POSTED ON APRIL 16, 2019 BY TRACEYHAYLES@OPTUSNET.COM.AU

Well it has been a while since I wrote an article for my website. It has not been an intentional absence. I just never really predicted how much need for support there was for children who are struggling to learn to read or who have Dyslexia. Between my business and my family I just got busy focusing on the next thing that needed to be done. I am guessing you all know what I am talking about. We did get to have some fun as well hence the photo of us all skiing in Japan.

I am grateful I was able to research and support my own child with Dyslexia. Now I am grateful that I am privileged enough to support families that are supporting their struggling reader or child with Dyslexia. I hear weekly how hard it is for a family to get the assistance their child needs, as they try and sift through the options and the education system. I am also privileged enough to work with families and see the results them and their child can achieve when they use the research based on brain science to support their child. I admire every family that walks through my door and commits to doing what it takes to help their child to read successfully.

My goal this term is to write a weekly article. Yes I am making a commitment to me and to you. Why you ask? Well I talk to many families and we are all trying to do our best( yes I include me in that we, as no one has worked out the magic formula, in fact I don’t think there is one). Everybody’s best looks different just like every child and family are different. One of my passions is taking the research and information and trying to make it easy for families to access, use and implement.

Our school system is not always meeting the needs of students with a learning difference, there are many reasons why but I am not going to rant about that as there are some great organizations working on this. What I believe is a parent and family is one of the most important factors in a child’s reading journey, especially for children with a learning difference.

When I started supporting my son I was completely frustrated by the misinformation and being told do a little of this and some of this or just read every night. I was lucky being a teacher and having had a career in education and in the charity sector I knew how to go about researching and finding what I needed.

Was it easy?
No.
Was it worth it?
Absolutely.

I love seeing my son get lost in a young adult fiction book. I strongly believe if we take the evidence based research and make it easy for families to understand and apply that they can make the difference for their child. If we wait for the system to be fixed then to many children will miss reaching their potential. It is also important to me that it is practical because how do we fit daily support into life? I get that it is not always easy, let’s share how we do it so other people in similar situations can get some ideas that might work for them.

Join me weekly and hopefully you will find something amongst the articles that might just help.