Crossword puzzles are a great way to build or reinforce vocabulary. That said, I'm not sure that they would be a "brain break" for a dyslexic, so I wouldn't necessarily recommend them as that. I would say "additional practice." And, always, these should be done at a level where a student can achieve success.
They will help overcome those barriers with a different solution, and encourage positive learning in an enjoyable way. Wordsearches and crossword puzzles can encourage vocabulary and spelling patterns.
The Orton–Gillingham Method
This popular method has long been used to teach children with dyslexia how to read. By focusing on the connection between letters and their sounds, children can assign more meaning to the language and develop better overall comprehension.
Excellent puzzle solving skills: Dyslexics might struggle in the reading department, but when it comes to solving puzzles, many are pros. They accurately identify the right shape and figure out complex problems like no one else can ever do.
Some teachers and parents can mistake a dyslexic child for someone who is lacking intelligence. But the truth is dyslexia has nothing to do with a child's level of intelligence.
Kids with dyslexia have many gifts, including:
Think in pictures rather than words. Holistic thinking that sees the whole picture. Improved pattern recognition. Enhanced problem-solving ability.
Often forget conversations or important dates. Have difficulty with personal organisation, time management and prioritising tasks. Avoid certain types of work or study. Find some tasks really easy but unexpectedly challenged by others.
Some dyslexic people find that their mind races, and they struggle to find the right words to express themselves or to verbally keep up with the speed of their thoughts. Conversely, they often know the answer but need time to retrieve it from their memory.
It's recommended that children learn to write using continuous cursive handwriting so they don't have to learn how to form letters twice when they need to write more quickly later on.
Readable fonts
Use sans serif fonts, such as Arial and Comic Sans, as letters can appear less crowded. Alternatives include Verdana, Tahoma, Century Gothic, Trebuchet, Calibri, Open Sans. Font size should be 12-14 point or equivalent (e.g. 1-1.2em / 16-19 px).
Dyslexics are naturally curious and highly creative, with an incredible ability to think laterally, often possessing soft skills such as emotional intelligence, critical thinking, reasoning, leadership, social influence and complex problem solving, which are all trending in terms of future competency demands.
These features mean that crossword puzzles cause large areas of your cortex to be active, and stimulate new connections in your brain. The hippocampus will then remember those new connections, strengthening both your hippocampus and cortex.
Word-searches, pathfinders and mazes also provide great practice with eye-tracking or visual-motor integration – areas where dyslexic children can struggle. Best of all, puzzle books are an example of learning that doesn't 'feel' like learning.
Defined by Weakness
Namely, poor reading, writing and spelling ability despite being of average to above-average intelligence. Dyslexia has been called a 'hidden disability' because it isn't obvious except in the school setting.
Adults with dyslexia often have a wide range of nonspecific mental health, emotional, and work difficulties. They may have low self-esteem, experience shame, humiliation, or lack confidence in their ability to perform at work or school.
The 4 types of dyslexia include phonological dyslexia, surface dyslexia, rapid naming deficit, and double deficit dyslexia. Dyslexia is a learning disorder where the person often has difficulty reading and interpreting what they read.
The National Sleep Foundations notes that ADHD is linked with a variety of sleep issues. A recent study found that children with ADHD and people with dyslexia had higher rates of daytime sleepiness than children without ADHD. Why Sleep disturbances caused by ADHD have been overlooked for a number of reasons.
Dyslexic brains process information differently. We are naturally creative, good at problem solving and talented communicators. Our heightened abilities in areas like visualisation and logical reasoning skills and natural entrepreneurial traits bring a fresh and intuitive perspective.
We often define dyslexia as an “unexpected difficulty in reading”; however, a dyslexic student may also have difficulty with math facts although they are often able to understand and do higher level math quite well.
Imaging research has demonstrated that the brains of people with dyslexia show different, less efficient, patterns of processing (including under and over activation) during tasks involving sounds in speech and letter sounds in words.
Although some individuals with dyslexia may find taking part in musical activities challenging, such involvement can actively help. It can boost self-esteem and it is also thought to help develop areas that they may find challenging, such as sequencing, organisation, motor-coordination, memory and concentration.
Dyslexia symptoms don't 'get worse' with age. That said, the longer children go without support, the more challenging it is for them to overcome their learning difficulties. A key reason for this is that a child's brain plasticity decreases as they mature. This impacts how quickly children adapt to change.