Product reviews for The Little Book of Dyslexia

This little book is a delightful read. Written by a trainee PE teacher who was diagnosed at the age of 8 with dyslexia and dyspraxia it is a testament to his perseverance through a sometimes unforgiving education system bent on teaching literacy and numeracy in dyslexia unfriendly ways. Aimed primarily at teachers this book has a wealth of practical information to help both teachers and parents meet the needs of dyslexic children more effectively.

There is a good balance between the author's own experience, tools of the trade and literature research all adding up to well rounded package addressing the needs of dyslexic pupils and students in education. Explaining how dyslexia is experienced is helpful as it puts the reader in the shoes of dyslexic pupils focussing on issues such as self esteem, organisational skills and managing challenging behaviour and how these impact on learning.

The book goes on to describe the author's own experiences in the different phases of education. He explains a range of effective approaches that can improve learning opportunities for pupils. Each chapter ends with useful teacher tips. About assessment, classroom practice and behaviour.

The book has suggestions about useful software to support dyslexic students and ideas for teachers to consider in their classroom practice. The section on exams is particularly useful. The author takes a balanced view about exams versus coursework and suggests a number of strategies to help dyslexic students through these challenging times. Topics such as managing time and money are covered as well as organisational skills. These are essential life skills for all young adults. The last section of the book is specifically aimed at teachers, packed with ideas about how to make classrooms dyslexia friendly.

This is a gem of a book that will be useful for working with all pupils and students. It is packed with common sense strategies and insights that will make learning fun and productive.