Welcome to our community pages
We get a lot of emails and communications from the neurodiverse community, including clever entrepreneurs, creatives, engineers, carers and everyone else out there with brilliant ideas, new products, and just other stuff which you might be interested in. We do update these pages regularly to ensure the information is up to date, so make sure you scroll right to the end.
All published posts are checked, and The Dyslexia Association is not responsible for the content whether this be in a blog, links to other sites, or any other form of user-generated media. All posts, and other information require authors to identify themselves.
Please see our website and external links disclaimer for further information
If you would like something published on these pages, send this in to helpline@thedyslexia.co.uk, with the title: Community Pages
Leicestershire Dyslexia Association (LDA)
Saturday Teaching Workshop – Volunteer with Us
🌟 Want to make a difference to young people with dyslexia and other learning differences
Are you interested in dyslexia, and supporting neurodiverse learners? Would you like to work alongside experienced tutors, meet young people and their families, and help build confidence and skills?
We’re looking for new volunteers to join our friendly Saturday Workshop team.
🕒 When
Saturday mornings, 9.00am–12.30pm, during school terms.
📍 Where
Stoneygate Baptist Church Hall 315 London Road, Leicester, LE2 3ND
👧👦 Who
Children and young people aged 7–16 (Key Stages 2, 3 & 4)
📘 What You’ll Be Supporting
Literacy: reading, spelling, writing : Numeracy : Study skills : Computer skills
Confidence‑building and coping strategies
💬 Why We Need Volunteers
The Workshop is growing, and we need committed adults who can support our young people and work alongside our tutors. You don’t need specialist experience, training can be provided, and you’ll be supported every step of the way.
🧠 About the LDA
The Leicestershire Dyslexia Association is a registered charity (est. 1985) offering support, information, and practical learning opportunities for dyslexic people across the county. Our Workshop has been running for over 37 years, helping young people build confidence, develop skills, and discover their strengths. Each student follows an individual programme tailored to their needs .Volunteers receive hands‑on guidance to recognise and understand learning differences and how best to support them.
📞 Interested? Get in Touch
Initial Contact Barbara 07811 774306 BarbaraP@ldadyslexia.org.uk
Workshop Coordinator: Fiona Hossack Call: 0116 2415153 Text: 07506 845808 Email: fionah@ldadyslexia.org.uk Website: www.ldadyslexia.org.uk
Listen to Declan’s story:
It’s a wonderful and inspiring story and we thought that this may be of interest to your organisation and its’ beneficiaries, since it covers some of the following topics:
- How dyslexia and autism diagnoses and educational barriers in early life do not predict future successes
- Highlighting both the challenges and advantages of dyslexia and autism
- The importance of better awareness of neurodivergence, and how it leads to supportive learning and work environments
This episode is now available on all major podcast platforms: https://rss.com/podcasts/living-biology/2912493/?listenOn=true
Research participants wanted: Dyslexia and writing technology
Do you have dyslexia? Have you experienced difficulties writing, correcting or checking messages and emails on your phone?
I’m looking for adults with dyslexia to take part in a 30-minute online conversation about how they currently use keyboards, autocorrect, dictation and other writing tools.
I’m particularly interested in people who regularly use their phones for work, whether they mainly type, use voice-writing tools or switch between the two.
The aim is to understand people’s experiences and identify problems that existing technology may not adequately address. There is no product to buy or test.
What’s involved?
A voluntary 30-minute online interview. You may be invited to demonstrate how you normally write or correct text, but you won’t be asked to share confidential or sensitive information.
How will the information be used?
The findings will help inform the potential development of a new assistive writing tool and may contribute to a funding application. Participation is voluntary, and any findings shared externally will be anonymised unless you explicitly agree otherwise.
You can ask questions or withdraw from the interview at any point. Further details about how interview information will be handled will be provided before participation.
Interested in taking part?
Please email craig@craiglangran.com.
Based on the original instructions provided by Dyslexia Specialist Teacher, Susan Brandt, we have simplified for website users, while retaining the educational purpose and approach of the game.
