
【同路人分享🙌】讀寫障礙的學生確實需要專業的支援
Jerome 自小五開始便來博思會上英文科的課餘支援課程,一轉眼已經接近五年的時間。😮
Jerome在小學時都曾經參加過坊間補習社的功課班和學校的課後輔導班,但對Jerome的學習並沒有太大的幫助。幸好在朋友的介紹下,Jerome媽媽找到了博思會的幫忙,開始上英文科的課餘支援課程。💪
最近,Jerome在英文作文的成績更是大躍進,體現了他努力的成果,令他很驚喜,連媽媽看過他的作文後也不禁讚嘆他的進步。👍
究竟過去又面對了怎樣的困難?在博思會的支援下,Jerome現在有怎樣的轉變?詳細內容請按影片了解。🤩

Du Tsan Wai’s mother is just like any other mother, taking care of her two children every day. Perhaps it is her strong faith that differentiates her from the rest.
Tsan Wai is 8 years old, studying in Primary Three at the time of being interviewed. He always fails to memorize his books. Even though he studies the vocabulary every single day, he still fails in the end. As Tsan Wai was a “small baby” (editor’s note: a child born at the end of the year), his mother always thought that it was inevitable his grades would fall behind. By coincidence, the teachers at the tuition centre observed that he has dyslexia symptoms and introduced him to the Pathways Foundation, which confirmed his dyslexia diagnosis in Primary Two.
“I am still very grateful to this teacher for introducing me to Pathways which helps me to understand dyslexia and find a suitable learning method for Tsan Wai.”
Tsan Wai’s mother said that she had requested for help from the primary school he attended and asked the school to do an assessment on him in his Primary One. In the end, it was only until the beginning of the second semester in Primary Three that Tsan Wai’s mother finally got the follow-up from the school’s social worker.
“For me, the school’s support came too late. As I recalled that Tsan Wai often felt dizzy at school, it was due to the heavy pressure of studying. Fortunately, after he received help from the teachers at Pathways, his self-confidence improved dramatically and he became more cheerful as a result.”
Tsan Wai is currently receiving support in Mathematics and English at Pathways. He is particularly fond of mathematics.
“Sir Chan (maths teacher) will gradually explain the concepts to me, making it easy for me to understand. In particular for the mathematics questions. Even the day-school teachers would ask me why I know how to deconstruct difficult questions in the examination,” said Tsan Wai.
Seeing the progress of her son, his mother proved that it was the correct decision to help him with “early identification and support”. When I first learned that my son had this learning disability, I was at a loss, speechless because I did not have the right information.
Just as Tsan Wai’s mother initially asked the teachers from Pathways: Is there any medication or drug for dyslexia? In fact, dyslexia cannot be cured by medication. Some children with dyslexia are also suffering from the issue of lack of concentration. In this way, medication or drugs may help them become more focused. However, it is far from adequate to resolve the learning difficulties arising from dyslexia.
It is indeed worthy for parents to learn from the fact that his mother has never given up on her son. On the contrary, she has been constantly cheering for her son to keep him highly motivated to learn.

Source from 2020-21 Annual Report
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More:
Mr. Panny Chan, Mathematics Teacher – Resolving the Fear of Mathematics by Attending to Emotions

讀寫障礙是特殊學習障礙的一種,讀障學生在學習路上需要比一般學生面對更多挫折和挑戰!懷疑子女有學習障礙,應盡早作出評估,尋求專家支援,成效會是較大且深遠!
凱豐媽媽:
「博思會老師會在放學後與我傾談兒子剛才上課的情況,隔一段時間也會給我一個報告,這些資訊讓我更全面了解兒子的學習情況。」
張思傲及思若爸爸:
「作為家長,如果要與孩子同行,家長首先要學習孩子學的東西,老師的技巧我們全部都要學,也不要害怕他一次不懂,二次不懂,孩子會經常善忘,我也會不斷向他重覆,和他一起做是很重要。
當初學校老師和專業人士建議我們去做評估,評估後才知道小孩患有讀寫障礙,那刻我就很清楚知道要怎樣做,家長亦要好好控制自己的情緒,了解自己的小孩發生了什麼事,再和他一起前行,這幾個是很重要。讀寫障礙會困著他,跟著他一輩子,你有這個障礙,就要想方法跨過障礙,又或者與他同在。」
來看看家長們的分享!
更多專訪

