What does dyslexia (or reading difficulties) look like at home?
QUESTIONNAIRE ANSWERS:
1. Your child understands a story when you read it aloud, but struggles when asked to read the same information independently. What might this tell you?
Their difficulty with reading may not reflect their ability to understand or think about the information.
1. B — LOOK BEYOND THE READING
A child’s reading performance does not tell you how intelligent they are or how well they can think and reason. A child may understand information very well when it is presented verbally while finding independent reading much more difficult.
Parent takeaway: Ask yourself, “Does my child know more than their reading and writing allow them to show?”
2. Homework involving reading and writing takes your child much longer than expected. What is important for a parent to consider?
Dyslexia can be associated with difficulties such as slower processing, working memory, and sequencing, so some tasks may genuinely require more time and effort.
2. C — EFFORT DOESN’T ALWAYS LOOK LIKE PROGRESS
Some learners with dyslexia need more time to process information, retrieve what they know, read, write and organise their responses. Working slowly should not automatically be interpreted as laziness or lack of motivation.
Parent takeaway: Instead of asking only, “Why is this taking so long?” consider asking, “What is making this task difficult?”
3. Your child can do something correctly one day but struggles to remember or reproduce it the next. As a parent, how should you interpret this?
Difficulties involving memory, retrieval, and sequencing can accompany dyslexia, so inconsistent performance does not necessarily mean a lack of effort.
3. C — INCONSISTENCY CAN BE REAL
Dyslexia can involve more than reading. Difficulties with working memory, sequencing, processing and retrieval can contribute to a child appearing to “know it today and forget it tomorrow.”
Parent takeaway: Repetition and practice may be necessary. Inconsistent performance does not automatically mean your child isn’t trying.
4. You have dyslexia or remember struggling significantly with reading and spelling yourself. Is this relevant to your child’s difficulties?
Yes. Dyslexia often runs in families, so a family history of reading difficulties is an important risk factor.
4. A — FAMILY HISTORY MATTERS
Dyslexia often runs in families. There is no single “dyslexia gene,” but having a parent or close relative with a history of reading difficulties can increase a child’s likelihood of experiencing similar difficulties.
Parent takeaway: Your own school experience may provide useful clues. Think back to whether reading, spelling, remembering sequences or completing written work was unusually difficult for you or other family members.
5. Your child has been identified as having dyslexia. Which statement offers the most accurate perspective on their future?
The brain has the capacity to change through neuroplasticity. With appropriate intervention, learning, and repeated practice, skills can develop, and reading can improve.
5. C — THE BRAIN CAN CHANGE
Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to change and develop in response to learning and experience. Dyslexia does not mean that a child’s current level of difficulty represents the limit of what they can achieve. Appropriate intervention, teaching and repeated practice can help develop skills and improve reading performance.
Parent takeaway: An informed opinion should help identify the support a child needs, not define the limits of what that child can become.
A FINAL THOUGHT FOR PARENTS…
When a child with dyslexia or reading difficulties struggles, the most useful question is often not:
“Why aren’t they trying harder?”
but rather:
“What is getting in the way of their learning, and what support will help them move forward?”
Understanding a child’s individual strengths and difficulties, intervening early and recognising the brain’s capacity to learn and change can help parents replace frustration with informed support.
ANTWOORDSLEUTEL EN REFLEKSIE:
1. Jou kind verstaan ’n storie wanneer jy dit hardop voorlees, maar sukkel wanneer hy of sy gevra word om dieselfde inligting selfstandig te lees. Wat kan dit vir jou sê?
B. Jou kind se leesprobleme weerspieël nie noodwendig sy of haar vermoë om die inligting te verstaan of daaroor te dink nie.
1. B — KYK VERDER AS LEES
’n Kind se leesprestasie sê nie vir jou hoe intelligent hy of sy is, of hoe goed hy of sy kan dink en redeneer nie. ’n Kind kan inligting baie goed verstaan wanneer dit mondelings aangebied word, maar steeds baie sukkel om dieselfde inligting selfstandig te lees.
Vir ouers om oor na te dink: Vra jouself: “Weet en verstaan my kind meer as wat sy of haar lees- en skryfvermoë laat blyk?”
