She Cries and Then I Cry

Dyslexia and Homework Just Don’t Mix

“I hate homework!” shares the mom of a beautiful 10-year-old girl.  “It takes hours of pulling and fighting.  She cries and then I cry.  We need help!”

What is a parent supposed to think when their child’s best effort at a story after hours of tears looks like this:

Wo ns    apontime       ther   was   a bog    but   he Was   hot a  otnary    dog  ne    had poues.

Why Homework Becomes a Battle

Sweet, smart kids who never give their teachers any attitude often fall to pieces when they have to do reading or writing at home.  Parents get the brunt of the pent-up emotion because they are the safe people and home is the safe place to just let go.

But it can easily look like laziness, attitude, or stubbornness – especially if the child can do some subjects really well, or if the challenges are subtler than in the story above.

Common Characteristics of Dyslexic Students

When I look at that story, I see dyslexia.  Sure enough, when this child was tested, she showed significant dyslexic challenges.  Here are some common characteristics of dyslexic students (of any age):

• At least average intelligence, but often very bright
• Creative, out of the box thinkers
• Can tell a complex, creative, clever story, but the written form of the story will bear little resemblance
• Trouble with letter formation and orientation
• Awkward, inconsistent spacing between letters and words
• Words floating above/around the lines
• Difficulty thinking about the sounds inside of words, causing them to add, change, switch, and omit sounds in reading and spelling
• Good comprehension
• Often talented in other areas – big ideas, sports, building things, artistic

Dyslexia Can Be Corrected

No one should have to live with dyslexia – at least not the learning disability part of it.

The auditory, visual, and writing part of dyslexia can be corrected allowing students to be the bright, creative, out-of-the-box thinkers they already are, and meet their potential in school at the same time!  They can be stars!  Here are few of ours:

★ Max – Dyslexic in 7th  grade – honor roll and football player in 9th grade.

★Chris – Severely dyslexic in elementary school – graduated HS with honors and has 2 masters degrees

★ Josh – Could not recognize or spell his middle name when he graduated HS – after help as an adult, read Bob Hope’s 315 page book and read for and got parts in TV shows and movies.

★Amanda – Daily meltdowns in 1st grade – happy, independent, and above grade level in 3rd.

★ Eric – So dyslexic in 3rd grade, that his IEP goal was to learn 10 survival words in a year.  Graduated HS with honors in Advanced Placement classes. Went on to college as a talented, well-balanced and successful student.

The 10-year-old girl who wrote the story above can be successful, too.   I can’t wait to get started with her and help her see a whole new world!

We would love to invite anyone with an interest in learning more about how to correct learning challenges, to attend an Information Night and pick up a FREE copy of the book :

Quick Answers

Why does my dyslexic child cry over homework?

Sweet, smart kids who never give their teachers any attitude often fall to pieces when they have to do reading or writing at home. Parents get the brunt of the pent-up emotion because they are the safe people and home is the safe place to just let go.

What are common characteristics of dyslexic students?

They have at least average intelligence but are often very bright, creative thinkers who can tell a clever story but have trouble with letter formation, spacing, and the sounds inside of words, along with good comprehension.

Can dyslexia be corrected?

The auditory, visual, and writing part of dyslexia can be corrected, allowing students to be the bright, creative thinkers they already are and meet their potential in school.