Dyslexia Help: The 5 Most Common Accommodations for Dyslexia

Dyslexia accommodations may vary widely, but here are our Top 5:

1. Dyslexia - Reading Accommodations

- pull-outs for special reading instruction

- option to listen to audiobooks, books on Kindle, electronic textbooks etc.

2. Dyslexia - Extended Time Accommodations

- extended time for reading, tests, and assignments (easiest way to give more time for tests is to allow a student to finish taking the test after school)

- double time for standardized tests - provides more time for reading test questions, writing, checking for perceptual errors like line or word skips or reversals

3. Dyslexia / Dysgraphia - Option to Keyboard, Dictate, or Scribe

- younger children should be allowed to dictate or scribe; older students have the option to keyboard and use a word prediction software like Co-Writer or Write Outloud

- if any questions are raised about a student's mastery of a subject, he / she should be allowed to be orally tested

4. Dyslexia - Do Not Grade Down for Spelling

- because dyslexia is neurologically based, students should not be down-graded for spelling. some schools will substitute an option to use spell check for typed work

5. Dyslexia - Note Taker

- students with dyslexia common struggle with note-taking - as a result, they should be allowed to have a regular process for obtaining notes from a classmate in every class (carbon paper, xerox notes). Other options include the option to record classes with an mp3 recorder, Livescribe pen, or similar assistive device.

- note takers are common at the college level, but harder to arrange in middle and high school

Tags: 504, IEP, accommodations, dysgraphia, dyslexia accommodations, dyslexia help, reading, spelling, writing

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Comment by Brittony T. on September 16, 2011 at 12:52pm: My University allowed me to take a computer language class for my foreign language credit. As I explained to the disabilities office, if I can't spell in English, how am I EVER going to spell in Spanish? Computer language was EASY to follow, the teacher tells you they want a program to charge cars and trucks differently when they enter a garage, and then you build one that will do that. I found it a LOT easier than almost any other subject in College.

Comment by Nancy Doyle on September 7, 2011 at 1:56pm: I work mainly with adults and find that the top complaint is trying to concentrate in an open plan office. Since dyslexic ears find it hard to distinguish between background noise and relevant noise, busy rooms make it very hard to maintain focus.

I recommend to clients that they sit with their back to a wall, so that the distraction is only coming from 180 degrees rather than 360, and use ear plugs when trying to write / read or work on difficult tasks.

In a classroom I would imagine that near the front but at one side, with their posture turned so that that side becomes a back would be the best place.

What do educationalists do about this? Interested to hear.....

Comment by Drs. Fernette and Brock Eide on May 24, 2011 at 8:12am: Is there a Kurzweil OCR that you can check out from disability resources? Sometimes colleges have some of these available. The Intel Reader would help for this - take a picture and it reads to you.

Comment by Claire Cannatella Sanders on May 24, 2011 at 7:45am: My biggest struggle in grad school are all the articles given that are not in text format. If they were in text format I could feed them through my text reader and listen to them. I get most of my books from BookShare and listen to them on my mini netbook.