2. Huiswerk wat lees en skryf behels, neem jou kind baie langer as wat jy verwag. Wat is belangrik vir ’n ouer om in gedagte te hou?
C. Disleksie kan verband hou met uitdagings soos stadiger prosesseringspoed, werkende geheue en opeenvolging. Sommige take kan dus werklik meer tyd en inspanning verg.
2. C — INSPANNING LEI NIE ALTYD TOT VORDERING NIE
Sommige leerders met disleksie het meer tyd nodig om inligting te prosesseer, dit wat hulle weet te herroep, te lees, te skryf en hulle antwoorde te organiseer. Om stadig te werk, behoort nie outomaties as luiheid of ’n gebrek aan motivering geïnterpreteer te word nie.
Vir ouers om oor na te dink: In plaas daarvan om net te vra: “Hoekom neem dit so lank?”, vra eerder: “Wat maak hierdie taak vir my kind moeilik?”
3. Jou kind kan iets die een dag reg doen, maar sukkel die volgende dag om dit te onthou of weer reg te doen. Hoe behoort jy dit as ouer te interpreteer?
C. Uitdagings met geheue, die herroeping van inligting en opeenvolging kan met disleksie gepaardgaan. Wisselvallige prestasie beteken dus nie noodwendig dat ’n kind nie genoeg moeite doen nie.
3. C — WISSELVALLIGE PRESTASIE KAN WERKLIK WEES
Disleksie kan meer as net lees behels. Uitdagings met werkende geheue, opeenvolging, prosessering en die herroeping van inligting kan daartoe lei dat ’n kind lyk asof hy of sy iets “vandag ken en môre vergeet”.
Vir ouers om oor na te dink: Herhaling en oefening kan nodig wees. Wisselvallige prestasie beteken nie outomaties dat jou kind nie probeer nie.
4. Jy het disleksie, of jy onthou dat jy self beduidend met lees en spelling gesukkel het. Is dit relevant tot jou kind se probleme?
A. Ja. Disleksie kom dikwels in families voor, en daarom is ’n familiegeskiedenis van leesprobleme ’n belangrike risikofaktor.
4. A — FAMILIEGESKIEDENIS MAAK SAAK
Disleksie kom dikwels in families voor. Daar is nie ’n enkele “disleksie-geen” nie, maar ’n ouer of nabye familielid met ’n geskiedenis van leesprobleme kan ’n kind se waarskynlikheid verhoog om soortgelyke probleme te ervaar.
Vir ouers om oor na te dink: Jou eie skoolervaring kan nuttige leidrade bied. Dink terug of lees, spelling, die onthou van reekse of die voltooiing van geskrewe werk vir jou of ander familielede buitengewoon moeilik was.
5. Jou kind is as dislekties geïdentifiseer. Watter stelling bied die akkuraatste perspektief op jou kind se toekoms?
C. Die brein het deur neuroplastisiteit die vermoë om te verander. Met toepaslike intervensie, leer en herhaalde oefening kan vaardighede ontwikkel en lees verbeter.
5. C — DIE BREIN KAN VERANDER
Neuroplastisiteit is die brein se vermoë om in reaksie op leer en ervaring te verander en te ontwikkel. Disleksie beteken nie dat ’n kind se huidige vlak van uitdaging die grens bepaal van wat hy of sy kan bereik nie. Toepaslike intervensie, onderrig en herhaalde oefening kan help om vaardighede te ontwikkel en leesprestasie te verbeter.
Vir ouers om oor na te dink: ’n Diagnose behoort te help bepaal watter ondersteuning ’n kind nodig het, en nie die grense te bepaal van wat daardie kind kan bereik nie.
’N LAASTE GEDAGTE VIR OUERS…
Wanneer ’n kind met disleksie sukkel, is die nuttigste vraag dikwels nie:
“Hoekom probeer my kind nie harder nie?”
maar eerder:
“Wat staan in die pad van my kind se leer, en watter ondersteuning sal hom of haar help om vorentoe te beweeg?”
Deur jou kind se individuele sterk punte en uitdagings te verstaan, vroeg in te gryp en die brein se vermoë om te leer en te verander te erken, kan jy as ouer frustrasie met ingeligte ondersteuning vervang.
