Struggling with homework!

[Mrs H]

I bet when u read the title of this post you thought I was going to tell you that r littleone was struggling!! But no, thankfully when he puts his mind to it (he's 5 and in p1) he can do it just fine however I am struggling already with his homework!
I'm dyslexic and struggled my way threw the education system. I desperatly don't want that for my kids so am very much on the look out for any signs. I thought I would be grand with homework until they were well up but tonight I really struggled with Finns reading homework to the point that Neil had to take over as I was getting frustrated, with myself but poor Finley probably thought at him.
I'm so cross with myself I'm out in the outhouse/laundry sorting it out to calm myself down. Finn sucessfully completed his homework with Dads help!

[Davie Crockett]

Have you tried tinted glasses? My son was in the same boat as you until he tried them, never looked back (If you pardon the pun). He ended up with a blue green tint to his.

I believe it doesn't suit everyone, but it made a real difference to him and stopped the letters "swimming" in front of him.

Good luck!

[frozenthunderbolt]

+1 Most common tint that helps is a yellow/buff

[Lilyfae]

Dyslexics in my school are either given a see-through film in the colour that works for them to put over their reading material / or I print off on blue/yellow/peach paper as they tend to be the colours that work.

Craft plastic film in a yellow or light blue could be the answer as our brains cannot process too much information at once - dyslexics even more so especially as 'black on white' dazzles the brain.
You need to trick your eyes to help focus the brain which is why the overlays help (if you cannot get hold of a coloured film a short solution I have seen is to use a tinted see-through ruler- it blocks out surrounding text so your eyes don't get distracted and you read line by line through colour which helps the brain convert text to words.

Hope that helps- and most of all don't get upset (I know it's easy to say) this isn't your fault & if you explain to your son why mummy has trouble & that she's not the only one, he will be a lot more sympathetic with dyslexic children he meets

[mrsflibble]

I use a pink tint. sort of puce. light green also works for me, but not so well. I find yellow/buff not as helpful, but will do at a pinch.

sophie finds it hillarious that I read with a finger under my lines same as she does, but I'm 28 and she's 5 lol. my mum uses a piece of cardboard with a hole cut out for each line.

[greenishfingers]

Hi,I work with some children with dyslexia,you can get clear,covered overlays to put over the page you're reading,in various colours,you'd have to try out a few colours to see if any of them help stop the words and letters getting mixed up.I've also made the children some cardboard 'windows (basically just a card rectangle with a window cut out) which means the reader only can see one line at a time,it really seems to help. hope this helps x

[Mrs H]

Thanks so much for all the advice, I'm going to try the tints and see what helps. I've always backed away from help as I was made to feel stupid threw school but I've gotta do something now so I can help my kids. In the meantime dad has taken over homework duties!! Xx

[Clarry]

Hi Mrs H,

I know this is an old thread but I was wondering how you're getting on? I have Irlen Syndrome and have specially prescribed tinted glasses. These will only help though if you have a problem with the words moving.

Don't feel stupid. I didn't get diagnosed until I was nearly 30 at Uni and the tools I have now make everything so much easier.

[oldfella]

"YOU ARE NOT STUPID" you are a loving caring MUM, and if all kids had that, then the world would be a far better place.

[RuthG]

Hi Mrs H,

I know this is an old thread but I was wondering how you're getting on? I have Irlen Syndrome and have specially prescribed tinted glasses. These will only help though if you have a problem with the words moving.

Don't feel stupid. I didn't get diagnosed until I was nearly 30 at Uni and the tools I have now make everything so much easier.

You are NOT stupid and no-one has the right to make you feel that way. Keep plugging away for a diagnosis and get the proper help - it's amazing what a diffenece it makes even just knowing that whatever it is has a name and you werent ever 'stupid' at all, no matter what the 'clever' teachers thought.

I used to get books thrown at me across the classroom and yelled at 'you stupid girl!' because I copied the maths down wrong. Now in my 50s, I have recently learnt I have dyscalulia (dyslexia with numbers) and still dont know my right from my left, which is apparently a classic sign! I also dont have the same spacial awareness that others have - eg I cant see those pictures that look like one thing but are actually something else; and I cant visualise acreage or other mathematical concepts like distances, and I cant cross over - like putting socks on a child when the child is sitting opposite me; they have to sit on my knee! The mathematical concepts I have got the hang of, I need to do in imperial, as to change to metric would be just about impossible. Now when people try to explain figures to me, I just say I cant read numbers, please make it very simple for me.

[Thomzo]

I have dyscalulia (dyslexia with numbers) and still dont know my right from my left, which is apparently a classic sign! I also dont have the same spacial awareness that others have - eg I cant see those pictures that look like one thing but are actually something else; and I cant visualise acreage or other mathematical concepts like distances, and I cant cross over - like putting socks on a child when the child is sitting opposite me; they have to sit on my knee! The mathematical concepts I have got the hang of, I need to do in imperial, as to change to metric would be just about impossible. Now when people try to explain figures to me, I just say I cant read numbers, please make it very simple for me.

Goodness that sounds so familiar.

[Mrs H]

Hi guys, thanks so much for your kind words. I went to the docs to see what they could advice and frankly they weren't really interested! I don't really know were to go now. Neil has taken over homework duties!!
RuthG, I can't do numbers either!! Thanku for posting because its a breath of fresh air to see that someone else has to set kiddies on their knee in order to put on socks!! I struggle with doing things in the correct order as well, for example: when I milk someone else has to set up the milk tank and machines and switch on for me and the same at the end of milking for the wash cycle. When I was milking full time on the one farm I was grand, one of the boys took a week and went threw everything everytime we milked and I wrote it all down, if I had more than 1 day off I was doomed and it was back to scratch!! Now I only do relief for one farm as I work with the boss and he deals with the tank. I can't go anywere else because I don't have that support.
Oldfella, thanku! Xxx