Supporting Older Students with Dyslexia: Honoring the Emotional Journey

Educators often picture dyslexia as a challenge faced primarily by young children learning to read. Early intervention is critical, but it’s just the beginning. Dyslexia is lifelong, and for many students, the middle and high school years bring new academic demands, emotional challenges, and reduced support.

By the time students reach secondary school, they may carry years of frustration from being misunderstood or mislabeled. Some have been told they’re lazy, careless, or simply not trying hard enough. These repeated experiences create academic gaps and affect confidence, motivation, and mental well-being. Students may mask their difficulties, withdraw from participation, or avoid tasks that expose their struggles.

As educators, we have the power to shift this narrative. Supporting older students with dyslexia means addressing both the academic and emotional impact of their learning differences. Here are some important strategies to keep in mind:

1. Validate Their Experiences

Acknowledge that reading, writing, and spelling may be genuinely difficult. Validation builds trust and helps students feel seen. It’s important to acknowledge frustration, shame, and avoidance that may have built up over past experiences. Validation of their experience is just as important as academic support.

2. Provide Ongoing Explicit Instruction

Structured literacy doesn’t end in elementary school. Secondary students benefit from continued instruction in advanced phonics, morphology, comprehension strategies, and writing skills. Even as content becomes more complex, explicit teaching can close gaps and reinforce critical foundations.

3. Normalize Accommodations

When assistive tools such as audiobooks, speech-to-text, or graphic organizers are woven into the classroom environment for everyone, they become standard resources rather than individualized tools. This reduces stigma and ensures students with dyslexia feel supported, not singled out. Stressing the importance of teaching how to use these tools in order to efficiently access the world helps make students more independent. 

4. Foster Emotional Check-Ins

Older students often benefit from having a trusted adult (a teacher, specialist, or mentor) who understands their journey. Providing time and space for emotional support helps students process past frustrations and stay engaged in learning.

5. Teach Self-Advocacy

Helping students understand dyslexia and how it affects them equips them to speak up for their needs. Teaching how to request accommodations, use supportive tools, and communicate with confidence prepares students for independence in higher education and the workplace. It’s important to help students see that having dyslexia doesn’t mean they’re broken—it’s a difference, not a deficit. 

6. Agency and Transition Planning

Letting students make choices in their reading and learning fosters engagement and keeps them plugged into their own success. Make sure conversations with them include preparations for college, work, and adult life, so they can visualize their own future and plan out how they’ll address potential challenges like resumes, job interviews, or written communication.

Above all, remember it’s never too late to start addressing the challenges of dyslexia with students. Older students may still benefit from explicit instruction, and will certainly always need boosted confidence, self-advocacy tools, and a belief that they can succeed. 

Questions or comments? Email us at [email protected]! We love hearing from listeners.

For the full discussion, check out our latest episode of the Together in Literacy podcast. If you like what you hear, don’t forget to rate, leave a positive review, and subscribe.