Syllable Pyramids
A Fun Game for Building Reading Confidence
Syllable Pyramids is a simple but highly effective literacy game that helps learners break long words into manageable chunks. It encourages reading accuracy, fluency, organisation skills and confidence with longer vocabulary.
The game is particularly useful for children and adults who find reading challenging, including many dyslexic learners.
Learning Objectives
The game helps learners to:
- Read longer words by breaking them into syllables.
- Develop decoding and word-building skills.
- Improve reading fluency and pronunciation.
- Strengthen visual organisation skills.
- Practise taking turns, observation and strategic thinking.
- Build confidence when tackling unfamiliar words.
What You Need
- One set of Syllable Pyramid cards (3, 4 or 5 syllable words).
- Two players (or a tutor supporting one or two learners).
- A table or flat surface large enough to create the pyramid grids.
How the Cards Work
Each word is split into stages, with one card for each syllable level.
For example:
| Card 1 | Card 2 | Card 3 | Card 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| to | togeth | together | togetherness |
When all cards are collected in order, they form a complete word.
Setting Up
- Shuffle the cards.
- Deal 7-8 cards to each player.
- Place the remaining cards face down in a draw pile.
- Players organise their cards into a pyramid according to the number of syllables.
Example:
to
togeth
together
togetherness
As the game begins, cards will usually be mixed and incomplete.
How to Play
- Players take turns drawing one card from the pile.
- The player must read the card aloud clearly.
- The card is added to their pyramid in the correct position.
- If a player draws a card that belongs to a word for which the other player already holds more matching cards, the other player may claim that card.
- Continue taking turns until all cards have been used.
How to Win
At the end of the game, count the number of completed words.
The player with the most completed pyramid words wins.
Tutor Tips
To gain the greatest benefit from the game:
- Encourage every card to be read aloud.
- Check pronunciation gently and immediately where needed.
- Discuss unfamiliar words and their meanings.
- Encourage players to keep their cards organised in neat pyramid rows.
- Celebrate successful decoding of longer words.
Why It Works
Many struggling readers find long words overwhelming. Syllable Pyramids teaches learners to recognise smaller chunks within words, making them easier to decode and understand. This approach helps develop reading independence and confidence while making practice enjoyable.
Top Tip: Start with the 3-syllable pack before progressing to the 4- and 5-syllable packs if the learner is new to syllable work. This mirrors the progression from the original Vowel Pyramid game to the more advanced Syllable Pyramid format.
GAMES In Total ALPHABETICAL ORDER Xxxxxxx
Instructions For VOWEL Pyramids Game Instructions XxxInstructions
Created by Leyton O’Day as a passion project to support his partner during her university studies, where she faced the challenge of not having access to assistive software tailored for her dyslexia, Clipboard TTS serves as an invaluable tool empowering you to read, listen, and translate like never before.
Features:
Text-to-speech: Detects when you copy a text or image, and instantly reads it aloud! No more copy-paste!. With support for 49 languages and 100+ voices, you can listen to your text in the language and voice of your choice.
Image-to-text: When you copy an image, Clipboard TTS will automatically detect any text within the image, and convert it to speech.
Highlighting: The current sentence and word being read aloud are visually emphasized with a colour of your choice, making it easy to follow along with the text. This feature is especially helpful for individuals with reading difficulties or those who need additional visual cues while reading.
Overlays: Improves the readability of the text by changing the background colour of the output box. This feature is especially useful for individuals with dyslexia who have difficulty reading text on a white background.
Font Customization: Customizing font type (with support for the OpenDyslexic font!), letter spacing, and size enhances readability and allows readers to personalize the text to their preferences. Previewing the changes provides a helpful representation, enabling users to fine-tune settings for optimal readability.
BoldCue: The first half of each word is made bold, providing clear visual cues that help your eyes quickly jump from one word to the next. This makes it possible to read quicker and with greater comprehension.
Auto Translation: Automatically detects the language of the copied text and translates it to the language of your selected voice. Anything you copy will be instantly translated!
