Removing Dyslexia as a Barrier to Achievement: The Dyslexia Friendly Schools Toolkit Paperback – 21 Mar. 2012

I really like that Neil Mackay and offered a positive re-frame of dyslexia and highlighting the strengths and helpful strategies that make a difference. I have recommended this to my schools.

This book was originally written at a time when there was a wealth of information on how to identify children at risk of literacy failure or dyslexia at the age of 5 years and the method of how to teach them to read. Neil MacKay, as a teacher and training consultant, write a book on his experience and opinions that have no basis in evidence. A lot of the book describes how to work with a child's learning preference, a discredited theory on how children learn. Neil MacKay failed to read research on how the brain actually learns how to read/spell/write. Scientists have known since 2003 how evidence based instruction can change the brain processing from dyslexic to non-dyslexic. The strategies are for the benefit of the busy class teacher and not the child. A Dyslexia Friendly School Model, based on this book, was implemented in South Ayrshire Scotland. Is has now been shown that children that actually have dyslexia have been academically and emotionally harmed by teachers adopting these strategies. Neil MacKay has learned from his mistakes and is now pushing systematic synthetic phonics and promising to re-write this book!

This is a really interesting book to start with if you want to understand dyslexia. Easy reading and straight to the point

great product and service.