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of yelling can tend to set off temper tantrums and loss of self control. Keep the atmosphere calm and watch your child for signs of stress. If need be, remove them from the situation or redirect their attention until they calm down.

4. Break tasks down into a few simple steps. With your child, write down a daily routine together and post it where they can view it; their bedroom by the door for example. Make the sentences short and simple. Go over them daily. New tasks can be added by the parent when the child appears to be ready for more responsibility. We set up such a board in our daughter's room and it was a huge success, not only in giving her a clear idea of what was expected of her, but her self esteem greatly improved because she could now follow through on what was expected of her without assistance and conflict.

5. Try not to loose your temper when tasks are not carried out by your child. They do not process information the way we do. You may say, "Make your bed and clean your room", but to them what you said may have been construed as, "go to your room and open your clothes drawer". It is the same way when they are reading material. They are not reading what we are reading. In some cases, letters are always turned around and not in the same order that they are for us. Try to keep this in mind if you are on the brink of insanity. If they sense your frustration, you will get it back two fold!

These suggestions have helped us understand how our daughter perceives things from her point of view. In response to knowing this, we have learned how to incorporate her disability into her life, not incorporate her life into her disability. My biggest suggestion is not to hesitate if you think that your child shows prolonged difficulty in tasks that you feel they should have mastered already. It never hurts to ask a professional and most of the time, there is not a problem, but when there is it will only get worse with time and lack of assistance. The quicker the diagnosis can be made the sooner a problem can be addressed and dealt with.

Like most learning disabilities, dyslexia can be hard to diagnose, but with research and the help of a trained professional, it can be treated properly and your child, like ours, can experience positive school experiences and hold the same self confidence as the top reader in his/her classroom.

Learn more about this author, Allison Hickman.
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