How to Make Adjustments for Dyslexia

What this guide covers

This guide explains how dyslexia usually shows up in classroom work, practical adjustments for reading, spelling, writing, and assessment, examples of strong NCCD evidence wording for dyslexia support, and common mistakes that weaken adjustment records.

Start with the learning barrier, not the label

Students with dyslexia commonly need support with decoding, reading fluency, spelling, written expression, and processing written instructions. Some also have difficulty with handwriting, working memory, or maths facts. That matters because a student may read well below year level while still understanding ideas strongly when information is spoken, modelled, or presented visually.

For NCCD, write the barrier in plain English. For example: the student needs extra support to decode age-level text, record ideas in writing, and complete literacy-heavy tasks within regular time. This keeps the adjustment tied to classroom function, which is what schools must evidence.

Match the adjustment to the task the student is trying to do

The strongest dyslexia adjustments are specific. They do not just say "differentiate literacy". They show what changed in the reading task, writing task, spelling task, or assessment task.

Use adjustments that protect access without lowering the learning goal

A dyslexia adjustment should reduce the literacy barrier, not remove the learning altogether. If the class is learning science content, the student may listen to the text instead of reading every paragraph independently. If the class is planning a persuasive piece, the student may dictate ideas first, then edit selected sentences in writing.

Useful dyslexia adjustments often include audio support, scaffolded texts, writing frames, graphic organisers, sentence starters, reduced copying from the board, assistive technology, and alternate ways to show understanding. These supports help the student stay connected to age-equivalent curriculum content rather than being left behind by the reading load.

When you choose an adjustment, ask one practical question: does this change help the student access the same learning intention more independently, more accurately, or with less fatigue? If yes, it is more likely to be worth documenting.

Keep evidence tied to the four NCCD requirements

For a student to be included in the NCCD, the school needs evidence of the student's disability-related need, the adjustments provided for at least 10 weeks in the previous 12 months, consultation with the student and/or parents or carers, and ongoing monitoring and review. You do not need to create brand-new paperwork for every support. Existing lesson plans, annotated work samples, communication records, intervention notes, and review notes can all contribute.

For dyslexia, strong evidence usually shows a pattern: the student has difficulty accessing print or producing writing at the expected level, specific adjustments are being used across classwork or assessment, the family has been consulted, and the school is checking whether those supports are helping.

Dyslexia adjustment examples you can actually document

The following examples show how to write strong NCCD evidence entries that link the adjustment to classroom function.

Show that the adjustment is being monitored

A strong dyslexia record does not stop at "support provided". It shows what happened next. For example: reading accuracy improved when text was chunked, written output increased when sentence starters were provided, or the student still needed more support and the adjustment was changed.

Simple monitoring is enough when it is consistent. Keep brief notes against work samples, record intervention frequency, note assessment outcomes, or log a short review after a parent meeting. Monitoring matters because NCCD requires schools to show that adjustments are not only planned, but reviewed over time.

Strong dyslexia adjustments by classroom context

Reading lessons often need access adjustments. That may include audio support, paired reading, pre-taught vocabulary, or shorter text sections. Writing lessons often need output adjustments. That may include oral rehearsal, sentence scaffolds, typing, dictation, or reduced copying demands.

In content-heavy subjects, the adjustment may be about access to information rather than literacy intervention itself. A student can listen to source material, respond verbally, use scaffolded note templates, or complete a shorter written response that still checks the same concept. In spelling or intervention settings, the adjustment can be more explicit and skill-based, such as morphology practice, repeated phonics review, or targeted fluency work.

Why this matters

Dyslexia support often sits inside everyday classroom teaching, which means it can be missed in documentation unless teachers name it clearly. When the record only says "differentiated work" or "extra help", it is harder to show what the student actually needed and what the school actually changed.

Clear dyslexia adjustment records protect both the student and the school. They show that access barriers were identified, support was reasonable and purposeful, consultation happened, and the school kept reviewing impact across the evidence period.

Common mistake

The most common mistake is recording the diagnosis without recording the classroom barrier. "Has dyslexia" is not enough on its own. A stronger note names the functional impact and the response: difficulty decoding age-level print, support provided through text-to-speech, scaffolded text, and monitored written output across the term.

What to do next

Use this page to tighten the wording of your dyslexia adjustments, then review whether your evidence also covers consultation and monitoring. The next useful pages in this cluster are What Counts as NCCD Evidence, How to Make Adjustments for Specific Learning Disorder, and How to Document Consultation for NCCD.

Frequently Asked Questions