Mrs. Chow has two lovely children. Based on her experience with the elder daughter, she used the same method to teach the younger son Harvey. She soon realized that the one method may not be effective for everyone.
When Harvey was in Primary One, his English teacher suspected that he had reading and writing difficulties because he had problems in learning phonics. Mrs. Chow recalled that when Harvey was at pre-school age, he learnt phonics at a learning centre like his sister, but was unable to pick it up as quickly as his sister did. Mrs. Chow was not too concerned though, since she thought that it was only because Harvey’s memory was not that good.

Not Aware of Dyslexia
“I didn’t notice the problem at the time. In fact, he would occasionally reverse certain letters in writing, or mix up the letters ‘b’ and ‘d’. If I had known that he might have reading and writing difficulties, he could have received learning support much earlier, and that would have helped him more.”
When Harvey was assessed and diagnosed with mild dyslexia, his teacher suggested that he should repeat Primary One, and provided Mrs. Chow with information on dyslexia, including seminars and brochures.
From the information provided by the school, Mrs. Chow learnt about Pathways, an organization dedicated to serving students with dyslexia. She searched the internet for more information and studied reviews about Pathways, and then decided to enroll Harvey in the Chinese and English After-School Support Programmes.
“My first encounter with Pathways was at the English subject assessment. I was most impressed by the teachers’ praise and encouragement to my child, which made me realize that there are many minor instances which can serve as sources of encouragement for our children.”
Mrs. Chow also learnt a lot while accompanying her child. Apart from how to show praise, she also realized the importance of patience.
Harvey enjoyed learning phonetics in Miss Windy’s English class very much. His progress in the first year was not very noticeable, but when Harvey got to Primary Three, the progress became more apparent. When he encountered new words, he would try to spell them out phonetically. At the same time, Mrs. Chow mastered how to create stories to help Harvey remember the context of the words. Supported by all these efforts, studying became much easier for Harvey.
“Like most parents, I used to think the child would be able to remember new words by copying them several times. Now I know that children with dyslexia need special methods to help them learn.”

We are Ultimately Responsible for Helping Our Child
After every class, Miss Windy would also take time to communicate with parents, showing them how to help their child study at home. Even with simple materials parents can prepare games for the child to play and learn at the same time, as the child will have a natural desire to win. This way, the child can learn the language without even knowing. Mrs. Chow also found that if she practiced together with her son, his progress would be more apparent.
“I really appreciate the teacher taking the initiative to communicate with parents. Parents should take the time to follow the teacher’s guidance and work together with the teacher, because we are ultimately responsible for helping and supporting our child.”
Mrs. Chow also praised the Chinese teacher Ms. Lam for helping Harvey to be more attentive in class. By giving him riddles to solve at the beginning of class, she created a happy atmosphere to start. After class Harvey would sometimes act as teacher and ask his mother to solve the riddle. Again, through playing games Harvey began to enjoy learning Chinese.
“In the course of Harvey’s learning, I discovered that every child is unique. Past methods may not always be effective. It is necessary for parents to find the suitable learning methods, and be more understanding towards their child’s needs, in order to minimize conflict and nurture a happy relationship,” Mrs. Chow concluded.

