Teaching Grammar to Students with Dyslexia

Does Dyslexia Affect Grammar?

For a student with dyslexia, grammar learning is yet one more hurdle to overcome. Using proper grammar requires both decoding and encoding skills — two of the biggest challenges for students with reading and writing issues. Additionally, the rules of mechanics can be especially difficult for dyslexic students to commit to memory, including:

• Parts of speech and how to use them
• Proper use of pronouns
• Subject/verb agreement
• Verb tenses
• Subjunctive mood
• Punctuation and capitalization

Although dyslexia presents challenges for students, it also bestows some distinct and wonderful gifts. Discover these 10 learning strengths of students with dyslexia.

How to Help Students with Dyslexia with Grammar

Strategies that help dyslexic students with reading and writing also aid in the study of grammar. When teaching grammar to dyslexic students try to:

• Make sure your student understands the “why” of learning grammar; explaining how grammar creates clearer communication
• Use multisensory teaching techniques and visual learning cues
• Break up learning into short chunks of time and content
• Use assistive technology such as grammar checkers
• Give students time to master specific skills before moving on to others
• Focus more on what your student is trying to communicate when writing than the mechanics of how he or she communicates it

Online Grammar Curriculum for Students with Dyslexia

One of the reasons homeschooling is such a popular option for children with dyslexia is the flexibility it offers families to customize a curriculum to the student. For instance, many children with dyslexia also may have a diagnosis of dysgraphia, making handwriting a constant challenge.

Homeschoolers have the ability to use an online grammar curriculum that utilizes keyboarding rather than requiring students to complete grammar worksheets. One of the keys to teaching grammar to dyslexic students is choosing a curriculum that fits his or her learning needs. The same is true for any spelling curriculum for dyslexia that you might be considering, as well.

How Time4Learning Grammar Helps Students with Dyslexia

Teaching grammar to students with dyslexia should follow a structured and sequential approach to ensure they understand the logical connections between the sounds and letters. By teaching them grammar in such a detailed manner, students can improve their written expression and grow their cognitive organization and comprehension skills.

Time4Learning offers the flexibility of structuring the curriculum the way it best fits your child’s needs. Additionally, the visual, multimedia style of the lessons helps students with learning differences make sense of new concepts more easily and retain them longer.

Online grammar activities are incorporated throughout the entire language arts curriculum. The program not only gives a comprehensive overview of grammar concepts, but breaks those concepts into manageable chunks so that students can focus on one important lesson or rule at a time.

With Time4Learning you can build the right grammar curriculum for your student with dyslexia by selecting the lessons that target your students gaps in grammatical concepts such as:

• Parts of speech
• Capitalization and punctuation
• Sentence structure
• Contractions

Have other questions about homeschooling a child with dyslexia? You may find the following pages helpful.

• Homeschooling a Student with Dyslexia
• Teaching Math to Students with Dyslexia
• Teaching Reading to Students with Dyslexia
• How to Help Dyslexic Students with Writing