A dyslexia-friendly classroom is not a special room with special resources. It is an ordinary classroom where the routine choices about text, instructions and marking have been made with reading and writing difficulties in mind. Those choices help the children who have a diagnosis, the children who are waiting for one, and the many who will never have one but read slowly or spell unpredictably. In a UAE classroom, where a large share of children are also learning in an additional language, the same choices lift the whole room.
Text and layout
- Left-align, never justify. Justified text creates uneven gaps that make lines hard to track.
- Bigger, clearer, more space. A plain sans-serif font, generous line spacing and short paragraphs cost nothing.
- Off-white backgrounds. Cream or pale coloured paper and slides reduce glare for many readers; ask the child which they prefer rather than assuming.
- One idea per line on the board. Copying from the board is one of the hardest tasks for a child with dyslexia; keep board text short and give a printed copy where copying is not the learning point.
- Headings and bullets. Structure that can be seen before it is read.
Instructions
Give them in small chunks, say them and show them, and check the first step back. Put key vocabulary on the desk or the wall with a picture where it helps. Read questions aloud when reading is not what is being assessed. Allow extra time as a matter of routine, not as a favour.
Writing
Separate composition from transcription. A child who dictates a brilliant paragraph to a partner or a device has done the thinking; the spelling can be worked on separately. Use sentence starters, writing frames and word banks. Mark for the learning objective and choose two spelling patterns to correct, not twenty; a page of red ink teaches a child to write less.
Reading
Decodable texts at the child's actual level for practice; age-appropriate texts, read aloud or with audio, for content and enjoyment. Never ask a struggling reader to read aloud to the class unprepared. Pre-teach the vocabulary of a new topic before the text appears.
Assistive tools
Text-to-speech, speech-to-text, spell-checkers, audiobooks and a reading ruler or coloured overlay for children who find they help. Introduce tools early and treat them as normal equipment, like glasses. A child who is allowed to use a tool in class and in the exam room learns to rely on it appropriately.
Memory and organisation
Dyslexia often travels with working-memory and organisation difficulties. Visual timetables, chunked tasks, checklists and a consistent place for everything reduce the load so that the reading effort is spent on reading.
At home
Ten minutes of reading together most days, with the adult reading some of it, beats a long weekly struggle. Audiobooks count. Praise effort and strategy, not speed. Share the school's word list and the two spelling patterns being worked on so home practises the same thing.
What to track
Pick one measure that matters for this child: words read correctly per minute on a familiar text, the number of sentences written independently in a set time, or the accuracy of the target spelling patterns. Record it every fortnight. Steady movement means the adjustments and the teaching are working together; no movement after a term is a signal to look again.
When to escalate
Speak to the inclusion lead if reading and spelling are well behind what you would expect from the child's language, effort and other abilities, if progress stalls despite good teaching and consistent adjustments, or if the child is becoming anxious or avoidant about reading. Assessment can clarify need and unlock exam access arrangements; the adjustments above should continue while it happens.
This page describes educational adjustments. It is not a diagnosis of dyslexia or any other condition, and it does not replace assessment or advice from a qualified professional who knows the child.