"You don't have to be perfect to be great. Team up with others whose strengths complement your weaknesses, and vice versa." -Andrew Dornenburg

Though the condition of dyslexia is life-long, the first step in treating the problem is early intervention. Earlier a dyslexic child is diagnosed, easier it is for counselors to help them. With proper guidance, a dyslexic child can overcome his difficulties to a large extent and have a better life. This is done in a two- phased approach. The first phase is teaching the child using a multi-sensory learning procedure. The second phase is the emotional support extended by the counselor.

The multi-sensory approach

The key to helping a dyslexic child is through multi-sensory learning methods. The academic concepts need to be broken into concepts that can be explained using multi-sensory inputs of touch smell and sound. Dr. Samuel Torrey Orton pioneered this technique in the mid 1920s in US.

As each letter is learned, children also learn to distinguish the sound of it. In a typical scenario of multi-sensory learning the teacher may make the sound and the child may be asked to write the letter.

Emotional support extended by the counselor/ teacher

A dyslexic child may need the help of a counselor who will be working in tandem with the instructor in school, so that between the teacher in the classroom and the counselor at other times, a dyslexic child gets the maximum help that will make him work in the same pace as his classmates.

It is important to remember here that dyslexia does not mean any disinterest to learn, but means an impediment to learning that will need some extra help. One way to help such children will be to give them extra time to finish their assignments, help them in taking down class notes etc. often taped books and texts help them learn better, as does the of a computer in helping them to write.

A dyslexic person will also be requiring counseling to deal with the stress of additional work hours, and emotional problems associated with it.