Listening Skills

By Jeremy Scott of Gildard, a company committed to increasing dyslexia awareness and to providing advice and support for young dyslexics, their parents and teachers. .

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Listening is an essential part of the curriculum and is necessary for functioning well in any classroom. The ability to concentrate on the spoken word and to follow a list of instructions is crucial to doing well; however, sadly, many children lack these important skills. For dyslexic children, following a string of verbal instructions is typically very difficult. Many become frustrated when they cannot do what has been asked of them, and consequently feel anxious and embarrassed at school, and even at home. Teachers and parents can help by limiting the number of instructions you give a dyslexic child to one or two. Speak in simple, short sentences. Ask children to repeat the instructions back to you, or have them close their eyes and picture what you are asking them to do as you speak. If the child can read, write down a few key words on a sticky note or a piece of paper. Do not berate a dyslexic child for not listening to you. In most cases, they have listened to you attentively, but cannot remember what you have asked them to do. If you consistently draw attention to the fact that they have not remembered, you will make them feel they've failed yet again, and their self-esteem will plummet. Instead, praise them when they have remembered. Positive feedback is much more effective. Listening comprehension, however, can be a real strength of dyslexic children. Often, the discrepancy between listening and reading comprehension is what alerts parents and teachers to the fact that a child might have a specific learning difficulty. Provide dyslexic children with the opportunity to participate in class discussions. Allow them to answer test questions orally or onto audio cassette. Encourage them to tell stories or poems onto tape and to present their work to a small group or to the entire class. In doing so, you are helping dyslexic children work to their strengths, and allowing them to achieve - just like everyone else in the class. Jeremy Scott 2001 Gildard

... have them close their eyes and picture what you are asking them to do as you speak.