If you’re homeschooling a child with dyslexia, you don’t need another generic list. You need to know what actually works day to day.
I’ve been there: choosing curriculum, finding tools that don’t make my kid feel “behind,” and learning when to shift from teaching reading to teaching adapting. Below are the real questions I get asked most, answered from what’s actually worked in our home, plus links to go deeper.
Disclosure: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through them, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend resources I’ve personally used and trust.
I’m a homeschool mom sharing what has worked for our family, not a doctor, therapist or lawyer. Talk with your child’s doctors or a qualified evaluator about screening, diagnosis and testing, and check your state’s current requirements for accommodations.
The basics
What is dyslexia, exactly, and how do I know if my child has it?
Dyslexia is a language-based learning difference that affects reading, spelling, and sometimes writing, even when a child is bright and has had plenty of good instruction. It’s not laziness and it’s not a vision problem.
For a clear, parent-friendly breakdown of what dyslexia actually is and the early signs to watch for, All About Learning Press has a great article on it here.
If you’re noticing your child mixing up letters, struggling to sound out words despite a lot of practice, or avoiding reading altogether, it’s worth reading through and considering a screening.
Can homeschooling actually be better for a dyslexic child than traditional school?
Absolutely, it can be better. You get one-on-one instruction, and you get to tailor the curriculum to your child. You can adjust time and expectations, and you get to go at your child’s pace.
There’s a well-known finding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation that kids who aren’t reading proficiently by third grade are far more likely to struggle with school long term. In their data, kids in that situation are about four times more likely to not graduate high school on time (source).
But third grade isn’t actually a magic cutoff. After third grade, there’s a lot less reading support built into the school system, and every subject starts requiring reading to keep up. That’s where kids without support get buried in the work. In homeschool, we can keep offering that one-on-one support past third grade so our kids don’t hit that wall.
Curriculum
What’s the best reading curriculum for a dyslexic child? Here are the two I recommend:
All About Reading My top pick
It’s Orton-Gillingham based, written by a mom of a child with dyslexia, multi-sensory, and built with the heavy review that dyslexic learners need. Most kids do great with All About Reading.
Dianne Craft Right Brain Reading Program
For kids who need more support. It’s more teacher-intensive, but it’s tailored specifically to right-brain thinkers, using pictures and brain-training exercises to connect both sides of the brain. A smaller group of kids needs this extra depth.
Everyday tools & strategies
What everyday tools actually help, beyond curriculum?
📚 Scribd
Audiobook read-alouds. Wider selection than Audible, for less cost.
📏 Colored reading strips
From Dollar Tree. They help some kids track lines and reduce visual confusion. Not for every kid, but worth trying since they’re cheap.
🖼️ Snap Words
Sight word cards with built-in visuals. After years of plain flashcards not sticking, these were the first thing that actually worked for memory retention.
📞 A phonics phone
A small plastic tube (on Amazon) that pipes a child’s own voice back to their ear so they hear sounds more clearly while reading aloud. Works best for younger kids.
Adapting & accommodations
At what point do I stop teaching my child to read and start teaching them to adapt?
That’s honestly a personal decision, and I can’t give you an exact age. What I can tell you is that minor adaptations, like audiobooks, can be introduced early on. For bigger adaptations, I personally found middle school and high school to be a good time.
This video goes into more detail on what those adaptations can look like and how to introduce them:
Free or low-cost tools for reading once you’ve made that pivot
🎧 Audiobooks
Through Scribd, Audible (aff link), or your local library.
📖 Bookshare
Free, but requires proof of a dyslexia diagnosis or screening. Robotic voice, but it unlocks hundreds of books that were never made into audiobooks.
🗣️ Learning Ally
Has a cost, but uses real human narration instead of a robotic voice, for kids with dyslexia or other learning needs.
📘 Textbook audiobooks
Pair the audio version with the physical textbook so your child can follow along and focus on the content instead of decoding the words.
📱 Speechify (aff link)
A free app that reads aloud anything you scan or upload. The paid version adds natural-sounding narrators and highlights words as it reads.
Writing & note-taking
How do you help a dyslexic child with writing and note-taking?
🎙️ Voice recorders
For lectures, sermons and co-op classes, so your child can focus on listening instead of writing and listening at the same time.
🗂️ Ask for slides or notes
Ask presenters for their slides or notes ahead of time or afterward, when possible.
✍️ Teach effective note-taking
Symbols and shorthand reduce the spelling and writing load during live instruction.
💬 Speech-to-text
Built into Google Docs, Apple products and Microsoft Word. Best introduced in middle school (6th–8th grade) so kids learn voice commands for punctuation and formatting before high school workloads hit.
✅ Grammarly
The free version works fine. It catches punctuation, spelling and awkward sentences. It’s a tool, not a shortcut: kids still do the thinking, it just removes some of the friction.
Testing & the road ahead
Can a dyslexic child take standardized tests, or even go to college? Yes. A few things make testing more manageable:
- If your state requires standardized testing, consider getting a formal dyslexia diagnosis. Documentation matters more as your child gets older. It’s what unlocks accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, in college and later in the workplace.
- Ask for untimed or extended-time testing, and read-aloud accommodations where available.
- If your state doesn’t mandate a specific test, the California Assessment Test offers both timed and untimed versions, with an optional computer read-aloud.
Go deeper: videos & more
This page pulls from full videos with a lot more detail. Worth watching if a section above hit home:
More videos: 10 Reading Review Ideas for All About Reading · Best Books for Struggling or Reluctant Readers
Playlists with even more on this topic:
More help inside Made2Homeschool
In my community, Made2Homeschool, you can access these additional workshops:
- Helping Your Dyslexic Learner
- Dyslexia Panel
- Highly Distracted Homeschool Student
- Helping Your Forgetful Learner
- Not Behind, Just on God’s Timeline
Have a resource that’s worked for your dyslexic learner? Share it in the comments on any of the videos above. I’m always adding to this list.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me on social media or by email at lifeinthemundane@gmail.com.