Collaboration between parents and teachers in supporting DYS children

1. Why is collaboration crucial?

1.1 The DYS child, a student at the crossroads of two worlds

DYS disorders are specific cognitive disorders of learning, lasting, that affect a precise function (reading, writing, calculation, coordination, language) without affecting intelligence. A DYS child understands, reasons, succeeds in many areas, but struggles persistently with certain learning despite their efforts. This particularity has a direct consequence on support: it is not enough to act at school or at home, action must be taken in both places, in a coordinated manner. The adjustments made in class must be known and supported at home; the work done at home must take into account what happens in class; and both must aim for the same objectives.

The child, for their part, lives constantly on the border of these two worlds. They carry their successes, failures, fatigue, and emotions from one side to the other. When school values their efforts but home punishes them for their grades, or when home adapts but school penalizes, the child receives contradictory messages that destabilize them and undermine their confidence. Conversely, when the adults from both worlds speak with one voice, the child feels understood and supported everywhere, and can mobilize their energy to learn rather than to manage tensions. Educational coherence is, for a DYS child, a major factor of security and progress.

1.2 What collaboration concretely brings

The benefits of good collaboration between parents and teachers are numerous and concrete. First, a better understanding of the child: parents know their history, strengths, weaknesses, and what works at home; teachers observe their behavior in groups, in learning situations, compared to their peers. By sharing these complementary perspectives, everyone understands the child better as a whole. Next, a continuity of arrangements: what helps in class (adapted materials, extra time, digital tools) can be extended at home, and vice versa.

Collaboration also allows for setting common and realistic goals, avoiding mixed messages and tensions, and reacting quickly when something is wrong. It relieves both parties: a parent who feels heard is less anxious and more constructive; a teacher supported by the family works more calmly. And above all, it directly benefits the child, who evolves in a coherent environment, sees the important adults in their life cooperating, and feels supported rather than torn. Research as well as field experience confirm it: the coordinated involvement of parents and teachers is one of the factors most associated with the success of students with special needs.

1.3 Common obstacles to good collaboration

If collaboration is so beneficial, why is it often so difficult? Because many obstacles, on both sides, hinder dialogue. On the parents' side: worry and sometimes guilt, the feeling of not being listened to or taken seriously, the difficulty in understanding how the school operates, sometimes a painful personal school experience, or the fatigue of having to "fight" for their child. On the teachers' side: workload, lack of training on DYS disorders, the feeling of being judged or overwhelmed, the difficulty of managing an entire class with multiple needs, or the impression that some parents ask too much.

There are also communication misunderstandings: a clumsy word, a terse email, a meeting that turns into blame, and trust erodes. Each can then retreat into a defensive posture: the parent becomes demanding, the teacher becomes rigid, and dialogue turns into a power struggle where the child is forgotten. Understanding these obstacles — without placing the responsibility on either party — is the first step to overcoming them. Most of these blockages arise not from bad intentions, but from worry, fatigue, lack of time and resources, and the absence of a clear framework for cooperation. It is precisely this framework that this guide proposes to build.

2. Building healthy and constructive communication

Good collaboration is primarily based on quality communication. The table below summarizes the attitudes that make a difference, on both sides.

2.1 The principles of successful communication

The quality of communication between parents and teachers is based on a few simple but decisive principles. The first is to start from a premise of mutual goodwill: to consider that the other, whether parent or teacher, sincerely wants the best for the child. This presumption of good faith diffuses a large part of the tensions and allows difficulties to be approached as problems to be solved together rather than as faults to be blamed. The second principle is regularity: not communicating only when things are going badly, but maintaining a regular connection that also includes progress and successes. An exchange that only occurs around problems creates an anxious relationship; an exchange that also values the positive builds trust.

The third principle is active listening: taking the time to truly hear the other person's point of view, to recognize their constraints and observations, before proposing or asking. A parent who feels listened to becomes a partner; a teacher whose constraints are recognized is more willing to cooperate. The fourth is clarity and respect: expressing expectations, concerns, or observations in a factual, calm, and precise manner, without accusation or generalization. Finally, the fifth principle is to always bring the exchange back to the child and their interests: when the dialogue becomes tense, returning to the question "what would help the child?" refocuses everyone on the common goal. These principles, applied by both parties, transform a potentially conflictual relationship into a constructive alliance.

