Back-to-school is behind you. Backpacks are packed, the first few weeks of classes are underway, and the excitement (or the nerves) of the first day have started to fade. This is often exactly when things start to show themselves clearly: what's working, what isn't, and what needs adjusting before fatigue or discouragement sets in.
You don't need to wait for the first parent-teacher conference to notice. Here are 5 signs to watch for in your dyslexic child during the first few weeks of school, and what they might be telling you.
1. Fatigue looks different than it did during the first week
A little tiredness while settling back into a school routine is normal. But if, three or four weeks in, your child is still just as exhausted in the evenings, or even more so than at the start, that's worth paying attention to.
What this can look like: a child who noticeably slows down by the end of the day or the end of the week, gets frustrated more quickly during homework, falls asleep earlier than usual, or regularly complains of headaches or stomachaches with no clear cause.
For a dyslexic child, decoding words, following instructions, or copying an assignment already takes more effort than it does for classmates. Fatigue that doesn't ease up over time can mean that effort isn't finding enough real recovery time in the daily schedule.
What you can do: without turning it into a checklist, jot down the days or moments when fatigue seems strongest. That simple record will be useful if you need to bring it up with the teacher.
2. Homework is taking a lot longer than it's supposed to
An assignment described as "ten minutes" that ends up taking forty, a child who restarts the same line over and over, homework that consistently spills into the evening: this gap between the time an assignment is supposed to take and the time it actually takes is a very concrete signal.
It can point to instructions that aren't yet clear enough for your child, an accommodation that hasn't quite found its place in the classroom routine, or a difficulty that wasn't fully identified at the start of the year.
What you can do: time your child once or twice, without announcing it, on an assignment that was supposed to be quick. If the gap is significant and keeps happening, that's useful information to share with the teacher: a specific number often lands better than a general impression.
3. The accommodations put in place at the start of the year are quietly slipping
This is one of the most common signs, and one of the easiest to miss. An IEP or 504 plan exists on paper, an accommodation was discussed in the first few days of school, but in the day-to-day rhythm of a classroom, it can start to fade: the modified version of a test stops showing up, instructions are no longer repeated or simplified out loud, an approved tool or extra time quietly stops being used.
This is almost never intentional. The first weeks of the school year are simply a lot for everyone, teachers included, and things fall through the cracks.
What you can do: ask your child two or three simple, specific questions, like "Does your teacher repeat the instructions for you?" or "Did you get extra time on your last test?" If the answers suggest the accommodation isn't being followed, ask for a quick check-in with the teacher rather than waiting for the next scheduled conference or report card.
4. Motivation starts to look different
This sign is often quieter than a flat-out "I don't want to go to school." It can show up as consistently avoiding one particular subject, losing interest in reading for fun after enjoying it just weeks earlier, or a child who talks about their school day with a lot less enthusiasm than at the beginning of the year.
Often, it's the small efforts and small wins that stop getting noticed once the routine sets in, even though they're still happening.
What you can do: bring back a simple, regular question, like "What are you proud of this week?" It works as a quiet check-in: if the answer becomes rarer or vaguer over time, it's worth gently digging a little deeper.
5. Communication with the teacher has gone quiet since the first day
Many families make the effort to reach out to the teacher right at the start of the year to explain their child's needs and difficulties. Then, without much feedback, that connection fades. The result: no way to know whether the information you shared was actually taken into account, and the feeling of having to explain everything from scratch every time you do reach out.
What you can do: rather than waiting for the next scheduled conference or the end of the grading period, send a short check-in (an email, a note) three or four weeks into the school year, with one or two specific questions rather than a request for a full update. Short, focused messages tend to get the best response.
Signs to notice, not reasons to panic
These 5 signs aren't meant to raise alarm. They're meant to help you adjust early, rather than discover in December that something has been building for months. A child can show just one of these signs, briefly, without it meaning the whole year is off track — the goal is simply to stay attentive and adjust along the way.
A little regular observation, paired with a short, specific conversation with your child's teacher every few weeks, tends to make a real difference over the course of the school year.
If reading fatigue is one of the signs you're noticing, our earlier piece on easing back into reading before school starts has practical habits you can pick back up at any point in the year, and our reading aid devices are worth a look if you're searching for something to ease that everyday effort, alongside your child's existing support and accommodations.
