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# 1.8 Use a guide

You can use a guide to make reading smoother and more enjoyable (Watson and Wallace, 2021; Myhill, 2022). Here’s how:

1. Anchor your eyes
   - Pencil, chopstick, or finger – use any kind of pointer to guide your eyes as you read. This simple tool helps anchor your eyes and keeps your place on the page, making reading smoother and more focused.
2. Specialised tools
   - Reading rulers – there are special reading rulers (including digital rulers) designed to help guide your eyes. These rulers can highlight one line at a time, reducing visual stress and making it easier to follow along.
   - Coloured overlays – some people find that using coloured overlays or filters can reduce visual discomfort and improve reading fluency.
3. Benefits
   - Improved focus – using a guide helps maintain focus and reduces the likelihood of losing your place, which is especially helpful for people with dyslexia.
   - Smoother reading – this technique can make reading feel less choppy and more fluid, enhancing overall comprehension and enjoyment.

By incorporating a guide into your reading practice, you can make the experience more manageable and enjoyable.

## Good to know

You can change the background colour of your work.

Try reading through a coloured transparent layer placed over a physical text; or changing the background colour of digital work. This cuts the glare between the black words and the white background. This can make reading easier for everyone, not just dyslexic readers (Denton and Meindl, 2016; Myhill, 2022).

Many dyslexic students have great verbal skills but find writing information down in a linear, logical format much more difficult. Using a structure and visual approaches can help overcome this barrier.

Having examined a range of reading support strategies, let’s move on to writing.

◄Contents►Next: 2 Using the ‘big picture’ in writing

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