American Dyslexia Association

Author: American Dyslexia Association

Inside the AFS-Test, Week 7 of 25: Visual Recognition

Every Wednesday, we take you inside the AFS-Test, the standardized assessment that allows Certified Dyslexia Trainers to definitively diagnose and categorize dyslexia and dyscalculia. This is week 7 of 25.

This week: Visual Recognition

Visual recognition is the ability to spot the essential detail and tell similar shapes apart: b and d, ie and ei, 6 and 9. A child with underdeveloped visual recognition sees perfectly well, but sorting what they see takes longer and costs more effort. In the standardized AFS-Test, the child works through playful exercises that show precisely how reliably they differentiate optical patterns. If this area needs support, targeted training strengthens it step by step, before letters are even involved.

About the AFS-Test

The standardized Attention-Function-Symptom Test has been used worldwide for more than 25 years. It examines the attention span, the sensory perceptions, and the error symptoms of a child, and turns the results into an individualized training plan following the AFS-Method.

Find a Certified Trainer

Certified Dyslexia Trainers conduct the standardized AFS-Test in your area or remotely. Learn more and find a Certified Trainer near you: dyslexiatest.com

You can find all published articles of this series under the tag AFS-Test Series.

09/16/2026
Lesson 10 of 48: Attention Training: Building Focus for Learning Success
Every Tuesday, we open up one lesson of the Dyslexia Trainer Certification Program here on the blog, all 48 of them, one week at a time. Whether you are a teacher, a parent, or an education professional, this series shows you exactly what certified dyslexia trainers learn, and how the program works from the inside.

This week: Attention Training. Building Focus for Learning Success

Attention is the foundation of all learning, and for dyslexic and dyscalculic learners, staying focused on letters and numbers is especially hard. This lesson explains what attention training is, how attention differs from concentration, and why situational inattentiveness around symbols is not the same as ADHD. It closes with a practical toolkit, including kinesiology-based exercises, to help learners reach and hold optimal focus.

What this lesson is about

Attention is a vital foundation for all learning. Without it, even the most carefully designed training cannot be fully effective. For learners with dyslexia or dyscalculia, maintaining attention on symbol-based tasks, such as reading, spelling, writing, or math, can be especially challenging. Attention training in the AFS Method addresses this challenge directly, using structured exercises to prepare the brain for focused work.

Attention training refers to structured, targeted exercises designed to help learners focus their thoughts and sustain concentration on a specific task over a period of time. In the AFS Method, attention training is one of the three core pillars, alongside function training and symptom training, because it addresses a key barrier to learning for many individuals with dyslexia and dyscalculia: the difficulty of maintaining mental focus on written symbols and numbers.

What you will learn in Lesson 10
- What attention training is, and how attention differs from concentration
- Why dyslexic learners lose focus around letters and numbers
- Situational inattentiveness vs. ADHD
- A practical toolkit, including kinesiology-based exercises
About the Dyslexia Trainer Certification Program

Since 1997, more than 17,000 dyslexia trainers in 64 countries have been certified. The certification gives you more than knowledge: all the tools you need to actually work with dyslexic children are included as well. Worksheets, training programs, assessment materials, everything ready to use in your practice. You get the whole package.

The program is accredited by the American Dyslexia Association (ADA) and follows the training standards of the International Federation of Dyslexia and Dyscalculia Associations (IFDDA).

Catch up and start free

Lesson 1 is free for everyone. Register in a minute and see the program from the inside: dyslexiacertificate.com

You can find all published lessons of this series under the tag Lesson Series.
09/15/2026
Inside the AFS-Test, Week 6 of 25: The Sensory Foundations

Every Wednesday, we take you inside the AFS-Test, the standardized assessment that allows Certified Dyslexia Trainers to definitively diagnose and categorize dyslexia and dyscalculia. This is week 6 of 25.

This week: The Sensory Foundations

Reading, writing, and arithmetic rest on a network of sensory perceptions working together: seeing precisely, hearing precisely, and knowing where you are in space. When one of these functions is differently developed, the brain compensates, and that costs energy, speed, and accuracy. The standardized AFS-Test checks eight function areas, from visual recognition to body perception, to definitively diagnose and categorize where support is needed. Over the next eight weeks, we will look at each one of them: what it does, how the test checks it, and what training looks like when it needs strengthening.

About the AFS-Test

The standardized Attention-Function-Symptom Test has been used worldwide for more than 25 years. It examines the attention span, the sensory perceptions, and the error symptoms of a child, and turns the results into an individualized training plan following the AFS-Method.

