Dyslexic himself, Dr Frank is a teacher and psychologist so there is very little he doesn’t know about dyslexia. He has written this fantastic book, The Secret Life of the Dyslexic Child, and I highly recommend it to anyone who has ever asked the question ‘what is dyslexia?’
If you know dyslexic children as a teacher, parent, relative, or neighbor, then you will learn so much from this book.
My husband is not dyslexic, but is a special needs teacher who works with dyslexic children. He says this book has helped him more than any other. He had done many training courses about dyslexia in children and read numerous books on how to teach dyslexic children.
He knew the common dyslexia symptoms, but nobody had managed to show him what it feels like to actually be dyslexic and how it affects your everyday life. My husband now consults it often, and recommends it to all his colleagues and parents.
Dr Frank’s book is unique in that it doesn’t only deal with the symptoms of dyslexia, and the problems the written word causes. He describes in detail how dyslexia affects children all through their day and how the difficulties they experience can adversely affect their confidence and the choices they make in life.
For example, he talks about how weak short term memory affects studying and academic progress, he describes how feelings of low-self esteem and low levels of confidence affect academic progress, he describes how vulnerable he felt and indeed was when he was at school.
He has filled the book with personal stories, including his own, stories that really touch a chord. This not only makes it easy to read, but is one of its most touching aspects. The difficulties the children experience are vividly brought to life in a way that opens up their secret world to others.
He also shows how parents can best help their children at home and how to talk to teachers so the children get what they need and deserve from school.
One thing I am very grateful for is that it has helped all three of us in my family. Dyslexics don’t all have the same difficulties and my son’s dyslexia brings different challenges from the ones I faced and I have conquered many in my own way.
Thanks to Dr Frank, we all understand each other better and this has helped make us a happier family.
Kara Tointon is a young actress who worked in ‘EastEnders’, a popular TV series set in the East End of London. She is also dyslexic and these 4 short videos trace her journey of self discovery. They show how well specialist intervention works and that it is never too late to seek help.
Highly Recommended
- Visible Learning and the Science of How we Learn. Hattie & Yates
This book comes from years of research, and it tells us about how we learn and how we should be teaching in our schools. Essential reading for teachers and students alike: Hattie & Yates.
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