Is your student confusing the lowercase letters b and d? It’s a common problem for people with dyslexia. Here’s a simple method to help them learn the difference for both reading and writing. This fun method simplifies the complicated task of telling the difference between a b and a d, because your student only has to refer to one visual cue to correctly identify the two letters.
Dyslexia – Stop the b and d confusion
First, it will help if the student knows their left from their right. If that’s not a problem for your student, skip this step.
Many people with dyslexia have left/right confusion, but there are some small things you can do that make a big difference. If you simply have them wear a watch, a bracelet or a sticker on their left hand, they’ll get instant feedback about which is which.
Take out the picture of the hand forming the letter b and show it to your student. Notice that it’s a left hand and that it’s next to a balloon.
Explain that the letter b represents the word “balloon.” Point out that balloons fly upward when they’re filled with helium. So when we form the letter b with the left hand, we point the thumb up towards the sky to match the upward movement of the balloon.
Help your student form the letter b with their left hand to match the picture, extending the thumb upward and curling their fingers in. For fun, you can use a dry erase marker to write a letter b right on their hand, like in the picture.
Explain to your student that if the shape of a letter in a word matches their b hand, then the letter makes the sound in the word ‘balloon,’ or b. If it doesn’t match, it makes the other sound, the sound of the letter d.
For help with reading, have your student put their left hand up on the desk or table near the reading material. Then, when they come upon a word that contains a b or a d, have them move their left hand (their b hand!) right next to the word on the page.
For help writing, have your student form the b with their left hand, and look at it whenever they want to write a b or a d.
Like anything else worth achieving, this method does take consistent practice to see the result. We also recommend that adults supervise these exercises as much as possible to help break the guessing habit. By steadily applying this fun and simple trick, your student will identify the letter correctly more and more of the time. It may take months to accomplish, but it will be worth it!
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