AI Assist: An experimental feature that utilizes artificial intelligence to mutate the copied text based on a custom prompt of your design. e.g., you copy an article paragraph, the AI Assist summarises the paragraph, and the summarised version is read aloud instantly!
Substitutions: Customize the text before it’s read aloud. You can use substitutions to replace certain words or characters with others, such as changing “e.g.” to “for example” or removing a dot to prevent a pause in the audio.
Custom Mutations Order: Many features mutate the output text, such as Auto-Translation, Substitutions, Auto-Dictionary, and AI Assist. When multiple features are active simultaneously, you have the flexibility to tailor the sequence in which they modify the copied text with our “Custom Mutations Order” feature.
See more features here: https://www.clipboardtts.com/product/features
Claim Your Free Trial!
Sign up here: https://www.clipboardtts.com/auth/sign-up
This is Andy Salmon from Sir Linkalot and his new exciting app
Sir Linkalot is an award-winning app for spelling tricky words from ‘was’ to ‘onomatopoeia’ that many dyslexia associations have called groundbreaking.
To find out what it’s all about, take a peek at this clip that contains a ‘celeb warning’ at the end Sir Linkaot – Taster video
The annual subscription from any app store is £50 but there is a 40% discount for members of dyslexia associations.
If you’d like to the most of this offer, send an email to sirlinkalot@sirlinkalot.org, putting in the subject line ‘TDA discount’.
You will be emailed a code that will give the whole household access on any device including laptops and PCs.
It has never been done before to this extent and that’s why it’s getting so much attention.
Your use of mnemonics (links) in this way is a brilliant idea – Ruth Miskin CBE, government advisor and creator of The UK’s leading phonics programme ‘Read Write Inc’
Congratulations on tackling something that no one has managed to tackle. It’s incredible – Susie Dent, Countdown’s resident lexicographer
An utterly brilliant system for creating a world of wonderful happy spellers – Stephen Fry
This is fantastic. I can now spell diarrhoea! – Sir Paul McCartney
Edward Spencer from Highlightly
🌟 Discover a New Way to Read with Highlightly: Empowering Neurodivergent Readers! 🌟
At Highlightly, we believe that reading should be an empowering experience, especially for those who navigate the world through a neurodivergent lens. Our revolutionary approach transforms the reading journey, providing a supportive platform that understands and caters to diverse needs.
📚 The Power of Contextual Highlighting
Unlike traditional methods of rewording or summarizing text, Highlightly brings a fresh perspective to reading. We believe in the strength of context, and our innovative solution highlights key sentences within their contextual framework. This not only eliminates unnecessary details but also empowers you to focus on what truly matters, fostering efficient and effective reading.
👩🎓 Supporting Skim Reading for Students
Skim reading is a vital skill, especially for students navigating through extensive study materials. We recognise the importance of this skill and have designed Highlightly to support this by keeping the surrounding text of highlights available. So you can say goodbye to wading through layers of information; instead, embrace the ability to quickly identify and absorb essential content.
📑 Smart Highlighting Modes for Every Scenario
Highlightly isn’t just a one size fits all summary generator; it’s a versatile reading companion. With multiple smart highlighting modes catering to different scenarios, helping you find the information you need quickly.
🚀 Born Out of Necessity: A Personal Journey
Highlightly was born out of a personal necessity. As someone who is dyslexic, I couldn’t get through all my university readings. While screen readers offered assistance, they couldn’t be the complete solution. Before Highlightly, the arduous task of listening to entire books became the norm, taking up precious time. Highlightly changes the game by allowing users to skim read just the important new ideas in a document efficiently, saving time and energy.
🌐 Available Anytime, Anywhere: Web and iOS Compatibility
Highlightly is available both on the web and iOS so you can work dome home or on the go on phone or iPad.
🙌 Join the Highlightly Community and 🌈 Experience the Joy of Reading with Highlightly
We are dedicated to enhancing the reading experience for neurodivergent individuals and we hope you find Highlightly as transformative as we do.
