Contents

“Gavin Reid is a trusted friend and advisor to parents and teachers of children who learn ‘outside the box’. In this extraordinarily comprehensive guidebook, he explains current research on why some children have difficulties and offers practical suggestions on how to help. This valuable resource should be essential reading for anyone concerned with children’s learning.”

Jane M. Healy, Educational Psychologist and author of ‘Different Learners: Identifying, Preventing, and Treating Your Child’s Learning Problems’

“There is no-one better placed than Gavin Reid to provide such a comprehensive, up-to-date and clear guide to dyslexia. He tackles the confusion and controversies that surround this area, and empowers parents to communicate as partners with teachers to achieve the best for each child. His approach is calm, considered and respectful, valuing the range of abilities and also acknowledging the emotional needs of young people with dyslexia. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has a child who is, or who might be, dyslexic, and to all who are involved in teaching children and young people.”

Jennie Guise, Chartered Psychologist, DysGuise Ltd, UK

“Informative, engaging and empowering… Gavin’s new book is a must read for all educators and any parent who has a child who learns differently. Gavin’s clear style, unique care, passion and expertise help provide the keys to unlocking the potential of our young people with dyslexia. With his insights and practical recommendations this book will be extremely beneficial in homes, schools and colleges worldwide.”

Mandy Appleyard, Principal Teacher & Educational Consultant, Fun Track Learning Centre, Perth, Western Australia

“Gavin Reid’s humane and informed approach is ever more evident in his second edition. His insights into the difficulties encountered by parents are highly accurate and very helpful as is his advice on how to counter them.”

Craig Dobson, Head of Science, Thames High School, New Zealand

“Gavin Reid has produced a wonderfully written book offering a fresh perspective on dyslexia. A very useful guide, offering clear and concise information, together with invaluable insights, designed to inform and empower parents seeking help for their children. Most certainly a work that I would consider an important addition to all professional libraries.”

Marcia Mann, Founding Fellow and Vice President, Academy of Orton – Gillingham Practitioners and Educators, New York

This second edition first published 2011
© 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Edition history: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. (1e, 2004)

Wiley-Blackwell is an imprint of John Wiley & Sons, formed by the merger of Wiley’s global Scientific, Technical and Medical business with Blackwell Publishing.

Registered Office
John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, United Kingdom

Editorial Offices
The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK
350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA
9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ, UK

For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services, and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at .

The right of Gavin Reid to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books.

Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Reid, Gavin, 1950–
Dyslexia : a complete guide for parents and those who help them / Gavin Reid. – 2nd ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-470-97374-5 (hardback) – ISBN 978-0-470-97373-8 (paper)
1. Dyslexic children–Popular works. 2. Dyslexia–Popular works. I. Title.
RJ496.A5R45 2011
371.91′44–dc22
2011009314

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

This book is published in the following electronic formats: ePDFs 9781119970903; Wiley Online Library 9781119970897

About the author

Dr. Gavin Reid
Ph.D., M.A., M.App.Sci., M.Ed., B.Ed., AMBDA, Assoc. F.B.P.S.
E mail: ;

Gavin Reid is an educational psychologist based in Vancouver, Canada. He was also visiting professor at the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, Canada and is currently a consultant on learning disabilities at the Center for Child Evaluation and Teaching (CCET) in Kuwait and a consultant with Global Educational Consultants, the Institute for Child Education and Psychology (Europe) and the Open University in the UK. He was a senior lecturer in the Department of Educational Studies, Moray House School of Education, University of Edinburgh from 1991 to 2007. He wrote and developed the first master’s course on dyslexia in the UK in 1993, which became the basis for the Open University (OU) course ‘Difficulties in Literacy Development’. He has been a consultant for the OU since 1999.

He is a co-founder and director to the Red Rose School for children with specific learning difficulties in St. Anne’s on Sea, Lancashire and co-founder of the Lighthouse School in Cairo, Egypt. He has made over 800 conference and seminar presentations in more than 65 countries, including Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Iceland, Poland, Republic of Ireland, Slovakia, Croatia, Ljubljana, Estonia, Greece, Cyprus, Thailand, Austria, Slovenia, Malta, Israel, Egypt, Gambia, Canada, Dubai, Kuwait, Spain and Hungary.