Find a Certified Trainer

Certified Dyslexia Trainers conduct the standardized AFS-Test in your area or remotely. Learn more and find a Certified Trainer near you: dyslexiatest.com

You can find all published articles of this series under the tag AFS-Test Series.

09/09/2026
Free Dyslexia Resources for Parents and Teachers: What We Give Away on International Literacy Day

Free dyslexia resources from the American Dyslexia Association, all in one place: 1,500 printable worksheets, two worksheet generators, a word and a picture every day, ten math games in one app, and a learning platform for families. None of it costs money. Most of it needs no sign-up. We are publishing this list on International Literacy Day, which turns 60 today, because the day is about access, and access starts with price.

Why free, and why today

At least 739 million young people and adults still lack basic literacy skills, and 4 in 10 children do not reach the minimum level in reading. Those are UNESCO’s figures for International Literacy Day 2026, the sixtieth since UNESCO proclaimed the day in 1966. Nobody fixes that from Osprey, Florida. What a small association can do is remove the first barrier: no family and no teacher should have to pay to start. A child with dyslexia or dyscalculia does not need a miracle. The child needs practice that fits how he or she perceives letters and numbers, in small daily doses, from adults who stay calm. The free dyslexia resources below are built for that.

1,500 free worksheets, no sign-up

Our largest collection is the set of 1,500 free printable worksheets on this blog. They follow the three parts of the AFS-Method: attention, sensory perception (the “function” part), and symptom training in reading, writing, and math. Pick what fits your child, print it, use it at home or in class.

One rule before you print anything: do not start with the mistakes. A child who reverses letters or loses the line does not need the same exercise ten more times. The child needs a few minutes of perception training first, then one short reading or writing task. The worksheet post explains why practicing the errors alone does not work.

Every freebie on dyslexia.me is licensed under Creative Commons, so teachers may copy and share them. The Freebies section has the running list, and the association keeps its own free worksheet library on the ADA website.

Two worksheet generators

Two generators on this blog turn one word or a word list into practice sheets in seconds. The Handwriting Worksheet Wizard lets you choose print or cursive, the font size, and the line pattern. The Math Worksheet Wizard lets you choose the operations and the level, then prints arithmetic sheets for elementary school. Both are free for teachers and for parents who teach at home.

Something small every day

Short daily practice beats one long session on the weekend, so two of our sites publish something new every day.

Word of the Day takes one English word a day through the three steps our trainers use: word image, word sound, word meaning. This is the AFS-Method procedure called word formulation, and it belongs to the symptom part of the method, the part that trains reading, writing, and spelling directly. A word only stays in long-term memory when a child has seen its shape, heard it clearly, and understood what it means, which is why none of the three steps can be skipped. Read it together, say it, write it, and you have done ten minutes of word formulation without opening a workbook.

Picture of the Day shows a new spot-the-differences picture every day. Your child solves it online, or you print it as a PDF with or without the solution. It looks like a game, and it is one, but it trains visual recognition: the child has to look closely, compare two pictures, and notice where they differ. In the AFS-Method that is the function part of the training, visual differentiation, and it is the same skill a child needs to tell b from d or to see that a word on the page is not the one they just read. If you prefer paper, there is a printable set of 10-differences puzzles on this blog.

Ten math games in one free app, with no ads

Free apps for children usually pay for themselves with advertising. A University of Michigan study of 135 apps for young children found ads in 95 percent of them, and in every single free app (Meyer et al., Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 2019). AFS5 is the exception we built: ten math games in one app, from addition and subtraction to fractions, counting money, and telling time. Ten languages, no account, no ads, no subscription. It runs on iPhone, Mac, and Android.

A learning platform for families: parents.learnedy.com

parents.learnedy.com is our online learning platform for parents. The parents package is free: access for up to four children, quizzes without limits, and exercise books you put together for your own child. It has been free of charge and free of advertising since March 2020, and the site promises to ask its users before that ever changes. The platform is endorsed by the American Dyslexia Association and by the International Federation of Dyslexia and Dyscalculia Associations.

How much practice does a child with dyslexia need?

Ten to fifteen minutes a day at home, plus one session a week with a trained specialist. That is the pattern the AFS-Method has used since 1997, now in more than 60 countries, and it is the pattern behind the numbers: in a long-term study of children trained this way, 85 percent improved significantly (Kopp-Duller and Pailer-Duller, Dyslexia – Dyscalculia!?, 3rd edition, 2020). Every home session follows the same order: a minute or two of attention, a few minutes of perception exercises, then one reading, writing, or math task. Stop while the child is still willing. Praise every small step, because, in the words of the method’s author, praise is the daily bread of these children. If you want to see how trainers plan this, Lesson 9 of our free 48-part series turns a training plan into home practice.

