If a child that you work with has difficulty in learning then it is important that you take action.
The most important reason to seek help is to ensure the child doesn't experience frustration and failure at school and not understand why they learn differently.
Early intervention promotes confidence & awareness.
Early intervention ensures that a child with learning differences spends less time "behind" the rest of the kids in the class, less struggle and more self-confidence for the child.
Intervention strategies to support the child with learning will ensure their emotional wellbeing and educational progress.
Teachers
We appreciate your help in providing some information about the student and his/her strengths and weaknesses in the classroom and/or inclusion in additional programmes.
Teachers may download and fill up the Teacher's Questionnaire before submitting it to the child's parents to include in the Parents Referral Form.
The dyslexia-friendly index for Educators
Take this quiz to find out how dyslexia-friendly your school is:
| CHECKLIST | YES | NO | |
| Overall School Environment | |||
| 1 | The stall vendors use clear fonts and pictures on their food menu. | ||
| 2 | There are clear signages for the main venues in my school. e.g. general office, canteen, toilets, school hall. | ||
| 3 | My school organises regular SEN awareness training for the staff. | ||
| 4 | There is a special needs department at my school. | ||
| 5 | There are planned sessions in the yearly school calendar to discuss SEN matters. | ||
| 6 | My school is supportive of access arrangements during examinations. | ||
| 7 | My school is supportive of day-to-day accommodations whenever the need arises e.g. availability of disco seat, high tables for students who focus better while standing | ||
| 8 | The learning support personnel and his/her role in the school is made known to all new teaching staff during the staff induction day | ||
| 9 | Heavy subject periods are placed in the morning, whenever possible | ||
| Classroom Environment | |||
| 10 | As far as possible, I supplement verbal instructions and explanations with pictures, diagrams and/or manipulatives. | ||
| 11 | I ensure variety (visual, verbal, kinaesthetic) and levels (Bloom’s Taxonomy) in my learning objectives. | ||
| 12 | I use figurative language selectively and follow up with an explicit explanation. | ||
| 13 | I simplify instructions and avoid unnecessary information overload. | ||
| 14 | I make it a point to check for understanding after giving instructions. | ||
| 15 | I leave important information on the board long enough for students. | ||
| 16 | I make a point to ensure worksheets/ slides are not cluttered. | ||
| 17 | I highlight challenging key curriculum words, break them into parts/ syllables and provide strategies to remember them. | ||
| 18 | I practice having a group read aloud to the class, instead of having a single student read. | ||
| 19 | I relate abstract curriculum content to the real-life application whenever possible e.g. When introducing the topic of ‘projectile motion’, ask students to describe projectile motion in their everyday lives. | ||
| 20 | I print comprehension text and questions such that students do not need to flip over to refer. | ||
| 21 | I have the learning support personnel present in periods which require support. | ||
| 22 | I highlight students who might have an SEN to the learning support personnel in a timely manner. | ||
| 23 | I work together with the learning support personnel to support students with SEN in my class. | ||
| 24 | I take steps to make spelling tests more friendly for students. | ||
| 25 | I allow time for movement between activities. | ||
| 26 | I use specific colours for specific information on the board. | ||
| 27 | I use a font of at least size 12 and ensure that it does not have extending features called “serifs” at the end of strokes e.g. Calibri instead of Times New Roman. . | ||
Total up your scores and check how SEN-friendly your practices are!
| 'Yes' Responses | General indication |
| 19 - 27 | Your child is well supported to maximise their potential. |
| 10 - 18 |
Your child is generally supported but will benefit from more support. Click here to find out how you can support your child. |
| 0 - 9 | Your child may find dyslexia a challenge to cope with. Click here to find out how you can support your child. |