Dyslexia
The best-supported approach is Structured Literacy — and the literature indicates it works better for all readers, not only those with dyslexia. It is not an adaptation for one student: it is an improvement for the class.
- available resources
- 24
- available resources
- Pedagogical Strategies
- 7
- Pedagogical Strategies
- Specialized Courses
- 7
- Specialized Courses
Phonemic awareness
Work with speech sounds before and alongside letters: segmenting, blending and swapping phonemes. This is where the difficulty usually starts.
- Start with syllables and rhymes, then move down to the phoneme
- Work orally first — no letters in sight, only sound
- Use markers to represent each sound: one token per phoneme
- Short daily sessions do more than one long weekly session
Systematic cumulative phonics
Teach letter-sound correspondences in a planned order, each new one building on the previous — not as they happen to appear in a text.
- Follow a defined sequence and do not skip steps out of haste
- Only present text using correspondences already taught
- Review previous content at the start of every session
- Teach explicitly: state the rule, do not expect them to infer it
Multisensory teaching
Link sound, symbol and movement in the same attempt — see, hear, say and write the same correspondence.
- When teaching a letter: the student sees it, says the sound and writes it at the same time
- Writing with a finger in sand or in the air before using a pencil helps fix the shape
- Multisensory is not 'a fun activity': it is the same information through simultaneous channels
- Keep the same channel sequence across sessions
Fluency through repeated reading
Read the same short text several times until it sounds natural. Fluency frees up attention for comprehension.
- A short text at a decoding level already mastered
- Model the reading first, so they hear how it sounds
- Three to four re-readings usually suffice; more than that tires
- Time it with the student and record their own progress — they compete with themselves
Adapting assessment
Separate what you want to measure from how you measure it: if the test is about history, a reading difficulty should not decide the grade.
- Offer extra time as a rule, not as a favour
- Read the question aloud when the test is not about reading
- Accept oral or recorded answers when the content allows
- Do not deduct for spelling in an assessment that is not about spelling
Access to content through audio
While decoding develops, make sure the student keeps learning the subject content through another channel.
- Audio does not replace reading instruction — it runs in parallel
- Offer the text as audio and in writing at once, so they can follow along
- Screen readers already ship with the operating system, at no cost
- Agree with the student: some prefer not to make the use visible to the class
Intensify when progress stalls
If the weekly measure does not rise after a few weeks, increase the dose before changing the method: more time, smaller group, more repetition.
- Measure something objective once a week, such as correct words per minute
- Before switching approach, check whether it was delivered as planned
- Reduce group size before reducing expectations
- Change one variable at a time so you know what had an effect
Phoneme tokens
Works on sound segmentation with no letters in sight, using one token per sound.
Materials
Objectives
Implementation
The student moves one token for each sound they hear in the word, without seeing it written.
Timed repeated reading
The student re-reads the same short text three times and sees their own time improve — competing with themselves, not the class.
Materials
Objectives
Implementation
Model the reading, time three attempts and plot them on the chart with the student.
Multisensory letter tracing
Links sound, shape and movement in the same instant, to fix the correspondence that tends to slip.
Materials
Objectives
Implementation
The student sees the letter, says the sound and traces it with a finger, in the same sequence, every day.
Adapting a test in five minutes
A quick procedure to adapt a test you have already written, without reducing the content assessed.
Materials
Objectives
Implementation
Review wording, formatting and response format, keeping the assessed content identical.
Foundations of Inclusive Education
Instituto Rodrigo Mendes
National Center on Improving Literacy — training materials
National Center on Improving Literacy
Data-based intensive intervention
National Center on Intensive Intervention
AVAMEC — the Ministry of Education training platform
Ministério da Educação
15 distance courses in special education
Ministério da Educação
Escola Virtual.Gov
Enap / Governo Federal
Escola Virtual — Fundação Bradesco
Fundação Bradesco
Structured Literacy — the basics
What it is, what the components are and why the literature indicates it works for all readers.
Published by: Reading Rockets · EN · Site
Open materialFeatures of Structured Literacy instruction
A technical breakdown of the elements defining the approach, from the federal literacy centre.
Published by: National Center on Improving Literacy · EN · Site
Open materialPhonological and phonemic awareness
A collection on rhyme, syllable and phoneme, with practical activities for each level.
Published by: Reading Rockets · EN · Site
Open materialWhat is Structured Literacy — for families
An explanation in plain language, useful for talking with families about what the school will do.
Published by: Understood · EN · Site
Open materialNational Center on Improving Literacy
The US federal literacy centre, with screening, teaching and training materials.
Published by: National Center on Improving Literacy · EN · Site
Open materialIntensive intervention — tools
What to do when an intervention produces no progress: how to measure, decide and intensify.
Published by: NCII — American Institutes for Research · EN · Site
Open materialInternational Dyslexia Association
The international reference body on dyslexia, with fact sheets, teacher preparation standards and family material.
Published by: International Dyslexia Association · EN · Site
Open materialThe Inclusive Mainstream School
MEC/SEESP booklet on organising the mainstream school from an inclusion perspective.
Published by: MEC / SEESP · PT · PDF
Open materialDIVERSA — inclusive education in practice
Practice reports and materials in Portuguese, from Instituto Rodrigo Mendes.
Published by: Instituto Rodrigo Mendes · PT · Site
Open materialSpecial Education from an Inclusion Perspective
Foundations of inclusive special education, an official Ministry of Education publication.
Published by: MEC / SEESP · PT · PDF
Open materialUniversal Design for Learning Guidelines
A framework for planning lessons accessible to everyone from the start, instead of adapting case by case.
Published by: CAST · EN · Site
Open materialBrazilian Ministry of Education portal
Legislation, policies and official publications on special education from an inclusive perspective.
Published by: Ministério da Educação · PT · Site
Open materialProgress Center — evidence-based instructional practices
A collection of evidence-based instructional practices and support material, applicable across conditions.
Published by: Progress Center — American Institutes for Research · EN · Site
Open material