Which of the three areas a child needs most is not something you have to guess. The AFS-Test is the educational test built for that question: it looks at the attention span, the sensory perceptions, and the errors the child actually makes, and it has been evaluated on more than 100,000 children between 6 and 14. Dyslexiatest.com explains what the test covers and lists the certified trainers who conduct it.

Questions parents ask us

How much should a child with dyslexia practice each day?
Ten to fifteen minutes a day at home, every day, plus one session a week with a trained dyslexia trainer. Short and daily works better than long and rare. This is the home-training pattern of the AFS-Method (Kopp-Duller 2021). In the long-term study of children trained this way, 85 percent improved significantly (Kopp-Duller and Pailer-Duller 2020).

Are free worksheets enough to help a child with dyslexia?
No. Worksheets that only repeat the errors do not help a child with dyslexia and can make things worse. The AFS-Method trains three areas in every session: attention, sensory perception, and only then the symptom, meaning the actual reading, writing, or math task. Use worksheets as the last step of a short session, not as the whole session.

From what age can a child use these free dyslexia resources?
The perception exercises, the picture puzzles, and the counting games work from preschool age. The AFS-Test, which tells you which areas to train, has been evaluated on more than 100,000 children aged 6 to 14. If you suspect a problem before school, start with perception games and have the child assessed once reading instruction begins.

What if the problem is math, not reading?
The International Dyslexia Association describes dyscalculia as a mathematical disability in which a person has unusual difficulty solving arithmetic problems and grasping math concepts. An estimated 4 to 7 percent of students have it, one or two per classroom, and it often goes together with dyslexia. The same three-part training applies. For arithmetic, always pair the written number with a quantity the child can touch or count. Pictures on a page are not enough: use coins, blocks, or beans, because counting real things is the base of all arithmetic.

For teachers who want to go further

If you teach and want to work this way professionally, the Dyslexia Trainer Certification Program is accredited by the American Dyslexia Association. Lesson 1 is free. In September the program site marks International Literacy Month with half-price enrollment for the first 50 sign-ups, through September 30.

Read to them tonight

International Literacy Day is a good excuse for the simplest thing that works: read aloud to your child, even if the child can read alone, and especially if reading is hard. If you need a text to start with, bestselling author Don Bentley wrote a message to children with dyslexia for us last month. It is short, and it is worth reading out loud.

Sources: UNESCO, International Literacy Day. Astrid Kopp-Duller, Dyslexia – Training Using the AFS-Method, 3rd revised edition, 2021. Astrid Kopp-Duller and Livia R. Pailer-Duller, Dyslexia – Dyscalculia!? The importance of pedagogical-didactic assistance in cases of dyslexia, dyscalculia, and other problems in reading, writing, and doing arithmetic, 3rd edition, 2020. Meyer et al., “Advertising in Young Children’s Apps: A Content Analysis,” Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 2019, PMID 30371646. International Dyslexia Association, Frequently Asked Questions. Learning Disabilities Association of America, What is Dyscalculia?. Understood, What is dyscalculia?.

Photo: Shixart1985, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

09/08/2026
Sharjah Center for Learning Difficulties joins IFDDA
The International Federation of Dyslexia and Dyscalculia Associations welcomes a new member: the Sharjah Center for Learning Difficulties (SCLD) in the United Arab Emirates.

This is our first member in the Arab world, and it is a government center, which makes it a rare kind of partner. Most dyslexia and dyscalculia organizations start as parent initiatives or volunteer groups. The Sharjah Center was created by decree of the Ruler of Sharjah, with its own legal personality and its own budget, to serve people with learning differences of every age and every nationality living in the UAE. That is the kind of institutional backing our field rarely gets.

Who they are

The Sharjah Center for Learning Difficulties was established by Emiri Decree No. 49 of 2016, issued by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah. It operates under the supervision of Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services, whose Director-General, Sheikha Jamila bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, chairs the center. The center is located in the Wasit suburb of Sharjah and is directed by Dr. Hanadi Al Suwaidi.

In their own words, from their membership application:

The Sharjah center for learning difficulties supports individuals with learning difficulties and their families. We provide assessment and diagnosis, counselling, and educational, psychological, and social support. We also work with schools and other educational institutions to raise awareness, build professional capacity, and promote the inclusion and empowerment of individuals with learning difficulties.

