How to Know If Your Child Is Progressing Despite Dyslexia

When progress isn’t obvious—but it’s still happening

If you’re parenting a child with dyslexia, you’ve likely already become an expert in patience, encouragement, and creative problem-solving. But even with the best of intentions, many parents find themselves asking the same painful question late at night: “Is my child actually progressing?” Dyslexia doesn’t follow a neat and predictable curve. One week, your child might breeze through spelling practice; the next, they’re stuck on the same word for three days. It’s exhausting, confusing, and often disheartening.

But progress with dyslexia rarely looks the way we expect. It’s not always obvious in grades or reading speed. Instead, it can be subtle, layered, and deeply personal. Recognizing it takes a shift in mindset, and that’s exactly what we’ll talk about today.

Understanding what progress looks like with dyslexia

Traditional academic benchmarks—like test results or reading levels—don’t always capture the full picture for a child with dyslexia. What you’re really watching for is growth in confidence, problem-solving, emotional resilience, and independence. These are the skills that carry them beyond school.

Take Lucas, an 8-year-old who used to break down in tears at the mention of homework. He’s still behind on reading, but now he sits down without protest, listens to an audio version of his lesson on the way home from school, and tells his mom, “I got this.” Has his decoding speed improved drastically? Not yet. But that ability to self-regulate and engage willingly? That’s a huge leap forward.

If you’re looking for clues that your dyslexic child is making progress, pay attention to things like:

• Are they willing to try reading or writing tasks they once avoided?
• Are they asking for help in specific, constructive ways?
• Do they recognize patterns or strategies that work for them?
• Are meltdowns becoming less frequent around homework?

All of these signs point to growth—even if reading fluency is still a work in progress.

Measuring progress beyond test scores

One frustrated parent once told me, “I just need to know we’re not stuck.” And she’s right. Seeing some kind of forward motion is essential for both the child and the family’s morale. But if you’re relying only on school tests, it may feel like you’re standing still.

Instead, consider setting up a home-based way to track growth. For example, create a simple progress journal where every couple of weeks, you jot down something your child did better or differently. Maybe they read a restaurant menu, remembered a spelling trick, or felt proud of a completed assignment. You can even invite your child to contribute: “What felt easier this week?”

This doesn’t just document change—it helps cement it. Kids with dyslexia often forget how far they’ve come. Showing them the trail behind them can be powerful motivation.

If your child learns better through sound (as many dyslexic children do), consider turning written lessons into audio they can revisit in the car or during downtime. Some tools, like the Skuli App, even transform lessons into audio adventures where your child becomes the hero of the story, making them more inclined to reengage with challenging material on their own terms.

When school progress is inconsistent

Sometimes your child will move ahead at home but not at school—or vice versa. Don’t panic. Schools vary dramatically in how well they accommodate learning challenges. If progress seems sticky during the day, it may be time to review their support plan.

This is where understanding the difference between a PAP and a PPS (in the French school system) becomes important. A support plan tailored to your child’s needs can make or break classroom experience.

But also, know this: home is your laboratory. If a method works there—whether it’s reading aloud while pacing, recording their own narrations, or using audiobooks instead of print texts—you don’t need to wait for institutional validation. If it helps, it helps. Period.

Celebrating the invisible victories

Parents of neurodivergent children become extraordinary observers. You’re the one who notices the beat of silence before they try sounding out a new word. You’re the one who knows how much courage it took to raise their hand at school.

Celebrate those invisible victories, even if no one else sees them. And when your child starts reexplaining a lesson to their younger sibling, lights up when they understand a science video, or insists on writing their own birthday card—acknowledge it. These are real, meaningful signs of progress. In time, they build the foundation your child will stand on well beyond school years.

Trusting your role as a guide—not a fixer

Your child doesn’t need a perfect teacher at home. They need a guide who believes in their ability to learn, in their right to take the time they need, and in their unique way of understanding the world. That might mean adapting homework routines, relying less on written materials, or reinventing how concepts are reviewed at home using their strengths.

One mom recently shared that photographing her daughter’s class notes, then turning them into a personalized 20-question quiz, helped her child not only memorize information—but feel successful doing so. Using visual anchors from the classroom gave her a built-in sense of recognition and ownership. Whether you use digital tools or DIY your own supports, the goal remains the same: give your child a way to see what they know.

Final thoughts: Progress is personal

If you take one thing away from this, let it be this: no standard measure can fully capture your child’s journey. Progress is messy, non-linear, and often hard to detect in the moment—but it’s there. Look for determination. Look for small steps. Trust that your presence, attention, and belief are the strongest interventions they could ever have.