Literacy activities like reading, writing, and spelling, require more attention, brainpower, and focus for children with dyslexia. Usually, reading is difficult for them. Everything they have to do all day is profoundly challenging.
By the end of the day, with all the concentration, frustration, and confusion that your child experiences while trying to decipher the words on the page, he is exhausted with not just a normal kind of tiredness. He is drained… dry!
While you might feel helpless as your child falls asleep over his homework or at the dinner table because of his earlier struggles, there are solutions that will help.
Here are five things you can try at home to help him stay alert:
- Give frequent breaks when completing taxing assignments
- Make sure the activities during the break include movement and activity.
- Have seats that allow your child to change positions while sitting.
- Turn reading, writing, and spelling assignments into games
- The change of pace will help with mental alertness.
- Have adequate lighting in the place where reading and homework is done
- This reduces eye strain and other visual processing problems which most dyslexics experience.
- Experiment with types and positioning of lights.
- Manage the study time per subject
- Go back and forth between reading and other subjects.
- For example, 15 minutes reading then 15 minutes math, etc.
- Ensure that the reading material is at or slightly above your child’s reading level.
- Prepare healthy foods
- Nutritious food provides energy.
- Encourage your child to choose quality food over junk food.
As his skills improve things will start to get easier for him. There will be improvement in all areas of learning, and he won’t get as tired.
Are there any unpleasant tasks that make you extremely tired?
The way that you described this is very much like what those of us with chronic illness experience. So many little things require extra energy. Thank you for sharing this. It gives a new perspective.
Angel, it helps to remember that children are little people with emotions and physical responses just like adults. When we see things from their perspective, we are better equipped to help them.
Florence, what great recommendations! Maybe these are good for all students as well? What actually causes dyslexia, and are there degrees of it? Are there neurologically related conditions?
Kebba, while what causes dyslexia has not been identified, it is defined as a genetic, brain-based characteristic that manifests as difficulty in literacy-based tasks. It occurs on a spectrum from mild to profound and has a few cousins… dysgraphia (difficulty with handwriting and written communication), dyscalculia (trouble with mathematical formulas), and dyspraxia (motor and kinesthetic impairments).
I definitely see this with my 16 yo! He dozes during almost any subject! I have to remember that he’s sapping his energy just using his brain!
Thanks for the reminder!
Great post!
Blessings,
Laurie
Ridge Haven Homestead
Homestead Blog Hop
Ps: if you’d like to share this over at the Homestead Blog Hop, please come by tomorrow! We need more homeschool related content there! ♥️
https://www.ridgehavenhomestead.com/category/homestead-blog-hop/
Hey Laurie, you’re welcome. My goal is always to help parents find ways to assist their children and cheer them on to success.
I’d be happy to share on your homeschooling blog.