photo copied version of teacher's notes. If I do have to copy from the board, teachers use print, not cursive and leave descent spaces between lines

-When doing novel studies where books won't be read out loud in class, to get the book a week or two early helps a lot

-If I have to read out loud in class, knowing what passage a day before so I can practice helps

-The use of a computer with spell check for written exams

-Extra time for exams

-Being aloud to write in the test booklet

-Not being penalized in non-language classes (math, sciences,social studies) for spelling mistakes

Remediation, as much as I hate it, is important as well.

Answer 5

Books on tape. Dyslexic people hate reading, why would they want to work their butts off to read a story? Adult dyslexics use them like crazy. Kids don't get the choice.

High interest nonfiction. They will read to learn.

Comic books. The pictures are the scaffolding.

Homeschooling. 10 times better than public school!

Laptop. Teach him some typing. (I am severely dysgraphic and can barely type after 8 years!)

This DOES NOT happen in most schools!

Answer 6

just a note-if the student qualify for special ed-he can still get some accomodations with a 504 plan...

some states do not give studnets with dyslexia special ed-they provide services under separate dyslexia instruction