Dyslexia accommodations aren’t a favor or an advantage. This episode shares what to ask for, why it matters, and how to stop second-guessing yourself. Discover where you can download our dyslexia accommodations checklist.

Before your child’s next school meeting, make sure you know which dyslexia accommodations actually help, and which myths to ignore. In this episode of The Literacy Keys, host Tracy Young breaks down dyslexia accommodations for students and explains how 504 dyslexia accommodations work in the classrooms.

You'll discover the biggest misconceptions parents hear at school meetings, and why accommodations are about access and are not an unfair advantage. Plus, Tracy shares where to find a dyslexia accommodations checklist you can bring to your next meeting so you can advocate with confidence instead of second-guessing yourself.

If you’re a parent of a child with dyslexia and want to feel prepared, informed, and empowered, this episode is a must-listen. This is the first of a two part series.

Need an Orton Gillingham tutor? Contact The Literacy Keys

transcript of this episode

You don’t need to be a professional dyslexia tutor to improve your child’s reading. In this episode of The Literacy Keys, you’ll learn how to bring the Orton Gillingham method right into your home using simple, powerful tips that help your child make real progress.

If you’ve ever sat at the kitchen table watching your child avoid doing their homework, you’re not alone. That frustration is exactly why this episode exists. Tracy, an Orton Gillingham tutor, discusses the “fourth-grade slump;” explains why traditional reading instruction leaves dyslexic learners behind, and shows you ways to confidently use Orton Gillingham at home, even if you have zero teaching experience.

You’ll learn two practical OG strategies you can use immediately to help your child read and spell with less stress. These parent-friendly, multisensory techniques mirror what expert dyslexia tutors use during structured literacy lessons, but without the price tag.

If you homeschool, or if you’ve simply been looking for a way to use the Orton Gillingham method at home, this episode will ensure you do so with clarity and confidence. Listen now and discover how.

Need an Orton Gillingham tutor?

Contact The Literacy Keys

If your middle or high schooler avoids books, argues about homework, or insists they’re just not a reader, this episode is for you. We’re digging into reading motivation for older kids and, most importantly, how to motivate your kids to read without constant battles or guilt trips.

In this episode of The Literacy Keys, Tracy breaks down why so many secondary students are still struggling with foundational reading skills and what makes teens’ reading challenges very different from younger kids’. You’ll hear how low confidence, slow fluency, and intimidating multisyllabic words in subjects like science and social studies slowly drain motivation. Best of all, this episodes shares what you can do to rebuild reading motivation at home.

Drawing on a powerful Education Week article about secondary reading struggles and the book Know Better, Do Better by Meredith & David Liben, Tracy explains why it’s never too late to become a better reader, and why age-appropriate materials, targeted fluency work, and mindset shifts matter so much for teens. You’ll walk away with practical, realistic strategies you can start using right away.

Whether your child is barely reading, reading very slowly, or simply refusing to try, this episode on reading motivation shares how to motivate kids to read. If you’ve been feeling stuck, discouraged, or unsure where to start, this conversation will give you a concrete plan to help your older child see themselves as a reader.

⁠transcript of this episode⁠

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Education Week article: “Secondary Students Are Struggling With Reading, Too. A Look at the Landscape.”
  
• Know Better, Do Better: Teaching the Foundations So Every Child Can Read by Meredith & David Liben
  
• 
  Learn more about dyslexia tutors, resources, and support for struggling readers at The Literacy Keys