We hope that you give Highlightly a go. We are committed to constantly improving the app. If you have ideas, thoughts, or feedback, we would love to hear from you. Your inputs will help us shape the future of Highlightly and reading for everyone in our wonderful community.
🚀 Download Highlightly Today and Revolutionize Your Reading Experience! 🚀
Sarah Mitchell has been in touch with a solution for the frustration of finding the right resources
As a specialist literacy teacher, I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling frustrated and overwhelmed by the lack of resources available especially for older students. I know I certainly felt that way when I completed my Level 5 certificate. Where were the resources that made it easy to explicitly teach phonics, morphology, grammar, and writing skills? The ones I found were often lengthy, outdated, and left too much of the planning to the reader.
I recall feeling like I was stuck in a rut, searching for resources that would provide the structure and guidance I needed to support my students’ learning. But what I found was either too vague or too rigid, leaving me with more questions than answers.
As I began to create my own resources, I knew that I had to make them different. I wanted to create something that would be easy to use, evidence-based, and accessible to all specialist teachers. Something that would provide the clarity and guidance we needed to teach literacy with confidence.
After years of working with students with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD), I knew that what they needed was a systematic and sequential approach to learning. An approach that would identify and address their gaps in knowledge, rather than trying to follow a rigid program from start to finish.
**The Teaching Structured Literacy Series**
The result is the Teaching Structured Literacy Series, a set of four books designed to support specialist teachers like you. Each book is carefully crafted to provide clear structure, guidance, and activities that can be tailored to your students’ specific needs.
| The first book, “The Ultimate Scope and Sequence for Teaching Structured Literacy,” provides a comprehensive framework for teaching literacy, including phonics, morphology, etymology and accurate spelling rules.
**Feedback from Claire Harvey, Head of Education at the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre: “A cumulative, sequential, step-by-step approach to teaching literacy underpins all specialist tuition. Checklists to track progress, and word examples for each task. I wish I had this book when I was training!” |
| The second book, “How to Teach Every Spelling Pattern Ever,” delves into the why behind spelling patterns and words, providing explanations.
Claire says: “Includes not only the WHAT to teach but also the HOW to teach spelling, including explanations for WHY words are spelt as they are. Drawing on morphology, etymology, and phonology, this book delivers a story behind even some of the trickiest letter patterns and words to teach, making them ultimately more accessible, meaningful, and memorable for both the specialist teacher and the learner. This is a super resource for any specialist teacher to have in their toolbox!” |
| The third book, “Assessing Reading and Spelling: For Teaching Structured Literacy,” offers checklists and assessments to help identify specific areas of difficulty and track progress.
Claire says: “Supports specialist teachers to assess, plan and then deliver personalised literacy targets based on their learner’s specific areas of weakness and gaps.” |
| And finally, “Transform Your Literacy Intervention” provides practical advice on how to structure lessons with SpLD learners, along with valuable resources and reinforcement activities.
Claire says: “For any specialist teacher looking for support on how to structure their lessons with SpLD learners, this book delivers. It includes a lesson template alongside valuable advice on how to deliver lessons to ensure targets and teaching goals are achieved. There are some super examples of teaching resources and plenty of reinforcement activities and games to ensure learners can practice and embed new skills. Thank you, Sarah, for another super book in your range.” |
**What You’ve Been Waiting For**
I’ve been thrilled to hear from hundreds of specialist teachers who have used my resources and have seen real improvements in their students’ learning. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with many teachers praising the clarity and simplicity of the resources.
As someone who has been in your shoes, I understand the frustration and uncertainty that comes with trying to find the right resources. But I’m confident that my series can help you overcome these challenges and provide the support you need to teach literacy with confidence.
So why not take a look at the Teaching Structured Literacy Series today? With these resources at your fingertips, you’ll be well on your way to transforming your literacy teaching practice and making a real difference in the lives of your students.
Available at the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre online bookshop. A portion of the sale goes to the charity.
