Dyslexia - Dawn Matthews

Is your child bright but struggling in mainstream education? This site is for you.

 

“Everyone is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid.”                                                                              - Albert Einstein       

 

 

 

READ MY

About this site

 

This website was formerly located at www.dyslexia-testing.com.

 

I am Dawn Matthews and as a dyslexic, teacher and lecturer of dyslexics and other learning styles, and a parent of dyslexic kids, I have dedicated my life to helping any person who learns differently from the norm. I have been doing this for decades. During this time I have set up and run various centers, specialists units within schools and support groups mostly in the UK. Recently I established, along with help from other dedicated people, the national charity Dyslexic Centre Australia Inc. of which I am currently president.

 

I have set up this site to help people who think and learn differently from the norm. I know first hand what it is like to fail, to struggle and to blame yourself for shortcomings and lack of success in vital areas of education. I do not want other kids in mainstream, and far too often nowadays, specialists schools and tutoring, to feel stupid, depressed and helpless. Every book, app, test and piece of teaching material that I sell has been painstakingly completed to make a difference. All are fun and written in plain English. I am also an internationally-selling printmaker and artist, completing all the artwork in my apps myself.

 

Read more about me, my work and my success as well as continued struggles with both education and extremely poor health by visiting the About page.

 

I have always used my own methods of multi sensory teaching and gradually I have formalised my teaching methods into, worksheets for kids, printable worksheets, activity sheets, games for learning, assessments of learning, coloring pages that teach spelling, that help kids with learning differences to learn English.

 

I hate worksheets, and Australia is awash with them, where kids have to fill in blank sections and draw lines connecting similar words, or objects, or letters to pictures.

 

Dyslexics learn very little from these. None of my worksheets are at all like them. If these are the sort of thing you are looking go for then go to any other site. if you want to try something new and imaginative and completely different then stay with me.

 

I will never give up on you, however severe your kids’ learning problem. If you have any problems using my materials or understanding them feel free to email or write to me. (top menu bar under “contact” on home page.)

 

Childhood education is so important and the younger you begin teaching your kid the correct way the faster s/he will learn.

 

I am currently using my materials and learning games with aboriginal kids and they are enjoying using them and catching up quite quickly. The games are found to be aboriginal friendly.

 

 

Square pegs

 

Mainstream schooling often only caters for the one learning style. They assume that every kid is a round peg. Dyslexics are not round pegs. If your kid is struggling in mainstream education then s/he is probably a square peg; a kid who thinks outside the box. S/he needs to be taught as a square peg. Concentrate on a student’s strengths and then students feel confident and become successful.

 

Please do not merely give your dyslexic, autistic or dyspraxic kids amphetamine drugs or put them under pressure to try to change them into round pegs. If your child has been diagnosed as having ADHD and you think s/he may merely, or as well, learn and perceive the world differently from the norm then please read my books. My ADHD turned out to be a form of epilepsy. Kids with dyslexia and other learning differences, are the nicest set of kids you can come across. They are creative, spatial problem solvers with wonderful caring natures. Do you want this taken away from your child? Square is good. Most self-made millionaires are square pegs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click here to see a list of famous people who did not excel in mainstream education.

 

 

 

 

Strengths and weaknesses

 

Dyslexia and other learning differences are a combination of strengths and weaknesses. If you could take away the dyslexia you would take away the strengths as well as the weaknesses. Your child would become a different kid. If you love your kid just as s/he is then start teaching him/her as a square peg.

 

 

Learning styles

 

Far too many people are diagnosing learning differences by only looking at the weaknesses. Then they call it a disability. Many kids do not have a disability; they are disabled by the education system because it is not catering for their learning styles and needs.

 

Square pegs need to be taught how to read and how to spell. They need a literacy program that contains learning games for the classroom or home schooling.

 

I am quite definitely a square peg and all my educational games and activities are specially written for square pegs.

 

Dyspraxic kids can also be thought of as square. But I have found that most students have  a bit of squareness in them, and that most students excel in learning by using my materials.

 

 

This is the site that caters for square pegs! Is your child a square peg?

 

See side menu bar for “diagnostic tick tests”.

 

If your child or student needs reading strategies set in place to help improve language and literacy then we have a lot to offer you for free, or very cheaply. You child needs to learn phonics and spelling rules and s/he needs to learn these in a multi sensory way. I have developed many phonics worksheets and phonological awareness activities that can be used at home or in a classroom, teaching a whole class at a time.

 

If your child is struggling at school you know in your heart that something is wrong. You know if your child is bright. Was s/he normal and bright before school? If so then it is the education style that is wrong for your child.

 

You can get as full assessment, but be aware that merely giving your kid a label is not going to help him/her. If the school does not know how to teach your child in the way your child needs to learn, a mere label will not help your child or student.

 

 

What you want are solutions.

 

If you get an assessment make sure it is solution based. This is what I do in my assessments. I find out how your child learns, thinks and perceives the world and then I can easily show you how s/he learns and how to teach him/her. This is the only kind of assessment you need.

 

But you may not need an assessment at all. if you are a parent then you know your child better than any teacher does. Many teachers also know in their hearts that you are right about your child. Please whether you be a parent or teacher, follow your instincts. Try a different approach to teaching. My educational games for kids and simple courses are Dead Easy to use.

 

During trialing the Dead Easy Phonics based course was teaching kids to read in 3 months, with just 15 minutes a day. One kid was

so proud of himself that he asked to be videoed and put on youtube. And remember if you watch this that this boy had only completed about 4 per cent of the course!

 

 

Multi-sensory

 

My materials are the only truly, simple multi sensory literacy activities. My courses are structured, and fun. They contain hundreds of spelling rules, which are learnt methodically in a simple way.

 

My fun and entertaining activities contain:

• Reading games

• Spelling games

• Typing games

• Spelling rules

• Spelling lists

• Literacy activities

• Literacy program

• How to spell

• Reading strategies

• Reading activities

• Reading worksheet

• Phonic worksheets

• Writing activities

• Classroom activities

• Phonological awareness activities

• Classroom games

• Help with home schooling

• Help with homework

• Books that explain exactly what dyslexia and dyspraxia are.

• And much more.

 

My games and programs are suitable for kids and adults with:

• Dyslexia

• Dyspraxia

• ADD

• ADHD

• Irlen syndrome

• Auditory Processing Difficulties

• Epilepsy

• -- all of which I have first hand experience of.

• and, of course everyone else!

 

Please see the relevant pages to read more about these.