Dyslexia Course
 for Parents

  Dyslexia Parents Resource

Course Materials

The course materials are:

THE COURSE BOOK

. . . informative and well illustrated . . .

The course book is 180 pages in length and has been designed to give parents a full and thorough knowledge of the nature of dyslexia and practical teachniques for teaching a dyslexic child. Written in straightforward language, and avoiding particularly technical words when a simpler word conveys the same meaning, the course book explains the essential facts about dyslexia, based on the latest research evidence.

All dyslexic children experience some degree of failure in school. The course book describes exactly how to help a dyslexic child or teenager overcome the problems they have, which stem from their difficulties with their visual and auditory memory, sequencing, andlaterality.

The pages of the course book are arranged so that large blocks of text are for the most part avoided. The pages are full of illustrations, practical exercises and diagrams.

The combined expertise of Direct Learning and the Dyslexia Parents Resource team have been used to the full in designing the content and layout of the course.

THE CD-ROM

. . . a treasure chest of materials . . .

The 86 documents in the CD-Rom provide a wealth of material which parents need. There are worksheets which can be used immediately, as well as examples of 'positive worksheets' which students can use as models to create their own personalized worksheets to use with their dyslexic child. Every worksheet has been used successfully with dyslexic children by parents, and developed over a period of many years.

In addition to worksheets, the CD-Rom contains:

• 25 handouts to stimulate discussion at parents' group meeetings,
  
  
• information about study skills and pupils rights,
  
  
• pictures of famous dyslexic people to print out and display.

The CD-Rom is simple to use: it can be slipped into a computer and all the files can be opened from Microsoft 'WORD', the most common word processor.

THE AUDIO TAPE

. . . a valuable recording of the sounds of the letters . . .

The audio tape which comes with the course materials contains a clear recording, with an explanatory dialogue, of each of the sounds made by the letters, both singly and in pairs. Some children are taught versions of the letter sounds that make it hard for them to sound out new words. The sounds on the audio tape clarify the exact sounds that dyslexic children should learn.

THE WEBSITE

. . . it keeps you in touch . . .

The course website gives you access to the Students' Discussion Group. It is your main point of contact with us and with other students once you have registered as a student.

THE STUDENTS' DISCUSSION GROUP

. . . I feel in touch with all the other students . . .

The weakness of any distance learning course is the lack of contact with other students. To address this, students are put in touch through the online Students' Discussion Group. This allows students to raise any points they find confusing, and to ask questions. Like any good discussion, everyone is free to join in, staff and students alike, and a lively debate will no doubt follow! This is what adult education is all about!

We hope that students will still continue to join in the Discussion Group when they have completed the course and are qualified. This will give the rest of us the benefit of their growing experience.

What is the difference between the Certificate and the Parents' courses?