Dyslexia

Today I am helping my little brother with dyslexia do his homework. He has a really hard time with reading. Dyslexia is characterized by not having the ability to process or recognize symbols. My family has known that Clayton is dyslexic since he was about 7 years old, he's now 11 and in the fifth grade. I'm so proud of him.

Because I am helping him with his homework today, I noticed that he doesn't have a "routine" for doing homework. I know when I do homework I have certain things I do that make it easier to focus. So I've been trying to help him focus.

For his dyslexia, we made him a bookmark that he can use while doing homework or at school to underline the line he's reading to make it easier to focus and not skip words. It is purple and green on one side and blue on the other. Certain colors can make it easier or harder to concentrate. Cool colors seem to work best for Clayton.

To avoid distraction while he read, I had him get a pillow and a blanket and sit in the bathtub while he read. When I was little, reading in the bathtub helped me have less distractions.

When it came to actually doing his worksheets, we moved to the living room. I turned off the TV and while he was working we tried figuring out whether music with words or no words helped him focus more. No words seems to work best for Clayton.

I've been abusing the relationship I have with my little brother here lately and I'm hoping that tonight we have renewed some bonds that we used to have. Have you ever lost the love and respect of a sibling for not treating them right? If you're dyslexic, do you have any tips for my brother and I?