Currently he has 25 books in print in the area of teacher education in the field of dyslexia, literacy, learning styles and motivation, and classroom management. Many of his books are used as course texts in courses throughout the UK and in many other countries. These include: Dyslexia: A Practitioner’s Handbook (3rd edition, Wiley, 2009); Dyslexia: A Complete Guide for Parents (Wiley, 2004); Dyslexia and Inclusion (2005); Motivating Learners in the Classroom: Ideas and Strategies (2007) and Learning Styles and Inclusion (2005). He is co-author with Shannon Green of 100 Ideas for Supporting Pupils with Dyslexia and Dyslexia: A Teaching Assistants Handbook (2007). A number of his books have been translated into Arabic, Polish, French, Italian and Greek. He is also the co-author of a computer-aided diagnostic assessment and profiling procedures (Special Needs Assessment Profile [SNAP]), which has received three national award commendations and was winner of the Special Needs Category at the NASEN/TES book awards in Birmingham, UK in March 2006.

He has been invited to be external examiner at 15 universities worldwide for PhD candidates and master’s courses. He was a member of the British Dyslexia Association Teacher Training Accreditation Board from 1996 to 2007 and was overseas patron for the Learning and Behaviour Charitable Trust in New Zealand. He is the international consultant for the Canadian Academy of Therapeutic Tutors and advisor to the International Dyslexia Association board (BC Branch) and consultant to the parents’ organization All Special Kids (ASK) in Geneva, Switzerland. He is also on the Editorial Board of two International Journals in Dyslexia and Literacy.

Gavin Reid uses his experiences as a teacher, educational psychologist, researcher, university lecturer and, most importantly, as a parent in his work.

Preface and Acknowledgments

May I extend a warm welcome to you as a reader of this second edition of Dyslexia: A Complete Guide for Parents. You will note I have also extended the title to include … and Those who Help Them. It is important that parents should not be seen as separate or isolated. Collaboration is the key and communication is the means. Parents and teachers need to work as informed partners and that is the thinking behind extending the title. I also feel that although this book is written for parents, many professionals will also benefit from reading it.

This second edition has developed many of the themes and ideas in the first edition (published in 2004). The overall theme of this book is to provide parents/carers and families with knowledge and understanding of dyslexia. The aim is to empower parents and to provide them with the confidence through knowledge and understanding to deal with the range of professionals they may encounter at different stages of their child’s education. The book also considers post-school issues, such as college and the workplace, and provides insights into how the needs of people with dyslexia can be met beyond school. There is also a chapter on self-esteem and the emotional needs of young people with dyslexia. These factors are important in meeting learning needs.

The author lives and works in Canada and does a great deal of work in the US and Canada, but has a sound knowledge of the situation in the UK and Europe, as well as in Australia and NZ and the Middle East. It is anticipated that this knowledge will help to make the book applicable to international audiences.

There has been increased recognition of dyslexia in many countries over the years and the numbers being assessed as dyslexic are increasing, but often the accompanying support and interventions are not available. This can be confusing for parents and it is the aim of this book to clarify any confusion and to provide straightforward guidance. Parents can be confused by the vast range of programmes and interventions as well by as the different policies and procedures adopted by different countries and school districts.

I hope you will find this book comprehensive, as it is intended to cover almost all the areas that parents will want to know about, including research, assessment and teaching. The most recent references and research have been considered. It is also hoped that parents will be able to identify with the case studies and suggestions and relate these to their own situation. This book also aims to clarify and explain some of terms used, particularly the terms used in psychologists’ reports.

There has been a considerable number of significant breakthroughs and advances in the field of dyslexia in recent years and it is important that parents are kept informed and understand the implications of these for the current and future education of their child.

I have been fortunate to have benefited from considerable support in writing this book. Parents’ associations have been happy to contribute ideas and examples, centers of good practice such as the Red Rose School in Lancashire, UK run by my good friends Sionah and Colin Lannen, my wife Shannon Green, who contributed with ideas, suggestions and critical comment when necessary, and my wide international network of friends and supports in many countries, particularly Canada, the US, Scotland, England, Ireland, Australia, Kuwait, Switzerland, New Zealand, Cairo, Hong Kong and Singapore, as well as participants in the online course for parents that Shannon Green and I run through ICEPE (Europe) (see appendix).

I have been fortunate enough to give talks, workshops and seminars to parents’ groups in over 50 countries and to teachers in over 65 countries. It is always heartening and gratifying to speak with parents. One can learn so much from them, and their sincerity, and sometimes anxieties, can be heartfelt. As a parent myself of a young person with special needs I can understand and empathize with these parents and it has always been my personal and professional aspiration to provide as much support to parents as possible, both locally nationally and internationally. I sincerely hope that this book contributes to that support.

Gavin Reid
Vancouver, Canada