Most parents may not be that familiar with the term “dyslexia”, and they do not think that their child will have anything to do with it. It is only until they start noticing differences in their child’s academic performance, that they will seriously start to learn about “dyslexia”.
His son Matthew, now ten years old, is a Primary Five student. Mr. Chung recalled how he first came to know about Pathways. It was when Matthew was in Primary One, and he had trouble learning the twenty-six English letters, failing his dictation all the time. Mr. Chung sensed that his son might have learning difficulties and needed professional assessment and support. After extensive research, Mr. Chung brought Matthew to Pathways for professional assessment. Upon Matthew being diagnosed as attention-deficit and dyslexic, Mr. Chung arranged for his son to start receiving learning support at Pathways starting from Primary Two onward.
For almost four years, Matthew attended after-school intervention support classes weekly in three subjects – English, Chinese and Mathematics. Even though normal school was suspended earlier due to the pandemic, Matthew continued his classes at Pathways and took advantage of the opportunity to strengthen the foundation for each subject.
Learning by “Laying a Firm Foundation”
Mr. Chung described learning at Pathways as “laying a firm foundation”, where students learn in a stress-free environment so that they can rekindle their interest in learning, and gradually improve their subject performance.
“Learning at Pathways has brought a great change to Matthew. Normally the day school courses are tightly-scheduled, and teachers have no time to take care of students with learning differences. On the contrary, Pathways’ curriculum is designed mainly for small groups or individuals, allowing teachers to set appropriate pace and goals to suit each student’s learning needs.”
Do Not Run Away from the Problem
Mr. Chung believes that he had made the right decision in bringing Matthew for assessment when he was in Primary One. He also encourages other parents, “Do not run away from the problem. If you notice that your child has learning difficulties, bring him/her for assessment as early as possible, and seek support from professional organizations. That way, the school can provide learning accommodations based on the child’s abilities. There is no need to be afraid or feel shy because the most important thing for a parent to do is to find the suitable learning method to help your child bridge the learning gap.”
Source from 2019-20 Annual Report

Mrs. Li, mother of Chloe, looked back to the day she stepped out of the Pamela Youde Child Assessment Centre, holding in her hand the assessment report indicating that her daughter showed early signs of dyslexia, along with ADHD and impulsive personality. Mrs. Li was extremely worried; Chloe was just a kindergarten student, how would her learning path be?
In order to know more about dyslexia, Mrs. Li attended a parent seminar organized by Pathways. After listening to the speaker, she realized that early intervention will make training more effective. Hence she enrolled Chloe into Pathways’ intervention programme. Chloe is now a Primary 4 student, and she has been taking lessons at Pathways for nearly five years, from the Early Literacy Support Programme when she was in K3, to the After School Support Programme in Chinese, English and Mathematics.
As Chloe has a short memory span, it is easy for her to forget what she learns from school. Teachers at Pathways, on the other hand, make use of multi-sensory and interactive games to teach, making learning more interesting for Chloe, and her performance gradually improves.
“I enjoy learning at Pathways as the teaching style is different from that in school. Not only is it more interesting, it also makes it easier for me to understand and remember the key content, helping me to improve my academic results,” Chloe said.
In fact, even other parents noticed the change in Chloe’s learning behavior. Mrs. Li is very thankful for the long-term support and guidance from the teachers at Pathways; in particular when teachers take time after class dismissal to explain to her the progress of her child, and the areas that need more attention. This makes Chloe understand that family and teachers are always here to support her.
“Learning at Pathways is very important to Chloe. When I schedule extra-curricular activities for her, lessons at Pathways are always the top priority. Even though we have to travel from Hong Kong Island to Mongkok for class, we still think that it is well worth the effort,” Mrs. Li concluded.





