When Letters Dance: Understanding Your Dyslexic Child's World

You know your child is clever. You see that they are bright in the way they solve problems, the questions they ask, the connections they make that surprise you.

But put a book in front of them, and everything changes. The brightness dims. The shoulders slump. And you’re left wondering: why is reading – something that seems so natural to you – like climbing Everest for them?

You’re not imagining the struggle. And you’re certainly not alone.

It's Not About Intelligence

The British Dyslexia Association confirms that dyslexia occurs across all intelligence levels. Your child might be struggling with reading whilst excelling at problem-solving, creative thinking, or verbal reasoning.

These aren’t contradictions. This is how many dyslexic brains work – brilliant in some areas, finding challenges in others.

What's Actually Happening in The Dyslexic Brain

The dyslexic brain uses different neural pathways for reading. Think of it like taking the scenic route when everyone else is on the motorway. You’ll get there, but it takes more energy, more time – and frankly, it’s exhausting.

This is why your child might:

Read a word perfectly on one line, then not recognise it three lines later
Mix up letters that look similar (b and d, p and q)
Skip words or lines without realising
Read the same sentence multiple times without remembering it
Complain that words “move” or “blur” on the page

It’s not laziness. It’s not lack of focus. It’s their brain working overtime in ways we can’t see.

Sound familiar? Keep reading – the hope is coming…

Many parents tell me the hardest part isn’t the reading struggle itself—it’s watching their child’s confidence erode. By the time many children are identified as dyslexic, they’ve already decided they’re “not clever enough” or “bad at school.”

That isn’t true. Their brains just process written language differently.

The gap between what they can understand verbally and what they can access through reading can be heartbreaking to watch. Especially when you see how bright they are in every other way.

Is This My Child? Quick Recognition Check

Reading Behaviour

Guesses words based on first letter rather than reading fully
Struggles to sound out new or unfamiliar words
Reads slowly with enormous effort (like translating a foreign language)
Avoids reading aloud at all costs
Prefers being read to, even when peers read independently

Writing Challenges

Spells the same word differently in the same piece of writing
Letter reversals (b/d, p/q) persist beyond age 7-8
Difficulty getting ideas onto paper, despite being articulate verbally
Messy handwriting or inconsistent letter formation

Emotional Signals (Often the First Clue)

Homework battles, especially around reading tasks
Anxiety about school that wasn’t there in early years
Says “I’m just not clever” or “I can’t do it” before even trying
Perfectionism in other areas to compensate
Exhausted after school from the mental effort of keeping up

Meet Christina: Our New Dyslexia Specialist

Christina Joannides, a Level 5 Dyslexia Specialist, is joining The Community Schools this February. Here’s what she wants you to know:

“I provide personalised, multisensory teaching that builds skills, confidence, and independence. I care deeply about helping dyslexic students achieve their potential and I work closely with families and schools to ensure each learner receives meaningful, effective support.”

Christina works with learners from primary age up to 16, bringing specialist expertise that goes beyond traditional phonics teaching.

How Multisensory Teaching Actually Works

Christina’s approach engages multiple senses rather than just looking at letters. This matches how many dyslexic brains learn best:

👋 Touch: Writing on different textured surfaces, typing whilst saying words aloud, using tactile letter tiles to build vocabulary

🎵 Sound: Breaking complex words into syllables with rhythm patterns, using music mnemonics for spelling rules, recording and playing back their own reading

🏃 Movement: Walking whilst memorising key terms, using hand gestures for grammar rules, physical association with tricky spellings (e.g., tapping out syllable patterns)

👁️ Visual: Colour-coding parts of speech, creating mind maps with images, using highlighters strategically to track sentence structure

These are professional learning techniques—understanding that your brain processes information through multiple channels, not just your eyes on a page

This way is about rebuilding confidence and showing children that their brains aren’t broken – they’re just beautifully different.

What You Can Do at Home

Many parents describe homework becoming a nightly battle, especially around reading. The frustration, the tears, the feeling of helplessness. Here’s what actually helps:

Suggestions That Make a Difference:

Read TO them—even when you might think they’re “too old” for it.
Reading is different from being read to. Let them enjoy stories without the decoding struggle.

Audiobooks absolutely count
Comprehension and vocabulary matter as much as decoding.

Celebrate small wins
Reading one paragraph without frustration? That’s genuinely worth acknowledging.

Focus on understanding, not speed
A slowly-read paragraph they actually understand beats three paragraphs rushed through without comprehension.

Never compare
Not to siblings, not to classmates, not to where “they should be.” Meet them where they are.

The goal isn’t perfect reading. It’s maintaining the love of learning and stories while the technical skills catch up.

Signs That Specialist Intervention Might Help

If your child’s been struggling for more than six months despite good teaching and your support, it’s time to consider specialist help. Because they deserve targeted support that matches how their brain learns.

You may notice that:

The gap between verbal ability and reading level keeps widening
Traditional phonics teaching isn’t sticking despite consistent effort
Reading homework regularly leads to tears (theirs or yours)
They’re actively avoiding anything involving reading
Their self-esteem around learning is plummeting

Every month you wait, the confidence gap can widen. Early, targeted intervention makes a measurable difference.

Christina is now offering specialist dyslexia support in Bury St Edmunds (daytime) and Stowmarket (evenings):

Sessions: 40 minutes of focused, multisensory teaching
Investment: £40 per session, booked in 11-week terms (£440)
Early booking offer: £35 per session – book now! (£385 per term)

Your First Step Is Free:

Book a 20-minute planning call with Claire:

👉 https://tidycal.com/m2p4dd3/20-minute-meeting

We’ll discuss:

What you’re seeing at home and school
Your child’s specific challenges and strengths
Whether Christina’s approach is the right fit
What support might look like in practice

What we won’t do:

Pressure you into booking
Make false promises about overnight transformations
Judge your child’s current reading level
Use jargon or make you feel inadequate

You’ll leave with:

Clarity on whether specialist support could help
Honest guidance on next steps
A sense of whether we’re the right fit for your family

Sometimes the right support at the right time changes everything. This could be the term when reading stops being a battle and becomes accessible.

Because every child deserves to discover what their unique brain can do.

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