Resources to Support Students With Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a learning disorder that affects how children recognize and work with the sounds in language, which makes reading, writing and spelling harder, according to the Child Mind Institute. It is not a sign of low intelligence, and many children go undiagnosed because their struggles at school are blamed on intelligence, effort or environment. In order for children with dyslexia to get the tools and assistance they need, it’s helpful for teachers and parents to understand dyslexia and how these children learn effectively. This page collects articles, books, videos and organizations for teachers, parents and students.

What Is Dyslexia?

Many people think that having dyslexia means getting letters mixed up or backwards. The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) describes dyslexia as a language-based learning disability. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), part of the National Institutes of Health, calls dyslexia the best-known reading disorder. It mainly affects reading individual words, including in people of average or better intelligence.

According to the Child Mind Institute, dyslexia makes it hard to recognize and work with phonemes, the basic sounds of speech (the “b” sound in "bat,” for example), which makes it difficult to sound out new words. Children do not outgrow dyslexia.

Who Is Affected by Dyslexia?

In an article last updated May 21, 2026, the Child Mind Institute estimates that as many as 1 in 5 children has dyslexia, and it says current research indicates that boys and girls are affected equally. Dr. Sally Shaywitz, co-director of the Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity, says in the same article that many children go undiagnosed because school struggles are wrongly attributed to intelligence, effort or environment.

Adults who suspect they have dyslexia can try IDA’s self-assessment tool. It is a 10-question yes-or-no checklist, and IDA says that seven or more checked items suggest possible dyslexia. It is a screening checklist, not a diagnosis. For a child, see the evaluation steps below.

How Do Schools Address Dyslexia?

The Child Mind Institute says dyslexia is not a reflection of intelligence and that effective reading programs typically include multisensory decoding instruction, repetition and review, intensive teaching in small groups or one-on-one, sight-word practice and comprehension strategies. It names several programs, including the Wilson Method, Orton-Gillingham, Preventing Academic Failure, Lindamood-Bell and RAVE-O.

According to the Child Mind Institute, signs of dyslexia that may show up in school-age children include:

Difficulty sounding out new words
Slow reading that is not fluent
Letter and number reversals
Trouble taking notes
Phonetic spelling errors, even with common words
Avoiding reading aloud
Fatigue or frustration with reading

Parents who have children diagnosed with dyslexia may need to be proactive about seeking out specific methods of reading instruction and other resources to help their children learn effectively.

Some ways to help students with dyslexia include:

Step-by-step instruction on the basics of reading, such as Structured Literacy: explicit, systematic, cumulative teaching that covers phonology, sound-symbol association (phonics), syllables, morphology, syntax and semantics, as described in IDA’s Effective Reading Instruction guide
Allowing students different ways to show what they know, such as giving spoken answers rather than written ones when appropriate, according to the Child Mind Institute
Accommodations such as extra test time, a quiet workspace and recorded lectures, which students with a diagnosis may be eligible for, according to the Child Mind Institute
Technology like text-to-speech. Teach.com’s guide to supporting neurodiverse students online covers accessibility tools such as text-to-speech and speech-to-text

Mind Mapping

One way to support students with dyslexia is to teach them how to use “mind mapping.” This technique is a visual way of taking notes: instead of writing full sentences, the student maps out ideas with images, lines and a few key words. Students can use it to break down concepts, sketch out ideas and plan longer written assignments. Here’s how mind mapping works:

Start by drawing an image in the center of a horizontal sheet of blank paper.
Draw lines or “branches” radiating out from the central image, and label each with a few key words related to that idea or concept.
Underneath those branches, add more branches labeled with subcategories of the main ideas.
Work in a clockwise direction as you draw branches and sub-branches. It helps other people read your mind map.
Order the branches by level of importance, using thick branches toward the center for concepts and thinner branches around the edges for details.
Label each branch with one or two key words to distill main ideas, facts and connections. Rank the key words in order of importance, just like the branches.

Tips: Use space, colors and pictures, don’t write full sentences and don’t worry about keeping it neat.

How dyslexia is evaluated

Parents can ask their child’s school district for an evaluation, according to the Child Mind Institute, which says the school evaluation tests reading skills and intellectual ability and should rule out other causes such as hearing impairment or environmental factors. IDA’s evaluation fact sheet adds that a formal intelligence measure is not always needed. Families who are not satisfied with the school’s evaluation can seek a private one from a psychologist, neuropsychologist, reading specialist, speech-language therapist or educational evaluator.

The same IDA fact sheet separates early screening from a full evaluation. Screening flags children who may be at risk, and IDA says preventive intervention should begin even when dyslexia is only suspected, without waiting for a formal diagnosis. The Child Mind Institute reports that Dr. Shaywitz advises seeking help as soon as a gap in reading appears, which can be seen in first grade, rather than waiting until third grade as some schools suggest. For more on how teachers can advocate for students in the school system, see Teach.com’s guide.

Resources to Support Students

Teachers may want to start with the articles and fact sheets below, while parents and students can start with the books, videos and organizations.

Dyslexia Articles and Fact Sheets for Parents and Teachers

Effective Reading Instruction (includes downloadable PDF in English and Spanish), International Dyslexia Association
Fact Sheets on dyslexia (free account required), International Dyslexia Association

Resources for Students With Dyslexia

Blast Off to Reading!: 50 Orton-Gillingham Based Lessons for Struggling Readers and Those with Dyslexia, by Cheryl Orlassino
Dyslexia Tools Workbook for Teens, by Jenn Clark and Gavin Reid
Studying with Dyslexia, Third Edition, by Janet Godwin

Books About Dyslexia

Dyslexia Advocate!: How to Advocate for a Child with Dyslexia within the Public Education System, by Kelli Sandman-Hurley
Overcoming Dyslexia, Second Edition, by Sally Shaywitz, MD, and Jonathan Shaywitz, MD
The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan: A Blueprint for Renewing Your Child's Confidence and Love of Learning, by Ben Foss
The Dyslexic Advantage: Unlocking the Hidden Potential of the Dyslexic Brain, Revised and Updated, by Brock L. Eide, MD, and Fernette F. Eide, MD
The Gift of Dyslexia: Why Some of the Smartest People Can't Read...and How They Can Learn, Revised and Expanded, by Ronald D. Davis and Eldon M. Braun

Videos About Dyslexia

Made By Dyslexia: A global charity led by people with dyslexia that works to help the world understand, value and support dyslexia. Its parents page links to a playlist of short videos on supporting a child with dyslexia.

Organizations for Parents and Teachers

Dyslexic Advantage: A nonprofit that promotes awareness and achievement for people with dyslexia. Offers courses for educators, a free newsletter and a premium membership option.
Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia & Learning Disorders at Scottish Rite for Children: Offers curricula and training for educators and therapists who work with children with dyslexia.
Dyslexia Help at the University of Michigan: This website offers online resources for people with dyslexia, parents and professionals, including professional development courses for educators.
Parents for Reading Justice: A nonprofit in Columbus, Ohio, doing business as Our Dyslexic Children, Inc. Learn more at ParentsForReadingJustice.org. Its documentary, Our Dyslexic Children, follows parents near Columbus who filed a complaint under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Understood: A nonprofit created in 2014 that shares information on dyslexia, ADHD and other forms of neurodivergence.

The following information is for informational purposes only. For more information on how to identify whether a child has dyslexia and how to support them, please reach out to a health care professional.