Siblings Raegan and Ariel have been taking lessons at Pathways for a number of years. Apart from the attention and guidance from teachers, the comprehensive care from their parents has also proven indispensable.
Mr. Raymond Cheung, father of Raegan and Ariel, is a pediatric physiotherapist. When Raegan was in Primary 1, Mr. Cheung noticed that Raegan had difficulty recognizing and writing words, and would often skip words or jump lines when reading. During that time, Mr. Cheung learnt about Pathways. He decided to send Raegan for an assessment, and was informed that Raegan was diagnosed as having dyslexia. After that, Mr. Cheung signed Raegan up at Pathways to receive intervention support for both Chinese and English literacy, and from there Raegan was able to find his direction in learning.
With this experience, Mr. Cheung learnt more about dyslexia, and realized that the condition could run in the family. Therefore he paid special attention to their younger daughter Ariel’s learning. Ariel performed well in Primary 1, and was even chosen to be class monitor. However, she showed difficulties in learning later on, often forgetting how to write words, misreading them, or writing mirrored characters. At that time, Ariel’s parents still hoped that it was simply due to carelessness. However, the situation got worse when Ariel was in Primary 2.
Early Assessment Allows Prompt Treatment
“Ariel was assessed when she was in Primary 2, and she was diagnosed as being borderline dyslexic,” said Mr. Cheung. “The assessing psychologist mentioned that if a child only barely passes the assessment in Primary 1 or 2, and therefore not given any further training, they will certainly fail further assessments in upper grades.”
Therefore, arrangements were made for Ariel also to have intervention support at Pathways. The teacher taught her phonograms and pictograms, improving her ability in word recognition. She stopped pronouncing characters by their radicals; 「峽 」 was no longer read as 「山 」, and 「故 」 was no longer read as「古 」.
Mr. Cheung expressed that he and his wife were glad to have arranged for an early assessment for Ariel, and to have dealt with it as soon as they knew of her condition. By now, they understand the learning needs of both their children, and therefore the family will always reserve more time for exam preparations. During summer holidays, they will encourage Raegan and Ariel to read passages for comprehension, yet without completing the written exercises; the children will also read short English storybooks, write diaries, etc. The purpose is for them to accumulate knowledge little bit by bit over time – not for getting better grades in exams, but to make it easier for them to learn in the future.
Learning is a Long-Distance Running Race
Apart from being the way to acquire knowledge, Mr. Cheung also instilled the importance of learning to his children from a young age, preparing them mentally for their growth. Most children with dyslexia do not like words, and it is difficult for them to attend class in mainstream schools. However, Mr. Cheung compares this learning process to a long-distance running race. He wants to equip his children with the mindset to win the race. With this mindset, they can then think of how to actively prepare for the goal.
“It is important that the children themselves have the willingness to compete, otherwise all the training will just be forced upon them, and it will be a lose-lose situation where both the parents and the children will be unhappy about,” said Mr. Cheung.
In the eyes of Mr. and Mrs. Cheung, Raegan and Ariel are not under-performers in exams. As long as their children try their best in preparation, and they do better than they did before, that will be fine. Being parents, they will always have their children’s back, and accompany them along this journey of learning!



//看著當時就讀幼稚園中班的女兒菲菲,一個中文字也不會認讀,菲菲媽媽的心也著急起來,更一度懷疑女兒是否智力有問題。由於六歲以下未有相關讀寫障礙正式評估,菲菲媽媽在偶然的機會,知悉博思會推出為學前兒童進行的讀寫障礙甄別測試,故帶女兒到博思會測試,結果是有讀寫障礙傾向,遂報讀了學前支援課程。//
閱讀全文: http://bit.ly/2YbOOrb
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了解更多有關讀寫障礙及相關測試項目:
https://www.pathways.org.hk/dyslexia/#what-is