The center’s slogan is “We are your advocates to education.” Its stated vision is to be the leading center for advocacy, inclusion, and empowerment of people with learning differences in the UAE and the Arab world. In practice, the center:
- assesses and diagnoses children and adults with learning differences and monitors the progress of enrolled students,
- offers family counseling, career advice, social and psychological support, and a self-advocacy program,
- provides speech and language services, assistive technology, and further specialist support under one roof,
- trains teachers and specialists, advises schools and institutions, and runs school visits and a parents council,
- and has hosted three Learning Difficulties Conferences and two virtual forums, alongside lectures, workshops, and its own publications.
Why it matters for IFDDA

Our members exchange knowledge, methods, and experience across borders. With the Sharjah Center, the federation gains its first member in the Gulf region and the Arabic-speaking world, and a partner that combines diagnosis, support, teacher training, and public awareness in a single publicly funded institution.

Most of what is published about dyslexia and dyscalculia describes learners of English. Arabic has its own script and its own challenges, and a center that assesses and supports Arabic-speaking learners every day brings knowledge to the federation that most of our members do not have. We look forward to learning from it.

You can find the Sharjah Center for Learning Difficulties at scld.ae, and all IFDDA members at ifdda.org.

If you run a non-profit dyslexia or dyscalculia organization and would like to join the federation, membership is free. Apply at ifdda.org.
09/08/2026
Lesson 9 of 48: From Session Design to Home Practice: Using the Training Plan Effectively
Every Tuesday, we open up one lesson of the Dyslexia Trainer Certification Program here on the blog, all 48 of them, one week at a time. Whether you are a teacher, a parent, or an education professional, this series shows you exactly what certified dyslexia trainers learn, and how the program works from the inside.

This week: From Session Design to Home Practice. Using the Training Plan Effectively

A good training plan is a roadmap: it makes sure every session addresses attention, sensory function, and symptoms, while staying flexible for what the child needs on that particular day. This lesson covers session design, documentation, and progress monitoring, and shows how a plan generated from AFS-Test results guides the work from the most significant needs toward systematic improvement.

What this lesson is about

Effective training for learners with dyslexia or dyscalculia requires a structured yet flexible approach. Each session should address attention, sensory function, and symptoms, but the order and emphasis can vary depending on the child’s needs on that day.

Documentation is an essential part of the process, allowing trainers to monitor progress, adjust plans, and ensure that all areas are addressed over time. The training plan, whether written up manually or generated via the AFS Test, serves as a roadmap to guide the process, ensuring that interventions target the most significant needs first and build systematically toward improvement.

A training session should always include three components, attention training, function training, and symptom training, though the sequence does not need to be followed rigidly. Each session should begin with an activity that helps the child focus, but it may be necessary to return to an attention exercise later if focus is lost during other parts of the session.

What you will learn in Lesson 9
- How to structure a training session across attention, function, and symptoms
- Flexible emphasis: reading what the child needs on a given day
- Documentation that makes progress visible
- Using AFS-Test-generated training plans as your roadmap
About the Dyslexia Trainer Certification Program

Since 1997, more than 17,000 dyslexia trainers in 64 countries have been certified. The certification gives you more than knowledge: all the tools you need to actually work with dyslexic children are included as well. Worksheets, training programs, assessment materials, everything ready to use in your practice. You get the whole package.

The program is accredited by the American Dyslexia Association (ADA) and follows the training standards of the International Federation of Dyslexia and Dyscalculia Associations (IFDDA).

Catch up and start free

Lesson 1 is free for everyone. Register in a minute and see the program from the inside: dyslexiacertificate.com

You can find all published lessons of this series under the tag Lesson Series.
09/08/2026
Inside the AFS-Test, Week 5 of 25: The Attention Test

Every Wednesday, we take you inside the AFS-Test, the standardized assessment that allows Certified Dyslexia Trainers to definitively diagnose and categorize dyslexia and dyscalculia. This is week 5 of 25.

This week: The Attention Test

Attention is where every reading or math task begins. The AFS-Test measures how well a child can focus their thoughts on symbols: letters, numbers, and words. Many dyslexic children are perfectly attentive when playing or building, but drift the moment symbols appear. This situational inattentiveness is not ADHD, and telling the two apart matters, because each calls for completely different support. The attention section of the standardized AFS-Test makes this measurable, in playful parts a child can complete without fear.

About the AFS-Test

The standardized Attention-Function-Symptom Test has been used worldwide for more than 25 years. It examines the attention span, the sensory perceptions, and the error symptoms of a child, and turns the results into an individualized training plan following the AFS-Method.

