Dysorthographia: Support at Home

Between speech therapy sessions, what can be done at home? Many parents want to help but fear doing it wrongly or turning the home into a school. Good news: your role is not to replace the speech therapist, but to extend their work in a gentle and caring way. Here is how. Less, but better, and always with kindness.

You Are Not a Speech Therapist

The first thing to remember is that you do not need to become a speech therapist. Rehabilitation is the work of the professional, who is trained for it. Your role is different, and just as important. Your role is essential, but different.

Trying to do too much can even be counterproductive. A child who spends their evenings doing spelling exercises risks becoming overwhelmed, losing heart and rejecting writing. Too much is the enemy of good.

Your role is above all to support, encourage and create a favourable environment. Your support is irreplaceable. See how to help a child with dysorthographia.

Following the Speech Therapist's Advice

The speech therapist may suggest a few activities to do at home: a game, a list of words, a proofreading technique. Follow their advice rather than inventing your own exercises. Their advice is valuable.

This consistency matters: your child finds the same methods and the same landmarks in sessions and at home. This reinforces learning. Consistency strengthens effectiveness.

Don’t hesitate to ask the speech therapist what is useful and what is not. They will be happy to guide you. See rehabilitation.

Short and Regular Sessions

At home, favour short, regular sessions. Five to ten minutes a day is far more effective than one long session at the weekend. Regularity is more effective than intensity.

Choose a time when your child is available and relaxed, not just after a long school day. Stop as soon as they show signs of tiredness. The right moment makes all the difference.

Regularity matters more than duration. A small daily routine eventually becomes natural. This routine becomes second nature. See learning differently.

Search for Dys professionals near you

The only online directory dedicated to professionals working with Dys disorders

Playing with Words

Play is the best ally at home. Letter games, sound riddles, adapted crosswords, word-based board games: anything that gets children handling written language without pressure is good. Play is an excellent tool.

Games in the car or at the dinner table are just as effective: finding rhyming words, spelling words, finding words from the same family. These everyday games are easy to organise.

These playful moments build skills without your child feeling they are working. The child learns while having fun. See spelling games.

Encouraging Reading and Writing for Pleasure

Encourage reading in all its forms: comic books, magazines, books about their passions. The pleasure of reading matters more than the type of reading. All reading counts.

Also encourage writing for pleasure, without pressure over mistakes: a shopping list, a message, a little diary, an invented story. The important thing is to write, not to write perfectly. Writing should remain a pleasure.

These moments keep the link with the written word alive and strengthen word memory. These moments keep the link with the written word alive. See writing day to day.

Organising Homework

Homework is often a source of tension. Adapt it: short sessions, regular breaks, work orally before writing. These adaptations relieve everyone.

Don’t hesitate to write down dictation for them from time to time, when the aim is the content rather than the spelling. It relieves them and lets them concentrate on their ideas. This simple gesture frees them.

If homework becomes a battleground, hand over to a third party. Your relationship matters more than homework. See organising homework.

Preserving the Relationship

The most important thing is your relationship with your child. They need to feel that you believe in them, and that their spelling changes nothing about your love and pride. Your gaze matters enormously.

Value their efforts, progress and talents outside of writing. Leave them free time, without school or spelling. Their talents deserve to be celebrated.

A child who feels supported at home approaches their difficulties with more serenity and motivation. Family support is a powerful driver. See dysorthographia and self-esteem.

Exchange with parents of dys children

A space for exchange, listening and support dedicated to parents of children with DYS disorders

Questions that keep coming up

How Long to Work on Spelling at Home ?

Five to ten minutes a day is enough, done regularly and playfully. Short sessions are better than a long one that exhausts the child. Regularity is key.

Should You Repeat the Speech Therapist's Exercises? ?

Follow their advice: they will tell you what is useful at home. Avoid inventing your own exercises without their input. They will know how to guide you.

My Child Refuses to Work at Home, What Should I Do? ?

Lighten the load, turn to play, and talk to the speech therapist. If tensions persist, a third party can take over homework. Preserving the relationship is the priority.