Learners with Dyslexia & their Mental Health

I *love* that during that Dyslexia Awareness Month, reading teachers and organizations highlight important teaching tips, statistics, and research regarding this language-based specific learning disability and its impact on learners.  Many of us who work with struggling readers also notice the need to address their social-emotional needs as part of our instructional strategy.  So then I wondered:  what does the research say about the mental health of learners with dyslexia?

I found this great metanalysis titled Understanding Mental Health in Developmental Dyslexia. Here are a couple of the key highlights:

           

The article concludes that more research needs to be done on the mental health needs of learners with dyslexia.  

But we know from our own experiences and action research that struggling learners don't just require extra academic support -- they need a strong social-emotional foundation as well.  

So what can we do?

 

1.  First, we make sure that we employ best practices to address their needs so that students feel safe and take risks.  These best practices include the tenets of structured literacy that have been delineated by the International Dyslexia Association.

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2.  Second, we must model and teach growth mindset as a skill and a habit.  Yes, things will get challenging.  Yes, there will be times when we don't succeed.  What do we do then?  We try again, we try different strategies, we practice, we regroup, and we give ourselves more time to achieve our goals.  We try to develop systems and habits that will eventually lead to success (thank you, James Clear!)  We humble ourselves and use the advice and wisdom of others (like our teachers) to help us grow and improve.  I often tell kids, especially those into sports, that I'm their reading coach, and I'm there to help them reach their goals.

3.  Finally, we need to provide opportunities for students to express their feelings, and then strategies for how to deal with negative feelings.  Sadness, anger, and frustration are natural consequences of just being alive.  There are healthy ways to release these emotions, and there are harmful ways.  First step is acknowledging that we are allowed to have these feelings.  We don't need to be defined by these moments, but they happen.  Next, we can teach how can these feelings be released so that we can feel a sense of relief yet not hinder our goals or harm others.

    

I have a couple of resources that have served my students well over the years as a reading interventionist.  My students *love* the thematic SEL check-in sheets.  It's a wonderful opportunity to briefly connect with each student before the lesson begins, as well as provide guidance to a student who is struggling with a negative emotion and try to problem-solve the issue before it could impact other students or optimal learning.

I also have a Growth Mindset Vocabulary resource that supports students in developing the language of hard work and perseverance.  Plus, I have some reading response activities that allow students to evaluate the growth mindset of fictional characters and historical figures. Integrating growth mindset with academics . . . WIN!

As always, I would love to hear from YOU, and learn which strategies have been successful with your learners!  Always feel free to reach out to me on Instagram via DM.  So happy and honored to be a part of the science of reading community.💙