We often discuss dyslexia in the context of academics, yet dyslexia also has significant impacts on a child’s social and emotional well-being. When a child with dyslexia is struggling to read and write, their self-esteem may be compromised. Additionally, because many children with dyslexia need to participate in specialized tutoring outside of school, they can experience unfortunate limitations in their availability to participate in other extracurricular activities due to the time commitment required for tutoring. We want to emphasize the importance of providing support for the social and emotional struggles that can come along with dyslexia.
Dr. Timothy Odegard, PhD has been researching dyslexia for years. He has studied the emotional impacts of dyslexia, and how individuals with dyslexia often experience higher rates of mental health struggles, such as anxiety and depression. Research done by Grills et al. in 2023 found that struggling readers were more likely to experience lower self-esteem, describing themselves as doing things less well than their neurotypical peers. The study found that students who didn’t meet reading benchmarks reported a higher level of distress compared to students who were up to the reading benchmark.
Mental health struggles in dyslexic students can create a cycle: in 2022 Vaughn et al. found that as students with dyslexia get older, they tend to experience anxiety around their schoolwork and likewise disengage from these activities. This can lead to further struggles with literacy as well as increased anxiety.
At home, social and emotional struggles can lead to frustration and anxiety and can bring challenges to the family dynamic. A sibling without dyslexia may experience jealousy for their dyslexic sibling who seems to get more attention from parents, which can put strain on their relationship. Additionally, parents of dyslexic children may experience frustration as they observe their child putting in heroic efforts toward learning, but not reaping the rewards of progression in skills.
These research findings highlight the importance of establishing a diagnosis of dyslexia when indicated, and providing support and appropriate interventions as soon as possible.
Support for students with dyslexia must include a combination of the following 3 areas:
- Reading skills intervention
- Opportunity to access content in alternative ways
- Social and emotional support for the common co-occurring psychosocial challenges
Finally, it is important to cultivate the student’s strengths outside of reading. Find what they love and build on that. When children feel empowered at home, they’ll feel better able to cope with their school stressors.
