I Hated School – Then Teachers Made An Observation That Changed My Life

One in five people are dyslexic. It’s the most common form of neurodivergence, and can be identified as early as Reception. Yet research finds as many as 80% of dyslexics leave school without knowing they’re dyslexic.It means many children and their parents are left to muddle through, not knowing why their children are struggling and without their amazing potential being recognised. This can have a detrimental impact on a child’s self-esteem and, ultimately, how they navigate the world as an adult. I know, because I was one of those children. Like many dyslexics my early school years were horrible, I was failing miserably and hated school.But when I was nine years old, my life transformed. I was sent to a new school where teachers recognised I was dyslexic – they saw past my test scores, and helped me to discover my Dyslexic Thinking skills. These are skills like creative thinking, complex problem-solving, and leadership – which are now the most sought after skills in today’s AI driven workplaces, where AI and human intelligence work alongside each other.The world of work is finally waking up to the value of Dyslexic Thinking – LinkedIn has listed it as an official skill, and intelligence agency GCHQ actively recruits dyslexic spies for their ability to spot patterns and threats to keep the UK safe. It’s time for action in schools – and the government needs to step up to support themIt fills me with frustration that 80% of dyslexic kids are leaving school without their amazing skills being spotted and empowered, or their challenges supported. Sadly, through no fault of their own, many teachers do not receive the training they need to adapt their teaching. The answer to this problem however is simple: equip our teachers with the knowledge they need to spot, support and empower dyslexia, and ensure educators and governments recognise the vital importance of doing this. I have seen such a positive turnaround in thousands of dyslexic children, including my own, after getting the help they needed in school.It’s why I started my campaigning work back in 2005, believing this support should and could be available for all kids. In 2008, a fly-on-the-wall BBC documentary followed my campaigning work in a ‘sink’ school in Southwark, London. It demonstrated the link between kids failing their SATs and unidentified dyslexia – and led to the UK government commissioning an official review on identifying and improving support for dyslexic students in schools.The result was a commitment of £10 million to train teachers. Yet sadly the training programme was cancelled when the new Conservative government came into power. Now, almost 20 years later, it really is time for action.In 2017, I set up the global charity Made By Dyslexia with a mission to teach the world the value of Dyslexic Thinking and empower it in every school, home and workplace. We’ve published reports on Dyslexic Thinking skills, campaigns to help change the world’s view of dyslexia, and we’ve made online training that features experts from schools leading the way in supporting dyslexic learners in mainstream classrooms. We need to see every child screened for dyslexia and every teacher trained to support dyslexic learners, both with their challenges and brilliant Dyslexic Thinking skills. With these two simple steps, most dyslexic children can thrive in mainstream, inclusive classrooms, where their difficulties are supported, and their strengths are empowered and not overlooked. If you want to take action – either at home, or in the classroom – here are five things you can do today to support dyslexic kids:1. Knowledge is powerMade By Dyslexia’s teacher training films help everyone – including parents, teachers and dyslexics themselves – to understand dyslexia. Listen to our podcasts and read our reports and books. 2. Spot our strengths and champion themWe can often feel defined by our challenges. Focusing on our strengths helps to build self-esteem and perseverance.3. Focus on praiseResearch suggests people need a negative to positive comments ratio of 1:5. That’s five pieces of praise for every one negative comment. Praise is vital for dyslexics.4. Labels are a good thingMany schools don’t like to label a child, but knowing we are dyslexic helps us understand our challenges and skills, which is life-changing.5. Join the movement Share what you’ve learned with your schools, communities and networks. These conversations are turbocharging a global movement for change. Kate Griggs is Founder of the global charity Made By Dyslexia and leading Dyslexic Thinking expert. Parents and grandparents can find lots of resources on how to spot and empower dyslexia on theMade By Dyslexia website. The charity has also developed free training for parents and teachers onEmpowering Dyslexic Thinking, hosted by the Open University. Related...Raising A School-Age Kid? You Need To Know About 'Adrenarche'If Your Daughter Is Called A 'Bop' At School, It's Not What You Think It MeansLocked Loos And Leaks At School: Students Are Facing Too Many Barriers On Their Periods

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