Dysorthographia and dyslexia exercises

Dysorthographia and dyslexia are very often associated: a child who struggles to read also generally struggles to write correctly. Both disorders rest partly on the same mechanisms. Working on reading and spelling together therefore saves time and improves effectiveness. Here are exercises that combine the two.

Two sides of the same learning process

Reading means turning letters into sounds. Writing means turning sounds into letters. Both operations rely on the same correspondences, travelled in one direction or the other. When these correspondences are fragile, both are affected. It is therefore logical to work on them together.

Memory for the spelling of words is also common to both: a well-memorised word is read faster and written more accurately. This is why the exercises can often serve both skills. The page why they often go together explains this link.

Reading then writing the same sounds

For each sound worked on, the child is first asked to read it in syllables and words, then to write it from dictation. The child moves from one direction to the other, which strengthens the correspondence. The same material serves both exercises.

Sound cards can be used, with a key word and a picture. The child consults them when reading as well as when writing. They become his or her common reference. There are not two systems to remember, but one. Complex sounds lend themselves well to this double work.

Reading and memorising words

When the child reads a word several times, its image settles into memory, which then helps them to write it. Repeated reading and learning spelling can therefore be combined. Words read in a short text are then written from memory.

Texts containing the words to be learnt are chosen, and the child rereads them over several days in a row. At the end of the week, they write these words without a model. Reading and spelling progress together. The child sees the link between the two activities. The partner site devoted to dyslexia offers additional reading exercises.

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Writing to read better

Writing a word also helps to read it better, because the child has to think about each letter. Dictation of syllables and words, followed by a read-through aloud, strengthens both skills. The child reads what they have written and checks that it matches.

This read-through aloud makes it possible to spot forgotten or reversed letters. The child hears the error and corrects it. They become aware of the link between what they write and what they read. Gradually, they carry out this check on their own. Forgotten letters have a page of their own.

Adjusting the workload

A child who has both dyslexia and dysorthographia makes considerable efforts at school. They are often very tired. Exercises at home should remain short and focused, so as not to exhaust them.

A ten-minute session that combines reading and writing is better than two separate sessions. Reading-for-pleasure moments, when an adult reads to the child, remain essential. They sustain the love of stories. They remind the child that reading is not only an exercise. The page dysorthographia and fatigue covers this point.

Everyday help

For a child who has both disorders, school adjustments are often necessary: reading out instructions, extra time, adapted marking of spelling, digital tools. These can be formalised in a support plan. They allow the child to show their real abilities.

From the end of primary school, digital tools become increasingly important: text-to-speech for reading, speech-to-text and a spell checker for writing. They compensate for both difficulties at once. Learning to use them is done with the help of a professional. The page PAP or PPS helps in choosing the right arrangement.

Follow-up that covers both disorders

The speech and language therapist takes charge of both dyslexia and dysorthographia, with suitable objectives. They can indicate the exercises that serve both skills. Work at home fits into this follow-up, without replacing it.

On the ProfessionnelsDys directory, it is possible to tick both disorders in order to find a suitable speech and language therapist. It is useful to bring recent writing and reading samples from the child. The page dysorthographia without dyslexia describes the case where only spelling is affected.