Strategies to Support Individual Difficulties
During your awareness training session you have been given various strategies to support a wide
range of difficulties examined and discussed during the session. You are being asked to select 3
(Bronze Award) or 5 (Silver and Gold Awards) strategies. You will be asked to reflect and comment
on your experiences of implementing your identified strategies and the response they received
from your pupils.
Please note that your completion of this exercise will be required for your school to successfully
evidence its compliance with specified criteria and to gain its award under the project.
Below is a quick reference to all of the strategies identified within the training. You may wish to
use this overview to identify your preferred options:
Working Memory: General Teaching Strategies
Don’t do too much at once – overloads the working memory
Ensure information is clearly understood in the first place
Make links to previous knowledge explicit
Use repetition / overlearning where necessary
Give instructions in the order they are to be performed
Ask child to repeat the instructions / information back to you
Examples of working memory strategies for reading
Building up words when blending: s>st>ste>step
Chunking (less information to remember): st – ep > step
Visual strategies for blending (plastic letters, etc.).
Use highlighters to identify important information for reading comprehension
Scaffold learning e.g. paired reading
Literacy Leap – All Strategies List
British Dyslexia Association 2016 ©
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Continued …
Examples of working memory strategies for writing
Mind-map to help pre-plan writing (use post-it notes to make it easy to re-arrange ideas)
Provide word banks, writing frames
Organise writing into table with given headings
Examples of working memory strategies for writing
Break down the task (e.g. MAPS for editing)
Consider alternative forms of recording information (e.g. diagrams)
Encourage the use of different senses
Provide visual / auditory cues
Get children to transfer information into a different form e.g. verbal to a picture
Self-awareness – what works best for them?
Pupil voice: Ask what helps? Listening, watching, doing?
Verbal rehearsal
Visualisation (closes eyes and pictures information; playing a video memory)
Kinaesthetic (e.g. making letters out of play dough)
Mnemonics (works for some, causes additional difficulties for others)
Verbal Processing Difficulties
Allow thinking time, e.g. prepare: “in a few minutes, I am going to ask you…..”
Allow information to ‘sink in’ before continuing
Allow extra time for tasks
Target accuracy before fluency
Literacy Leap – All Strategies List
British Dyslexia Association 2016 ©
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Continued …
Verbal Processing Difficulties
Develop fluency through overlearning and repetition
Give regular prompting to keep on task
Agree homework limits with parents/carers
Visual stress support
Provide appropriate coloured reading rulers/guides.
Use a plain, evenly spaced 12-14 point sans serif font. E.g. Arial, Calibri, Tahoma,
Dyslexie font. Download free: www.dyslexiefont.com/en/dyslexia-font
Visual stress support
Avoid black type on white backgrounds for paper, computer and visual aids.
Use paper that is thick enough to prevent the other side showing through.
Help tracking by writing lines in alternate colours on whiteboards.
Prepare and use worksheets that are both dyslexia friendly and visual stress friendly.
See: www.tinyurl.com/nbg4yye
Dyslexia Friendly Classroom: Suggested Strategies
The Physical Environment
Check lighting (e.g. address flickering lights)
Displays/labels in matt, not glossy finish
Sit those with greatest need so that they have a clear view of the teacher and the board
Seating considerations: Sit those with visual stress close to natural light sources.
Keep classroom noise as quiet as possible (for those with Auditory Processing Difficulties)
Limit movement around the room to reduce visual disturbance
Provide key words around the room paired with visual prompts
Literacy Leap – All Strategies List
British Dyslexia Association 2016 ©
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Use colour coding
Continued …
Develop a desk top aids kit:

line and handwriting guides

post it notes

highlighter/coloured pens

variety of pencil grip
supports


electronic spell checker/dictionaries with quartile
prompts

tables squares

coloured overlays and reading rulers

key/topic word lists and letter-sound cards as
appropriate
wipe boards and cloth

Alphabet arc with upper and lower case (cursive)
The emotional environment

Reduce/avoid triggers for stress. For example, avoid:

avoid reading/writing/reciting times tables in front of the class

avoid children having to answer questions without warning

avoid presenting the blank page with no support for starting writing

avoid undifferentiated spelling tests

always give sufficient time for tasks
Make support inclusive, e.g. Print out homework instructions for everyone, and provide
desk top aids which are seen to be for general use.
Promote the use of assistive technology for independence
Create a positive cycle of finding success and building self-esteem
Literacy Leap – All Strategies List
British Dyslexia Association 2016 ©
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