A pilot programme to help Primary One dyslexic children study in English is to be implemented in 10 primary schools by the Education Department this September.
But while welcoming the move, schools and parents want similar help for dyslexic students in other forms.
The one-year scheme, headed by world-renowned expert on reading difficulties, Professor Linda Siegel, associate dean of Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia, is designed to improve dyslexic students' reading and writing abilities by raising their phonological awareness.
'Dyslexic children have to develop a firm foundation in oral language before they start reading and writing,' she said while introducing the project at a primary teachers' seminar this week.
Professor Siegel's approach introduces and reinforces sounds of words through a variety of strategies including rhyming, clapping and games. The relative strength of dyslexic children in creative ability will also be developed as they will be asked to present their ideas through story-telling, drawing and model-building.
The programme has been successfully implemented with a group of dyslexic children in North Vancouver, Canada, over the past five years. Professor Siegel believes Hong Kong dyslexic children can reach the level of their classmates after spending just one year on the programme.