Find a Certified Trainer

Certified Dyslexia Trainers conduct the standardized AFS-Test in your area or remotely. Learn more and find a Certified Trainer near you: dyslexiatest.com

You can find all published articles of this series under the tag AFS-Test Series.

09/02/2026
Lesson 8 of 48: From Understanding to Action: Roles and Strategies in the AFS-Method
Every Tuesday, we open up one lesson of the Dyslexia Trainer Certification Program here on the blog, all 48 of them, one week at a time. Whether you are a teacher, a parent, or an education professional, this series shows you exactly what certified dyslexia trainers learn, and how the program works from the inside.

This week: From Understanding to Action. Roles and Strategies in the AFS-Method

Real progress happens when the child, parents, teachers, and specialists pull in the same direction. This lesson examines the unique contribution each person brings, and how the three components of the AFS-Method, attention training, function training, and symptom training, work together in practice. It also shows what happens when collaboration fails, and how trainers keep everyone motivated and aligned.

What this lesson is about

Supporting a child with dyslexia or dyscalculia requires more than isolated interventions, it demands a coordinated effort from everyone involved in the child’s learning journey. The AFS Method emphasizes that genuine progress is achieved when the child, parents, teachers, and specialists work together toward shared goals. In this lesson, we examine the unique contributions each person brings to the process, as well as the importance of building understanding, fostering motivation, and maintaining consistent communication. We also explore how the three components of the AFS Method, attention training, function training, and symptom training, form a comprehensive framework for effective, individualized support. Forging Understanding: Child, Parents, Teacher, Specialist It is crucial that a child with dyslexia or dyscalculia is met with understanding in their environment regarding their unique challenges. This understanding should primarily come from parents but also from teachers. The collaboration between parents, teachers, and specialists is essential. While understanding is a prerequisite, targeted support is an absolute necessity. However, effective support can only be successful if the child, parents, teachers, and specialists work closely together and complement each other.

If this collaboration is successful, the child will eventually experience progress, which can be observed as improvements in learning. However, if collaboration is lacking or ineffective, the child may develop psychosomatic symptoms or even significant mental health issues over time, and training success will be significantly delayed.

If secondary issues have already developed, additional professionals such as medical doctors, psychologists, or psychotherapists should be consulted. However, this should always be decided on a case-by-case basis, depending on the severity of the developed secondary dyslexia or dyscalculia. Each of the involved individuals plays a specific role in ensuring successful training: The Child Once a test or assessment has confirmed the diagnosis of dyslexia or dyscalculia, it is helpful to have an age-appropriate discussion with the child about their struggles. Many children feel a sense of relief upon receiving an explanation, as well as an interest in learning more about it. Often, for the first time, they realize that they are not simply lazy, difficult, or unintelligent.

What you will learn in Lesson 8
- The roles of child, parents, teachers, and specialists
- How attention, function, and symptom training work together
- Building motivation and consistent communication
- What happens when collaboration fails, and how to prevent it
About the Dyslexia Trainer Certification Program

Since 1997, more than 17,000 dyslexia trainers in 64 countries have been certified. The certification gives you more than knowledge: all the tools you need to actually work with dyslexic children are included as well. Worksheets, training programs, assessment materials, everything ready to use in your practice. You get the whole package.

The program is accredited by the American Dyslexia Association (ADA) and follows the training standards of the International Federation of Dyslexia and Dyscalculia Associations (IFDDA).

Catch up and start free

Lesson 1 is free for everyone. Register in a minute and see the program from the inside: dyslexiacertificate.com

You can find all published lessons of this series under the tag Lesson Series.
09/01/2026
50% Off the Certified Dyslexia Trainer Program This September

It’s International Literacy Month.

For a limited time, the Certified Dyslexia Trainer Program is 50% off. The program is accredited by us, the American Dyslexia Association (ADA), and built on the structured, multisensory AFS approach that helps teachers and homeschooling parents support learners with dyslexia.

What you get

48 self-paced lessons that take you from the standardized AFS-Test for assessment all the way to the individualized training plan, with ready-to-use materials included. You finish with a certificate and everything you need to actually work with dyslexic learners.

Why the program is trusted

Since 1997, more than 17,000 dyslexia trainers in 64 countries have been certified. The program is accredited by the American Dyslexia Association (ADA) and follows the training standards of the International Federation of Dyslexia and Dyscalculia Associations (IFDDA).

This September only

The 50% offer is limited to the first 50 sign-ups this September, or through September 30, whichever comes first. You can start free with Lesson 1, no credit card needed.

Enroll now at dyslexiacertificate.com

09/01/2026