SoundWorks will help any child who is slow to begin to read and write. However, it is specifically designed for children who may be dyslexic. There is now strong evidence that dyslexia runs in families. This means that if a parent or older brother or sister is known to be dyslexic, then the 5-year-old who is slow to begin to read and write may well be in need of help.

Why start so early?

Dyslexic children are usually identified once their difficulty has become apparent and a diagnosis of dyslexia can be made. But by then they may be 7 or 8 years old, well behind the other children in their class and already lacking in confidence.

The purpose of SoundWorks is to avoid these years of frustration and unhappiness at school by enabling parents to get started right away - the moment the difficulties first appear. There is no need to wait to be certain that your child is dyslexic, because the material in SoundWorks is suitable for any child, dyslexic or not. If he turns out not to have a problem, nothing is wasted, you will simply have given your child a good start. If it turns out that he is dyslexic, you will have avoided years of frustration and unhappiness. Your child will have a sound foundation in reading, handwriting and spelling, confidence at school, and an excellent headstart in tackling his difficulty with literacy.

The need for extra practice

Research has shown that when dyslexics have mastered the basics of reading and spelling, it still takes a long time for these skills to become fluent and easy to use. It makes very good sense, then, to start teaching these skills as early as possible - so that this all-important fluency has time to develop. If dyslexics are helped to understand the basics of reading and writing at the age of 5 or 6, they will join in more of the activities at school. This means that their skills will have more time to mature - and precious time is not lost.

Most schools now have teachers and assistants who are trained to work with dyslexic children. However, there are huge demands on their time, and schools are often reluctant or unable to provide help for 5 and 6 year-olds who are slow to begin to read and write but have not yet shown that they have a serious problem.

Parents, however, may take a different view - they have the time and may be keen to help their children right away, without waiting to see if the difficulty goes away. SoundWorks was written with these parents in mind. For any parent who thinks their child might be dyslexic and is anxious to help him at home, SoundWorks provides careful step-by-step instructions with clear explanations for what is required. The approach is structured, cumulative, multisensory and phonic, and follows the method currently used by specialist dyslexia teachers.

The research background to SoundWorks

The programme was developed by Dr Mary Kibel, an experienced dyslexia teacher who has worked for more than 25 years with dyslexic children in primary and secondary schools in the UK. With a dyslexic son and grandson herself, she knows what it is like to live with dyslexia and cope with the difficulties and frustrations of school. Much of her work has been with parents and classroom assistants, and it is here that she learnt how to pass on specialist teaching techniques in ways that are safe and easy to understand.

Recently, she has researched the early spelling difficulties of dyslexic children. Her findings show the importance of two things: (1) the need to help young children pay attention to the sounds in their speech when they begin to read and write, and (2) to start this process as early as possible so that there is time for fluency to develop. SoundWorks will enable parents or classroom assistants to achieve both these goals, giving children increasing confidence at school and an excellent start on the all-important road to literacy.