LC23-123A Dyslexia Community of Practice for Post Primary Teachers Session 1: Dyslexia and Self Esteem

Dyslexia and Self-Esteem Tuesday September 26th 

Students with dyslexia may experience low self-esteem, feelings of anxiety and/or a lack of motivation.  For some it may turn to behaviour difficulties or school refusal.  They may feel they have failed to keep up with their peers from a very early age in achieving key skills.  Teachers may not have understood their difficulties.  Identification of dyslexia may have been delayed for some reason.  By the time they are in secondary school, such feelings may be deep-rooted having developed over several years.

Richard Hogan, psychotherapist and author of Home Is Where The Start Is, wrote about his dyslexia in the Irish Independent as follows  ‘As I write this, there is a little voice that says ‘don’t tell them about dyslexia, they will think you are stupid’. That’s the problem with something as insidious as dyslexia, it makes you guarded. Like you have something terrible to hide.….. it is a corrosive thing when it isn’t challenged. It impacts massively on a student’s sense of self.’

The presentation aims to:

• Outline the complex difficulties that low self-esteem poses for some students with dyslexia.
• Examine the contribution that Dyslexia Friendly school strategies and the concept of Neurodiversity can make to increase self-esteem.
• Suggest possible strategies that might help students develop self-esteem.