Quick Starter: Dyslexia
Educational information only — not a diagnosis or medical advice.
What it is
A learning difference that primarily affects reading and spelling, often linked to phonological processing.
Possible signs
- Slow or effortful reading; difficulty with fluent decoding
- Trouble recognising or manipulating speech sounds
- Spelling that varies (even within the same piece)
- Avoiding reading-heavy tasks; fatigue after reading
Trusted resources
Use this site for Dyslexia
- Warm up with a 60-second breath to reduce stress before reading.
- Use the Dyslexia page routines; keep practice short and regular.
- Track sessions and celebrate small gains to build confidence.
Progress (local only)
Dyslexia: Reading Training
These are practical, low‑pressure routines that blend paced breathing with sound, word, and visual‑scanning practice. The aim is steadier focus, less overload, and small wins that add up. Adapt minutes, difficulty, and text to suit the person.
Educational information only; not medical advice or a diagnosis.
Before practice (1–2 minutes)
- Do one calming breath: 4‑7‑8 (inhale 4s, hold 7s, exhale 8s) or Coherent 5‑5 (inhale 5s, exhale 5s).
- Pick a tiny goal (e.g., 60 seconds, 3 words, or 2 short lines).
- Stop while it still feels easy—bank the win and come back tomorrow.
1) Phonological awareness
Why it helps: noticing, separating, and blending sounds builds a base for decoding new words.
Sound map
Choose 3–5 graphemes (e.g., a, sh, ai). Point to a tile out of order and say its sound. Do 3 slow breaths, then a quick re‑run.
Segment → Blend (how to blend slowly)
- Stretch the sounds with a finger count: /k/ (1) — /a/ (2) — /t/ (3).
- Blend forward: say the first two together (ka…), then pull in the last (kat → “cat”).
- Use a breath cue: inhale before the first sound, exhale gently through the blend to avoid rushing.
- Swap roles: partner segments while you blend.
Voice Coach — Segment & Blend
Type a word and let the coach model slow sounds then the whole word.
How to run (1–3 min): show the set, speak the sound, read two quick example words, then hide and recall.
Sound Training Studio (Audio • Visual • Mirror)
Select a topic, click a sound to hear examples, and—if helpful—open the mirror to watch mouth shape.
Pronunciation coaching (quick cues)
- Mouth shape: long vowels stretch; short vowels are quick and centred.
- Voicing: throat vibrates for voiced sounds (e.g., /z/), not for unvoiced (/s/).
- Airflow: sh is a long, quiet stream; ch starts with a tiny stop then a release.
2) Grapheme–phoneme practice (GP mapping)
Why it helps: fluent mapping turns symbols into reliable sounds.
Rotate sets over the week. Keep each mini‑set short (3–6 items).
Short vowels
- a /a/ — cat, map
- e /e/ — bed, hem
- i /i/ — sit, milk
- o /o/ — hot, pond
- u /u/ — sun, drum
Long vowels
- a /ā/ — late, paper
- e /ē/ — tree, even
- i /ī/ — time, pilot
- o /ō/ — home, open
- u /yoo/ — unit, music
Digraphs / trigraphs
sh, ch, th, ph, wh, igh, tch, dge
- sh — ship, brush
- ch — chat, teacher
- th (/θ/ or /ð/) — thin, this
- ph — phone, graph
- wh — when, whale
- igh — high, night
- tch — catch, match
- dge — bridge, edge
Vowel teams
ai/ay, ee/ea, oa/ow, oi/oy, ou/ow, au/aw
- ai/ay — rain / day
- ee/ea — see / team
- oa/ow — boat / snow
- oi/oy — coin / boy
- ou/ow — sound / cloud
- au/aw — cause / saw
R‑controlled vowels
ar, er, ir, or, ur
- ar — car, start
- er/ir/ur — her, bird, turn
- or — fork, north
Silent letters
kn/gn, wr, mb, igh, tch
- kn/gn — knee, gnome
- wr — write, wrist
- mb — thumb, comb
- igh — light (single sound /ī/)
Pronunciation Lab (TTS)
Tap a sound to hear it and see examples.
3) Word ladders & light morphology
Why it helps: small changes sharpen attention to patterns and “meaning chunks.”
Letter change ladders
- cat → cot → coat → coast → toast → boast
- pin → pan → pain → plain → plane
- hop → hope → hose → those
- light → right → fright → bright
Prefixes / suffixes
- Base help → rehelp, helpful, helpless, unhelpful
- Base move → remove, improve, movement
- Base use → reuse, useful, useless
- Base clear → unclear, clarify, clearly
Voice Coach — Ladders & Affixes
Advanced Training: Comprehension, Memory & Focus
Active Comprehension: Creating mental movies
- Read and pause: two or three sentences, then stop.
- Visualise: what did you see/hear/smell/feel? Name details.
- Verbalise: say the image out loud to anchor it.
- Connect: link the next bit to your last image.
Memory & Focus tools
Working memory: Chunking
Group information into manageable chunks to aid retention.
Sustained focus: Visual Pomodoro
Focused bursts with short breaks to avoid fatigue.
General Reading Speed Training (for everyone)
The Pointer Method: Smooth pacing
Use a finger/pen/stylus to steadily underline text as you read.
4) Fluency lines
Why it helps: repeated, smooth reading grows automaticity without pushing speed.
- Pick 2–3 short lines at the right level. Re‑read for smoothness, not speed.
- Use a finger, ruler, or overlay as a pacer.
Fluency Pacer
Reveals words at a set pace. Aim for smooth, low‑effort reading.
Shortcuts: Space Pause/Resume • Esc Stop • ± WPM • [ / ] Chunk
5) Visual scanning & eye‑movement
Why it helps: steady eye jumps and wider attention make lines of text easier to track.
- Letter/number search: find targets in a small grid.
- Schulte mini: tap 1→25 in order. Aim for calm accuracy.
Letter / Number Search
Schulte Mini (1→25)
6) Rapid naming (RAN) micro‑drill
Why it helps: quicker naming of known items supports fluent decoding.
- Say highlighted items row by row. Keep voice relaxed; take one breath between rows.
Rapid Naming Strip
Resources (Adults)
- Twinkl – adult dyslexia resources
- British Dyslexia Association – Adults
- International Dyslexia Association
- Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity – Adults
- Understood.org – Dyslexia in adults
- National Center on Improving Literacy
- Reading Rockets
- NIH / NIDCD
- Dyslexia Scotland – Adults
Download PDFs
© — Educational information only; not medical advice.