Supporting Neurodivergent Children: Practical Strategies for Speech, ADHD & Dyslexia
Neurodivergent children experience the world differently, and for parents, it can sometimes be overwhelming to know how best to support them. Whether your child has a speech and language disorder, ADHD, or dyslexia, there are practical, therapy-aligned strategies that can make a real difference in their daily lives.
Speech and Language Difficulties
Children with speech and language challenges may struggle with speaking clearly, understanding spoken language, or expressing themselves. Here’s some simple strategies:
Use Visual Supports – Pictures, gestures, and written words can help reinforce communication and reduce frustration.
Model Clear Speech – Repeat words and phrases slowly and clearly without pressure for your child to copy. Slowing down and getting them to look at your mouth can REALLY help them focus on the sounds.
Provide Choices – If your child isn’t saying much, or struggles with sentence creation, reducing the processing can help. Instead of open-ended questions, offer two options (“Do you want apple or banana?”). This models their options and supports engagement.
Pause and Wait – Give your child extra time to process and respond instead of jumping in to fill the silence. This is often very hard for adults. Some children with langauge delays need up to 10 seconds to formulate their response. If they don’t ever get the time, they can get very frustrated about never being able to join the conversation.
Incorporate Play-Based Communication – Games like ‘Simon Says’ or storytelling with puppets make speech practice fun and engaging.
Supporting a Child with ADHD
ADHD affects attention, impulse control, and executive functioning. Rather than focusing on discipline, the key is understanding their brain wiring and adjusting the environment to help them thrive.
Use Movement Breaks – Allow your child to stand, fidget, or move while learning to improve focus.
Give One-Step Instructions – Too many instructions at once can be overwhelming; keep directions short and specific.
Externalise Organisation – Use visual schedules, timers, and checklists to make tasks feel more manageable.
Support Emotional Regulation – Name emotions, offer sensory tools (like stress balls or weighted blankets), and create calm-down spaces. Get and OT to help work out their sensory needs. Knowing these and working with them specifically to manage their developing nervous system can be a huge long term support.
Encourage Strength-Based Activities – ADHD brains are naturally creative and energetic; sports, music, or hands-on projects can help channel their strengths.
Helping a Child with Dyslexia
Dyslexia affects reading and spelling, but with the right support, children can develop strong literacy skills.
Use Multi-Sensory Learning – Encourage writing letters in sand, tracing words, or using letter tiles. Talk to the child about how saying, writing and looking at graphemes (how we write a sound down) all at the same time can help make a long term memory of the sound.
Break Words into Chunks – Teach decoding strategies like clapping out syllables to help break a word down, of if your child is further along, highlighting common word patterns such as -ing, dis- or -ion.
Provide Audiobooks and Speech-to-Text Tools – These help reduce frustration while still engaging with rich language. By the time most children are in second grade, they are learning more vocabulary and sentence structures from reading rather than talking. It is SO important to start on audiobooks early for children at risk of dyslexia, as this supports their vocabulary and syntax development.
Give Extra Processing Time – Children with dyslexia often need more time to read and write—avoid rushing them. If you ARE in a rush, read the information to them to help them process it.
Focus on Strengths – Many children with dyslexia excel in creative thinking, storytelling, and problem-solving. Celebrate these talents!
Final Thoughts
Every neurodivergent child is unique, and what works for one may not work for another. The key is to observe, adapt, and celebrate progress rather than perfection. Small, consistent adjustments in communication, learning, and daily routines can have a profound impact.
At Think Play Say, we provide tailored therapy and support for children with speech and language difficulties, ADHD, and dyslexia. If you’re looking for strategies specific to your child’s needs, get in touch—we’re here to help!
