Help for Parents

Our Helpline receives many calls from anxious parents, who feel that they are not getting enough support for their struggling child in school. Parents understand their children best and are often the first to realise that something is not quite right.

"Why can my child talk in detail about dinosaurs yet put nothing onto a piece of paper?"
This is the sort of question, which makes parents ask if their child might be dyslexic.

We always recommend in the first instance that the parent goes to the school SENCo (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) for help, but often the parent is still left not knowing if dyslexia is the cause of their child's difficulty.

Common responses from school include: "We don't like to label children", "she's too young to assess", "there are others worse than your son" and "we have no resources to do more".

We believe at the Dyslexia Association that it is really important to look for the causes of difficulty in a child who is struggling. If the nature of the child's difficulties and their strengths are understood, it will be possible for schools to use the available resources as effectively as possible to meet individual needs. The dyslexia 'label' certainly does not have to have negative connotations.

In an ideal world, all schools would screen or assess pupils promptly if they showed signs of possible dyslexia, and then provide the appropriate learning support. However, this does not always happen. Our confidential Helpline will advise on a variety of steps to take if you believe more investigation or support is needed. Some parents use our paid-for services to identify their child's learning needs or to provide additional support.

The video shows how some families have used our services.

Helpline

• Monday to Friday
• 9:30am to 4:30pm
• 0115 924 6888