Dyslexia and secondary school: how to get organised to succeed despite the disorder?
The move to secondary school is a particular challenge for pupils with dysorthographia. The volume of written work increases, subjects multiply, teachers change, and the arrangements obtained in primary school are not automatically carried over. Here is how to plan ahead and get organised to succeed at secondary school despite dysorthographia.
Planning the move to secondary school from Year 6
Preparation for the move to secondary school should begin in Year 6 (CM2). Make sure the PAP is up to date and can be passed on to the secondary school, contact the future school before the start of term to present your child’s needs, and if possible meet the form tutor and the school doctor before the end of the final primary year. Do not wait until September, as the administrative steps needed to set up a PAP can take several weeks.
The computer: the central tool at secondary school
At secondary school, a computer with an advanced spell checker becomes the central and essential tool for a pupil with dysorthographia. It needs to be mastered before the start of term: software installed and configured, spell checker tested, note-taking practised. If using a computer is provided for in the PAP, the pupil must bring it to school and be trained to use it during assessments. This training should ideally take place at the end of primary school, not at the last minute.
Organising homework and revision
At secondary school, the workload at home increases considerably. Rigorous organisation is essential for a pupil with dysorthographia, whose writing tasks take more time. A well-kept planner, a suitable workspace, a fixed routine and breaking long tasks down into short steps make it possible to manage this workload without burning out. The speech and language therapist can help define personalised organisational strategies.
Keeping up speech and language therapy
Even if significant progress has been made in primary school, it is strongly advised to continue speech and language therapy in Years 7 and 8 (sixième and cinquième). The new demands of secondary school, particularly in written production across all subjects, can reactivate difficulties that were thought to be overcome. Remediation can be adapted to target these new challenges specific to secondary school.
Communicating with teachers throughout the year
At secondary school, the pupil will have around ten different teachers. All of them need to be informed about the dysorthographia and the arrangements planned in the PAP. A one-page summary document, listing the main difficulties and the adjustments requested, given to each teacher at the start of the year, is much more effective than a lengthy speech and language therapy report. And if a teacher does not apply the arrangements, do not hesitate to raise the matter with the form tutor. For resources on the rights of DYS pupils at secondary school, lesdys.fr offers practical guides for families.
