If your child has dyslexia, you may already notice challenges with reading and writing. However, many students with dyslexia also struggle with executive functioning skills such as organization, planning, time management, and task initiation. These challenges can make school feel overwhelming and frustrating, even for intelligent and capable students.
By understanding the connection between dyslexia and executive functioning, you can find the right interventions for your child and help them excel in school.
What is dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability that affects one’s ability to read and spell effectively. Students with dyslexia often struggle with:
- Sounding out words
- Reading fluently
- Phonemic awareness
- Spelling words correctly
- Expressing their thoughts on paper when writing
Dyslexia is not necessarily connected to intelligence; many students with dyslexia are very bright, creative, and capable. They just need a different approach when being taught to learn how to read and write proficiently.
Read more about how to find the best dyslexia tutor in Florida at How to Find the Best Dyslexia Tutor Near You
What are executive functioning skills?
Executive functioning involves skills such as planning, organization, time management, and task initiation - skills that can affect all academic subject areas. Students who have weak executive functioning skills often struggle in school.
Executive functioning skills include:
- Initiating tasks
- Organizing materials
- Planning out assignments and other tasks
- Managing time
- Staying focused
- Working memory
- Self-monitoring
How are dyslexia and executive functioning connected?
While dyslexia and executive functioning involve separate skillsets, they can occur simultaneously. Why is there a connection?
1. Mental load
Reading is typically a struggle for students with dyslexia. Since they work harder than other students to read words, their brains exert more energy during simple reading tasks. As a result, they have fewer mental resources available for executive functioning skills, such as organization, planning, and memory.
2. Working memory difficulties
Many students with dyslexia often struggle with their working memory. Thus, they have difficulty with skills such as:
- Following multi-step directions
- Remembering what they read and answering questions about it
- Retaining information in math word problems to accurately solve them
- Keeping track of multiple assignments
3. Trouble with initiating tasks
Children with dyslexia often avoid initiating tasks that involve reading, spelling, or writing because they feel frustrated or overwhelmed. It may seem like they are procrastinating when they actually have real academic struggles.
4. Difficulty with organization and planning
Executive functioning challenges can affect many aspects of school. Students who struggle with their executive functioning skills have a hard time:
- Breaking down assignments, especially ones with multiple steps
- Keeping track of homework assignments
- Planning for quizzes and tests
- Chunking projects into smaller steps
Read more about executive functioning in Florida and helping your child build stronger organizational skills at Help Your Child With ADHD Build Stronger Organizational Skills | Knowledge Plus Tutoring.
5. Emotional effect
When students struggle academically, they often become easily frustrated, lose motivation to excel at school, and experience poor self-esteem. These responses can negatively affect focus and self-regulation abilities.
Signs your child has dyslexia and executive functioning challenges
Some signs that your child is struggling in both areas include:
- Difficulty starting assignments, especially ones that involve reading or writing
- Forgetting to bring home assignments, or materials needed to complete assignments
- Trouble following directions, especially ones with multiple steps
- Disorganized backpacks, desks, and lockers
- Schoolwork avoidance, especially related to reading and writing
- Taking an excessive amount of time to complete tasks
How to help your child with dyslexia and executive functioning challenges
With the right tools and strategies, your child can build their reading, writing, and executive functioning skills. Receiving support with research-based, multi-sensory instruction can be particularly helpful.
Dyslexia tutoring and executive functioning coaching can help your child:
1. Chunk tasks into smaller steps
Many students with dyslexia and executive functioning challenges feel overwhelmed by large assignments. You can help them break down large projects and assignments into smaller, more manageable bits with clear instructions for completing them.
2. Use visual tools
Students with dyslexia and executive functioning weaknesses tend to respond well to checklists, organized planners, and clear schedules to help them stay organized.
3. Set consistent routines
Encouraging your child to set consistent daily routines can help them reduce their frustration, build more independence, and feel more in control of their workload. Help your child set a daily time for completing their homework and stick with that routine.
4. Teach executive functioning strategies
Students who struggle with executive functioning and have reading challenges benefit from learning concrete strategies, since these skills don’t always come naturally to them. Try to explicitly teach your child tools for planning, organization, and time management to help them excel academically.
5. Research-based, multi-sensory reading support, including Orton Gillingham tutoring
Research-based, multi-sensory reading instruction designed for students with dyslexia, including Orton Gillingham tutoring, can help your child develop much stronger reading and spelling skills and improve their overall performance at school.
Learn more about how Orton Gillingham tutoring in Florida can help your child at What Is Orton Gillingham Tutoring? A Guide for Parents
6. Positive reinforcement
Children with dyslexia and executive functioning challenges often face negativity and failure at school. The more you can praise their progress and hard work, the more confident, motivated, and successful they will feel.
How specialized tutoring can help
Many children with dyslexia need more than just reading tutoring; they also need help building their executive functioning skills such as organization, planning, and task initiation. This is why combining dyslexia tutoring and executive functioning coaching can be a very effective approach. The right evidence-based support can make an immense difference in your child’s academic performance.
At Knowledge Plus Tutoring, we provide one-on-one dyslexia tutoring using Orton Gillingham instruction, along with executive functioning coaching for students across Florida. We specialize in:
- One-on-one reading instruction, including Orton Gillingham tutoring
- Specialized writing instruction
- Executive functioning coaching
- Organization skills development
- Individualized instruction catered to the needs of each student
Contact us today to learn how we can help your child. By finding the right tutor for your child who can help them with dyslexia support and executive functioning coaching, you will help them build key skills for success in school and life beyond school.
Closing thoughts
Dyslexia affects reading and writing skills, but many students with dyslexia also struggle with their executive functioning skills. With this combination of challenges, school can become frustrating and overwhelming.
By identifying these challenges early and finding the right support for your child, you can help them build these key skills and feel confident and successful at school.
Frequently Asked Questions about Dyslexia and Executive Functioning
Can executive functioning skills be improved?
Yes, absolutely. Executive functioning skills such as planning, organization, and time management can improve by teaching students concrete, research-based strategies for developing these skills, and showing them how to apply the strategies to their relevant schoolwork.
What type of tutoring is best for students with dyslexia?
Research-based, multi-sensory reading instruction - specifically Orton Gillingham tutoring - is most effective for helping students with dyslexia. However, if your child also struggles with executive functioning, specialized executive functioning coaching can help them as well.
What is executive functioning coaching?
Executive functioning coaching involves teaching students specific strategies for developing their executive functioning skills. These skills may include planning, time management, organization, task initiation, and homework management. Building these key skills can help students improve their overall academic performance.
Dr. Emily Levy, the executive director of Knowledge Plus Tutoring, holds her Doctorate Degree in Education and her Master’s Degree in Special Education. She has been helping students with dyslexia and executive functioning challenges through one-on-one tutoring for twenty years. She frequently speaks at national educational conferences and appears as an educational expert on podcasts. She is the author of the Strategies for Study Success, Flags and Stars Orton Gillingham, and Flags and Stars Multi-Sensory Math student workbook programs, all of which are used by students and schools nationwide.
