DYSLEXIA workshops take place on Thursdays from 4.30pm to 6pm in Bandon Primary School, Convent Hill, Coolfadda, Bandon (P72XH02) for 2nd to 6th class.

For details, contact workshop coordinator Richard O’Regan at [email protected].

To mark World Dyslexia Day (October 8), today Dyslexia Ireland advocated at the Oireachtas for improved support for dyslexic children and young people at school.

Research shows that early dyslexia identification is very important. This enables teachers to provide targeted, evidence-informed support. 

Currently teachers receive minimal training specifically about dyslexia, which means many are not fully aware of dyslexia and how it presents.

Dyslexia Ireland believes all teachers need adequate training on dyslexia, so they can effectively identify and support dyslexic children in their class.

Teachers using evidence-informed literacy practices delivered with the right frequency can enable dyslexic learners to achieve.

Currently there is inconsistent guidance and sometimes outdated advice from numerous sources including government agencies which adds to teachers confusion on what the right approaches are. 

All schools need clear evidence-based literacy guidance to help all their learners achieve with literacy. 

Our new survey results showed that:

91% of teachers are dissatisfied with the current level of support provided by the government in relation to dyslexia.

One teacher noted “It is unfair to leave dyslexic children without the explicit teaching they need… Only teachers who pay themselves are up to date with research. "

Another noted that “schools are left to their own devices in regards to choosing assessments and interventions. As a result they can be dated and sometimes even damaging”.

Only 12% of students feel that their teachers are well trained on dyslexia. 71% feel that they get insufficient support in school. The long term impact into adulthood is not only in literacy, education and career progression but also in emotional and mental health.

Dyslexia Ireland is calling on the Department of Education and Youth to introduce mandatory, funded dyslexia training as part of both initial teacher education and ongoing CPD/professional learning for teachers. Schools should also be provided with consistent guidance on the most effective interventions, and only programmes known to align with the known science of reading should be funded. 

"Teachers, parents and dyslexic children and young people are telling us the exact same thing, independently of one another," said Rosie Bissett, CEO of Dyslexia Ireland.

“We know what works - structured, evidence-based literacy instruction - and we know it isn't reaching enough classrooms consistently because teachers simply aren't being given the training to deliver it, and schools aren’t adequately resourced and guided. While many teachers access training at their own expense and in their own time, our education system should not have to rely on the goodwill of its staff. Schools and teachers should be provided with access to quality training on dyslexia and clear guidance on the evidence-informed approaches and interventions they should use to best support all students. If we truly want to address the decline in our reading scores (as evidenced by recent PISA results), we must ensure that we provide adequate training and evidence-informed resources to properly equip teachers and schools to enable all children to read.”    

Lorraine, a parent, said: “I saw my son find it hard to write on the copybook and struggling with short words and their pronunciation. I knew in my heart there was something different about his learning. I approached his school about this and was then told by a resource teacher that he wasn't dyslexic. The road to being diagnosed with dyslexia was long and frustrating, trust your instincts and persevere. We have had some tough times but more importantly we have now had some good teachers along the way. A good teacher will change their view on life and build their self worth.” 

Dyslexia Ireland has published its own guidance for schools on selecting effective interventions.

Dyslexia Ireland has also shared dyslexia policy templates with schools to help them clarify and develop their literacy practices and support systems for dyslexic children and young people in one consistent, transparent school policy.

More information on dyslexia is available at www.dyslexia.ie.

On a local level, community support remains vital.

Dyslexia Ireland continues to run its West Cork Dyslexia Workshop at Bandon Primary School (Convent Hill, Coolfadda, Bandon, P72XH02) on Thursdays from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM for children from 2nd to 6th Class.

For more details or to register, contact Workshop Coordinator Richard O’Regan at [email protected].