Speaking Up: How Confidence Empowers Students with Dyslexia

I recently had a surprising conversation with a student.

The student told me that, on the first day of high school this year, she marched up to her new teachers at the end of each class and said, “I have dyslexia, and I’ll need extra help and time with my reading and writing.”

I was so impressed with her boldness and fearlessness! I have been teaching this student for nearly two years. While she has made amazing progress with her literacy, this story clearly demonstrates another important area of growth: her confidence!

The Impact of Uncertainty

When students first begin taking lessons with me, almost all of them exhibit signs of anxiety and shame around literacy, school, and their identity. Children often experience and exhibit these feelings quite differently than adults, so they can sometimes be hard to identify. Children and teens are naturally clever. Over the years, I’ve seen them adopt many ways to disguise their insecurities and avoid their schoolwork.

For instance, some students avoid being labelled “dumb” by acting in hyperactive or disruptive ways, remaking their identities to be“class clowns”.Other students may become quiet, avoidant, and well-behaved to avoid drawing their teacher’s attention (I’ve noticed this especially in girls). Some students become extremely emotional, negative, and combative with their teachers and classmates to make sure they aren't often pushed to do their work. While others do every task incredibly slowly and find excuses to fill their time and avoid their work, such as, “I need to sharpen my pencil.” “Can I use the washroom?” “I’ll do the assignment once I finish rearranging my desk.”

All children are unique, but in my experience, many of these behaviours and “reputations” stem from the student’s anxiety around schoolwork and shame about their abilities. Many students with dyslexia, also have ADHD and many of these behaviour getting written off as such.

The Importance of Confidence

To address these issues, the first stage of my Orton-Gillingham lessons focuses on reducing the student’s anxiety and having conversations about what dyslexia (and ADHD) actually is.

I often begin by speaking about my personal experiences and struggles with dyslexia. Next, we talk about how school and teaching are not designed for those with dyslexia, and that they have not had a level playing field with many of their peers whose minds work differently. I also find it important to discuss how frustrating it is when teachers accuse them of being “lazy” or “not trying hard enough” when the students are, in fact, trying incredibly hard.

I will also look to the humorous side of dyslexia, such as the silly mistakes it can cause you to make. Throughout our lessons, I encourage students to make lighthearted jokes when I misspeak or misspell a word, saying “Oops, dyslexia moment!” All of this helps them become more comfortable with having dyslexia.

Many students need multiple conversations to convince them that they CAN learn to read. They will often ask, “Have you ever had a student that you couldn’t teach to read?” or “Has anyone ever failed your lessons?” I always reassure them that, while some people take longer than others, everyone eventually learns to read.

Building this confidence is foundational for their literacy journey. After these conversations, I notice students begin to relax and adopt a more positive self-image for their learning potential, which improves their educational experience and outcomes.

Advocacy in Action

The reality is that schools are not designed for people with dyslexia, and teachers may not know how to help these students. Unfortunately, even when a student receives an IEP (individualized learning plan), it rarely gets read or even acknowledged by teachers, particularly when the IEP focuses more on learning struggles than “behavioural” issues.

I don’t blame teachers for these oversights, since they are often overworked and stretched thin in the classroom; however, it’s important to note that this lack of awareness may lead teachers to lack empathy or understanding for their students who are struggling.

This is why I was so encouraged by my student who spoke-up to her teachers. By advocating for herself, she showed a deep awareness of her own learning needs and demonstrated to her teacher that she cares about her education, that she wants to succeed, and that she knows what needs to be done to make that happen.

For all children (especially those with learning disabilities), self-advocacy is a lifelong skill. Gaining the confidence to speak up and understand their needs from an early age can shape not only their educational journey, but their entire lives.