Tips for General Classroom Work

1. The time right after school is usually not the time for homework. Right after the evening meal might be a good choice for most.

2. A consistent place to study is very important.

3. Parents should decide who should help whom and in which subjects.

4. If your child has to write an assignment, it may work well for him/her to dictate it to you and copy it later.

5. Use graph paper for math assignments if a student has trouble keeping columns straight.

6. Purchase only wide-line paper, not college-ruled. The student can write on every other line, leaving room for corrections and suggestions.

7. Have your child underline all misspelled words.

8. If a child uses a lot of energy erasing work, have him/her draw a neat single line through any error or circle the error and continue working.

9. If a child asks how a word is spelled, encourage him/her to attempt to spell the word and/or identify the beginning letters. Then spell the word. If the parent doesn't know, use the dictionary.

10. Don't overlook the teaching power of an older or even slightly younger child.

from FOCUS, a newsletter of the Greater Philadelphia Branch of the Orton Dyslexia Society, Spring 1997