The Ultimate Scope and Sequence:
https://helenarkell.org.uk/product/ultimate-scope-and-sequence-for-teaching-structured-literacy/
How To Teach Every Spelling Pattern Ever:
https://helenarkell.org.uk/product/how-to-teach-every-spelling-pattern-ever/
Assessing reading and spelling:
https://helenarkell.org.uk/product/assessing-reading-and-spelling-sarah-mitchell/
Transform Your Literacy Intervention:
https://helenarkell.org.uk/product/transform-your-literacy-intervention/
www.helenarkell.org.uk
Join Tina, a mum of a dyslexic child and her blog, a must read for parents who have just discovered their child has a learning difference.
Disability ? / ability?
Dis / Dys it’s a prefix which denotes lack
Life is full of coincidences and probability and hidden patterns
A 5 and an S look similar if badly transcribed. The source of the error can hard to see is it the transcription or something inside me.
A constant struggle to hide in a world of ableism
The able do not see the ism , cause there preconceived idea is that everyone is like them.
QED
ableism is hidden just as my disability is hidden it does nt show on the surface
I am not neurotypical nor are the people I work with our expressions are different
like those born into a foreign culture we see the world differently
This happened in the womb during our formation at a genetic level our brains processed differently
faster in some regards slower in others
Just different not better or worse
the pathways create new Neuro connections
give us new and different expression
I am on this spectrum of existence grouped with us neurodiverse bunch of whom I am proud to be associated with some of us are non verbal
But what I have learned from my none verb kin is expression does nt have to be limited to language it expressed emotionally , creativity in many tender and human ways
It’s exciting to look at the world though new eyes
Art and the art of living can nt be contained by such limited definitions as able / disable cause where others see lack I see humanity reaching exploring finding new ways of being
In community
In nature
With use of technology
All in creative and diverse ways
Expressing are total selves in totally unique ways
Finding away in a maze not of our making
Making a life
Expressing our spirit
With our wired different brains
I hated my label at school
Labelled thick
But now I embrace it
Viva la difference
Because those who think differently
Add new ways of seeing to the wonderful world in which we live
Check out some more of Rob’s writing using these links:
https://cs.astronomy.com/asy/b/astronomy/archive/2008/12/08/relativity-rap.aspx
https://www.abctales.com/story/valiswaverider/shorthand-conversations
https://www.abctales.com/story/valiswaverider/shoreline-autumn
And, a short story:
Kid.
That you Jack ?
It took me six weeks to gain my sea legs now I was finding it an usual sensation to be back on dry land.
The docks in Liverpool were dull grey and feature less in fact no less feature less than the arctic circle in the middle of winter. I had never known cold like we experienced on those winter coveys.
I held a cigarette to my lips to fight off the cold of a bitter wind at the quayside. The dock was a hive of activity we were loading up for the next voyage but it was long slow work and at present there was no real sense of urgency.
Another ship was docked much further down the side of the quay. They were offloading prisoners off war in handcuffs.
Albert who I was working with started shouting at one of them “ well bugger me , Jack , Jack is that you ?” The prisoner looked over at Albert and smiled a smile of pure joy. “Albert” he responded.
“What the hell are you doing in a Jerry uniform”. The guards did nt seem to mind the two of them chatting. “Well it’s a funny story really I was visiting my uncle in the Black Forest, when the next thing you know war had been declared and they have conscription over their well I could nt very well say no or they d have had me shot , so the next thing you know I am in the German navy”.
I did nt let on I was English or they d have hung me as a spy but all those summers in the black Forrest helping on the farm with Uncle Ernst meant I was a fluent in German , anyway it’s been a nightmare and the ship getting torpedoed was really a blessing in disguise, can you do me a big favour and let the wife know I am still alive may be just keep quiet about the been in German navy part.
Thanks R Wheeldon
Alex has written a book about a detective cat who gets their letters mixed up, see below for more information….
Hello
I have written a children’s book (ages 8 – 12) about a cat who is a detective. In order for him to communicate with the pet’s owner he fashions a note from scratching out letters from magazines only he gets the letters b, d, p and q mixed up.