What is a recommended strategy for improving literacy skills for students with dyslexia?

Using phonics-based instruction with multisensory techniques is a highly effective strategy for improving literacy skills for students with dyslexia. This approach plays to the strengths of students with dyslexia by integrating multiple senses—such as visual, auditory, and tactile—into the learning process.

Phonics instruction helps students understand the relationship between letters and sounds, which is essential for decoding words. When combined with multisensory techniques, such as using physical objects (like letter tiles) or incorporating movement (like tracing letters in sand), students are more likely to engage with the material actively. This engagement can enhance retention and understanding, making it easier for them to develop their reading skills over time.

This strategy is supported by research indicating that students with dyslexia benefit from explicit, systematic instruction that includes meaningful, hands-on experiences in learning to read. Thus, utilizing a phonics-based approach supplemented with multisensory methods addresses both the phonological processing difficulties inherent in dyslexia and the need for varied instructional techniques to aid comprehension and fluency.