Should You Hold Your Dyslexic Student Back a Grade?

Submitted by Judy Hanning on Tue, 2016-03-22 12:27

Many children who repeat a grade tend to be stigmatized in our current culture, especially when it's because of a learning disability like dyslexia. In this video, a mother and father share what factors made them decide to not hold their dyslexic son back in first grade.

Now that their son is thriving and happy in 7th grade, the parents feel confident that they made the right decision. Before holding a dyslexic child back, it's useful to consult with experts like educators and pediatricians to assess the child’s maturity level. It's worth remembering that a child can still be negatively affected with repeating from school even after a couple of years. Most importantly, though, parents should go with their gut.

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"We believe that kids with dyslexia should be given the tools and strategies that they need and be allowed to fly rather than held back." - Dr. Douglas Curtiss

Key Takeaways:

1
According to Dr. Curtiss, repeating the grade level of your child can make sense once if it is a concern of maturity.
2
But repeating the grade level of your child because of difficulty in school and especially dyslexia is not acceptable. Instead, the underlying issues should be addressed.
3
A child can still be negatively affected with repeating from school even after a couple of years.
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@LucieCurtiss
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