Understanding how Dyslexic children acquire a second language has become a secret hobby of mine since starting to work in a small “Lernpraxis”in Germany, almost 10 years ago. My job is to help children understand the English language despite the fact that they have dyslexia.
For me the best definition of Dyslexia is how it used to be called many years ago, namely “word blind”. This definition lead me to develop a number of very simple games that have helped children to successfully pass their English exams and to enjoy learning the English language as their second language.
Over time I have begun to recognize certain patterns that seem to appear over and over again. Now these children do not have an easy school life. For one, the German education system does not really support dyslexics and more importantly many mainstream teachers are not trained to deal with these children in their everyday classrooms. However, one thing is evident in every single pupil that I have seen, they are all very good imitators and they love learning through play.
Thanks to “nprEd How learning happens“, I would like to share this great article with you about how scientists are now trying to rewire the Dyslexic brain to cure Dyslexia.
What they are actually trying to do, is to help the child to learn to read a word by focusing on the vowels. This is a technique that I discovered myself a few years ago. Below is a video of a game I made for my Dyslexic students to help them while trying to learn for spelling tests. I have been playing this game for years with my children and it really helps them to learn their English vocabulary. (Incidentally it is great for Dyslexic learners and it works very quickly and effectively for mainstream learners too 🙂 )
Enjoy learning English
Your
Fiona