DR SARASWATEE RAJIAH, SENIOR LECTURER, MAURITIUS INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION, MAURITIUS
Introduction
Dyslexia affects both reading and spelling accuracy and occurs independently of general intelligence. Children with dyslexia face elevated risks of bullying, creating a ‘double jeopardy’ in which academic struggles compound social vulnerability (Mishna, 2003). Anxiety, depression and negative self-concept are common consequences (Boyes et al., 2019).
This case study aims to help mainstream teachers recognise how classroom responses to literacy errors affect dyslexic learners’ wellbeing, and to share practical, low-cost strategies for supporting them.
Multisensory structured literacy teaching – engaging senses such as sight, hearing and touch to support memory – has shown effectiveness for dyslexic learners (Campbell et al., 2008). This case, set in a Mauritian primary school, documents such an intervention. UK readers can consider these strategies alongside the graduated response in the SEND Code of Practice (DfE and DoH, 2015).
Case context
TR (a pseudonym), aged eight and in Standard 3 at a Mauritian government primary school, was referred for assessment after his parents raised concerns about his literacy difficulties and declining wellbeing. His copybooks showed inconsistent letter formation and frequent reversals; reading
aloud was halting and effortful.
Assessment confirmed dyslexia: reading accuracy was at the seventh percentile and spelling at the fourth, but verbal reasoning was at the 66th – a profile consistent with a specific learning difficulty alongside age-appropriate cognitive ability. His teachers, who had not received SEND training, were unfamiliar with this profile.
TR was frequently excluded from group work and play, and showed withdrawal, school-morning distress and negative self-statements. He found writing anxiety-provoking, given the consistency of errors in his copybook.
The intervention
With school-based advocacy unsuccessful, TR’s parents implemented a structured home programme over 18 months, with guidance from an educational psychologist. Three non-permanent, multisensory writing methods reduced the performance anxiety attached to permanent errors: water-writing (letters painted in water on a dark board, which evaporated, and tracing alphabets in a large vessel of water); air-writing (large arm movements forming letters while saying sounds aloud, building kinaesthetic memory); and sand-tray writing (finger-writing in beach sand, smoothed flat to ‘erase’ attempts). Daily 15- to 20-minute reading aloud sessions, gradually increasing in complexity, continued for approximately six years, through primary school and into Grade 9, long after formal writing practice had ceased.
TR’s younger sister participated, giving TR opportunities to take a ‘teaching’ role. Parents maintained consistent routines, treated errors neutrally, praised effort over accuracy and framed dyslexia as a processing difference rather than a deficit.
Outcomes
After 18 months, reading accuracy reached the 21st percentile and spelling the 12th. Letter formation improved and there were gains in confidence and willingness to attempt tasks. By Grade 9, reading had reached age-appropriate levels.
Takeaways for the classroom
- Multisensory writing: Try mini whiteboards with wipeable pens or a vessel/bucket of water (for water-writing), brief air-writing during transitions and sand/seeds or rice trays for tactile practice.
- Emotionally safe environments: Give feedback privately. Praise effort and strategy, not just accuracy.
- Spotting bullying: Watch for withdrawal, reluctance to read aloud, unexplained loss of belongings and school-avoidance; create a low-pressure way to report concerns.
- Low-cost adaptations: Use reusable materials (sand, scrap paper, chalkboards).
Implications and limitations
Foundational SEND knowledge benefits all teachers. Sustained, low-cost multisensory and reading practice, along with peer companionship, were central to this child’s recovery.
As a single, home-based case without school cooperation, findings are not generalisable. Applicability of the home-based components at secondary level remains untested.
Conclusion
This case shows that sustained multisensory writing, reading aloud, and family and peer support can enable meaningful progress for a dyslexic learner. It also shows why SEND training matters for teachers, so children aren’t reliant on years of family intervention for the confidence that informed practice could offer.
Read more from In Praxis: SEND and Inclusion
