October 2019 has been International Dyslexia Awareness Month and people all over the world have been raising awareness about what dyslexia is, how to support it and also how to tell more people about the strengths that come with being dyslexic.

In a recent article, I shared a story about a mother, Bambi Gardner who supported her daughter, Sophie by producing revision materials that were dyslexia friendly helping her to revise in a way that was effective for her.

Since her daughter has started University, Bambi has gone on to do this for thousands of children across the UK and is sharing some of her resources for free for International Dyslexia Awareness Week. Click here to download them.

This is one of many stories of how families have worked together to find the best way of getting their dyslexic children through the education system.

Whilst awareness of dyslexia amongst the general public is increasing, we still see a lack of training for teachers resulting in many teachers being ill-equipped to support the learning of the estimated 10% of dyslexic students in their classes.

The British Dyslexia Association is lobbying for each school to have a specialist Level 7 trained dyslexia teacher on hand to support pupils as well as supporting teachers who want to get on with their job of helping their pupils unlock their academic potential.

Coming Soon - Watch out for my article on the meeting that took place in Parliament about the cost of dyslexia on the education system.

Here in the UK, the #GoRed campaign has encouraged people across the UK to wear red, light up buildings in red and to use these activities to talk about dyslexia with the people around them.

What is important about the campaign are the discussions about dyslexia that have resulted from all the media hype, and activities that have taken place.

It is thought that 80% of young people with dyslexia leave the education system without a diagnosis of dyslexia. If that is indeed true, then a lot of work needs to be done to secure funding, appropriate intervention and resources across the UK to help our young people to become the best that they can be.

Earlier in this article, I mentioned Bambi Gardner and how she helped her daughter through the education system by designing resources that would help her to study.

Bambi has made available a free pack of resources that you can download and use for a child whether you are a teacher or a parent as a part of International Dyslexia Awareness Month. Just click the banner below to get your pack which includes a dyslexia friendly revision guide, an essay writing guide, an SpLD checklist and a ‘Tips For Teachers’ leaflet.

Click the banner below to get your copy of these excellent resources.