Dyslexia: The secret to successfully teaching dyslexic children

After having worked with dyslexic students for 30 years, the secret to successfully teaching children with dyslexia comes down to one single word. While some might consider one simple word a much too easy solution to a complex neurological issue like dyslexia, the success stories of many students and the success stories of famous celebrities speak for themselves.

Dyslexia and the Corpus Callosum

Parents and teachers might be utterly surprised to learn about the power of the word "Help" when it comes to teaching dyslexic children how to read and how to be successful. Here is a brief and somewhat simplified explanation:

Scientists have linked dyslexia to the Corpus Callosum which is the structure that connects the left and the right brain hemispheres. In dyslexic children and adults, the structure of the Corpus Callosum (including its thickness and neuronal pathways) affects how and how fast dyslexics process information between the left and right brain hemispheres.

Most often, the structure of the Corpus Callosum -- best understood as an "Inter-sphere Highway" between the left and right side of the brain -- is determined by genetics.

Charles Schwab, the famous banker, discovered his own dyslexia only after his son was diagnosed.

The Corpus Callosum or “Inter-sphere Highway”of dyslexic children or adults is like a very rocky road that is difficult to travel and can only be driven at a slow speed.

Dyslexic children prefer and tend to stay on the right brain hemisphere because it is their strong visual, creative, and imaginative side. Having to cross the Corpus Callosum or "Inter-sphere Highway" from the creative right side of the brain to the left side (associated with math and language skills) results in confusion and disorientation for individuals with dyslexia.

The simple word that makes all the difference for children with dyslexia 

Children with dyslexia can learn to read at or beyond grade level if a parent or teacher can strengthen the "Inter-sphere Highway" and prevent the dyslexic child's brain from becoming disoriented. For some dyslexic children, the mere fact of being forced to read can cause disorientation and a blockage to even try to cross over to the left side of the brain. Most often, however, it is trigger words that cause a disorientation in a dyslexic child's brain. 

There are more than 200 small trigger words like "not," "she," "on," or "to" that will cause disorientation in a dyslexic child’s brain. To prevent a dyslexic child's brain from becoming disoriented and to be able to read, teach the child to say "Help" BEFORE a word causes disorientation.

At first, most dyslexic students react suspicious when they are told that all they have to say is "Help," when they encounter a word they are struggling to read. It is important to let a student try to read and not say anything until he or she actually says "Help."

Once the teacher, parent, or assistant just reads the word for the student -- instead of giving some phonetic lecture or explanation -- the student will trust that when an adult says, "Just say 'help'" -- this is all a reader needs to do.

Reading with a dyslexic student can turn into a most enjoyable interaction of "you read -- I read the words you are struggling with" within just one or two reading sessions.

Once a child learns to say "Help" while reading instead of becoming disoriented, he or she will gain confidence, become  a better reader, and -- most importantly -- focus on and discover the treasure of what literature is all about.

The word "Help" in finding the "ability" in a dis-ability

Famous authors Agatha Christie and F. Scott Fitzgerald are just two of the famous authors who struggled with dyslexia in their lives. However, unlike Christie and Fitzgerald (and many other famous celebrities), no child today should have to endure the emotional pain that can come with dyslexia.

In order to protect children with dyslexia from embarrassment in the classroom and to provide them with the individualized support that they need in the traditional school environment, it is crucial that dyslexia is recognized worldwide as a learning disability.

James Middleton with his two older sisters "Pippa" and Kate. James is next to "Pippa".
(Photo by Hugo Burnand/St James's Palace - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

As James Middleton, Kate Middleton's brother, shared about his horrific experience of living with dyslexia: “When I read out loud in class, it was a joy for everyone else because I would mispronounce things so badly. I used to try to count how many people were in front of me and then work out which paragraph I would have to read out and start trying to learn it. And I would sit there thinking, ‘Please let the bell go so that it doesn’t get round to me’.’’

”When I was about seven, I was labeled dyslexic. I’d try to concentrate on what I was reading, and then I’d get to the end of the page and have very little memory of anything I’d read. I would go blank, feel anxious, nervous, bored, frustrated, dumb," said Tom Cruise. 

·         “I was lousy in school: a real screw-up, a moron. I was antisocial and didn’t bother with the other kids… I didn’t know what I was doing there. That’s why I became an actor," shared Anthony Hopkins. 

·         ''I was so single-minded about acting….I drove myself into the ground trying to get over dyslexia and when I finished school I had the top grades," revealed Keira Knightley. By the time Keira Knightley was 15, she left school to pursue acting.

Dyslexia -- and why it exists

Without dyslexia, the world would be deprived of some of the most creative and innovative people as described in Dyslexic children and how dyslexia can be a gift in disguise. However, in order for children to discover the purpose for their dyslexia and the "ability" in the word "dis-ability," it is time for them to say one more time the word HELP!

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