The term “dyslexia” may be unfamiliar to many parents, and they never expected the condition to be happening to their children. This is the case for Mrs. Chan, mother of two boys. Her elder son studied at a kindergarten which offered a happy learning environment, with little emphasis on learning to read and write. When he advanced to primary school and faced the load of homework and tests, problems surfaced. It was not until the second term of primary one when Mrs. Chan found out that he was dyslexic, and also had attention deficiency problem.
Learning from this experience, and knowing that the dyslexic condition can be hereditary, Mrs. Chan paid extra attention to her younger son’s learning ability, and noticed that he had even more serious reading, writing and memory difficulties than her elder son.
Since the summer vacation of K2 in kindergarten, Sung Chit began to participate in Pathways’ Pre-school Intervention Programme. The teacher focused on increasing his learning motivation, and taught him character recognition and reading according to his level of capability. As Sung Chit’s problem was identified at an early stage, allowing him to receive appropriate intervention and support, he had a much smoother transition to primary one. He was more willing to accept new challenges, and no longer resisted reading and writing.
Mrs. Chan expressed thanks to Pathways’ teachers for their care and support to parents, which made them feel like having a social worker walking with them along the way. ‘’Whether it was about school selection or about the child’s character development, the teacher spoke to me as a friend, and helped me analyze how to teach him effectively. The constant care and encouragement gave me strength,’’ she said.
Overcoming learning difficulty should not be a challenge that the child faces on his own. Parents should take the initiative to look for timely professional advice and assistance, and this is the positive way to solve the problem.
Dr. Catherine Lam (left), vice-chairperson of Pathways presented a souvenir to Sung Chit’s mother (right).
The term “dyslexia” may be unfamiliar to many parents, and they never expected the condition to be happening to their children. This is the case for Mrs. Chan, mother of two boys. Her elder son studied at a kindergarten which offered a happy learning environment, with little emphasis on learning to read and write. When he advanced to primary school and faced the load of homework and tests, problems surfaced. It was not until the second term of primary one when Mrs. Chan found out that he was dyslexic, and also had attention deficiency problem.
Learning from this experience, and knowing that the dyslexic condition can be hereditary, Mrs. Chan paid extra attention to her younger son’s learning ability, and noticed that he had even more serious reading, writing and memory difficulties than her elder son.
Since the summer vacation of K2 in kindergarten, Sung Chit began to participate in Pathways’ Pre-school Intervention Programme. The teacher focused on increasing his learning motivation, and taught him character recognition and reading according to his level of capability. As Sung Chit’s problem was identified at an early stage, allowing him to receive appropriate intervention and support, he had a much smoother transition to primary one. He was more willing to accept new challenges, and no longer resisted reading and writing.
Mrs. Chan expressed thanks to Pathways’ teachers for their care and support to parents, which made them feel like having a social worker walking with them along the way. ‘’Whether it was about school selection or about the child’s character development, the teacher spoke to me as a friend, and helped me analyze how to teach him effectively. The constant care and encouragement gave me strength,’’ she said.
Overcoming learning difficulty should not be a challenge that the child faces on his own. Parents should take the initiative to look for timely professional advice and assistance, and this is the positive way to solve the problem.
Dr. Catherine Lam (left), vice-chairperson of Pathways presented a souvenir to Sung Chit’s mother (right).

When Fei Fei was in K2 kindergarten, her mother began to worry that she might have a problem with her intelligence as Fei Fei could not even read one Chinese character. Since no formal diagnostic assessment for dyslexia is available for children under six years old, Fei Fei’s mother incidentally learned about Pathways’ launch of a dyslexia screening test for pre-school children. She then brought Fei Fei to the screening test, and found out that her daughter was identified to be at risk of dyslexia. Fei Fei was therefore enrolled into Pathways’ pre-school intervention programme.
When Fei Fei came home after her first class at Pathways, her mother was pleasantly surprised. “The teacher taught her how to read by pointing at the characters with a finger while reading each character out. When Fei Fei came home, she used the same method and was able to read out characters by pointing at them. I’m so impressed!” she said. From then on, Fei Fei always looked forward to going to class, and came home smiling.
Fei Fei’s mother used to be an outstanding student herself at school. In the beginning she struggled to understand why her daughter could not identify or understand even simple characters, like “個”. Nevertheless, after the guidance and encouragement from Pathways’ teachers, she finally understood that difficulty in character recognition is very common among children with dyslexia.
“I admire all of you so much,” said Fei Fei’s mother. She appreciates not only the teachers’ dedication in teaching Fei Fei, but also their continued effort in supporting parents. After each class, the teacher would explain how the student performed in class, and also show the parent methods to help the child learn at home, so that both parties can effectively work towards motivating the child to learn.
For example, the teacher showed her how to use hand-clapping to indicate syllables to the child, illustrating that there is one sound to one character. So when she claps three times along with the term “好朋友” (hou2 pang4 jau4 – good friend) , Fei Fei would realize that the term is made up of three characters.
After a year’s hard work, Fei Fei went from not being able to recognize any character, to being able to write a simple complete sentence like “爸爸和媽媽一起到公園” (father and mother went to the park together); her parents are pleased to see that they have found a suitable way of learning for their daughter. And most importantly, Fei Fei, now a primary one student, is also adjusting well at school. This is solid proof that early identification and early intervention can bring about change as soon as possible!
Source: 2017-18 Annual Report
Fei Fei and her parents.