2.2 The right channels and the right moments

Beyond posture, communication benefits from relying on appropriate channels and moments. Formal meetings (back-to-school meetings, educational teams, follow-up teams when a system exists) are valuable times to take stock in depth, share observations, and decide together on adjustments. For daily interactions, lighter tools — liaison notebooks, school messaging, brief emails, phone check-ins — allow for maintaining the connection without overburdening anyone. The important thing is to define together, from the beginning of the year, how and how often we will communicate: this avoids frustrations ("I have no news") as well as overloads ("I receive ten messages a day").

The choice of moment also matters. Bringing up a delicate subject on the fly, in the hallway, in front of the child or other parents, is rarely constructive. It is better to request a dedicated exchange, in a calm setting, with a bit of preparation on both sides. Similarly, it is useful to distinguish the urgent from the structural: a one-time incident can be resolved with a quick note, while reflection on adjustments deserves a proper meeting. By establishing this clear communication framework — who, when, how, how often — parents and teachers spare themselves a large part of misunderstandings, and the child benefits from a smooth and continuous follow-up between their two worlds.

3. Who is this guide for?

This guide is for everyone involved with a DYS child who wishes for the school and home to work together. Parents will find keys to communicate calmly with the school, assert their child's needs without entering into conflict, and extend what is implemented in class to home. Teachers will find guidelines to welcome and involve families, adapt their posture and practices, and transform a sometimes tense relationship into a partnership. Other professionals — AESH, speech therapists, psychologists, management teams — will find support points to facilitate this cooperation of which they are often the pivots.

Why is it important for everyone to understand the stakes of collaboration? Because the educational alliance is not decreed: it is built through concrete actions, on both sides. A parent who understands the teacher's constraints communicates differently; a teacher who understands the parents' concerns involves them differently. When everyone takes a step towards each other, and when intermediaries (AESH, care professionals, management) facilitate the connection, the child benefits from a coherent and united network. It is this shared culture of cooperation that this guide seeks to promote.

4. A roadmap for effective collaboration

4.1 The steps of a successful collaboration

An effective collaboration is not improvised: it follows a logical progression, from initial contact to long-term follow-up. It all starts with an initial meeting, ideally at the beginning of the year, where parents and teachers get to know each other, share what they know about the child, and lay the foundations for their cooperation. Next comes the sharing of useful information: parents provide reports, diagnoses, and recommendations from professionals; the teacher explains how the class operates and what they can implement. Based on this, common goals and concrete adjustments are defined together, which can be formalized in a follow-up document.

The collaboration continues with coordinated implementation: each party applies what has been decided, in a coherent manner. Regular check-ins then allow for assessments, adjustments of what is not working, and celebration of progress. Finally, cooperation is nourished by continuous communication, light but regular, that maintains the connection between key moments. The table below summarizes this roadmap and the role of each participant at each stage — a concrete reference to structure collaboration throughout the year.

4.2 An essential focus: common and realistic goals

At the heart of a successful collaboration is the definition of common, clear, and realistic goals. Too often, parents and teachers pursue, without saying it, different objectives: some aim for grades, others for autonomy; some want to catch up quickly, while others progress in small steps. These unspoken discrepancies create frustrations and tensions. Agreeing explicitly on a few priority objectives — and on how to measure progress — aligns everyone and provides a common direction.

These goals should be realistic and progressive. For a child with DYS disorders, aiming for "zero mistakes" or "catching up all the delay this year" is not only unrealistic but discouraging. It is better to have achievable goals, focused on progress and autonomy rather than pure performance: for example, gaining ease in a specific situation, using a compensatory tool independently, or rediscovering the pleasure of an activity. Realistic, shared, and regularly reassessed goals allow for the recognition of the child's real progress, maintain their motivation and confidence, and avoid the trap of constant comparison with a standard they cannot reach at the same pace as others. This logic of progress, rather than performance, is one of the foundations of supportive and effective guidance.

5. Tools to support the child with DYS disorders, at school and at home

5.1 Concrete and shared supports

One of the great advantages of good collaboration is the ability to share tools used on both sides, for maximum coherence. Several concrete supports lend themselves particularly well to this shared use. The Memory aid for b/d p/q confusions helps the dyslexic child with one of the most persistent difficulties, at home as well as in class. The Spelling proofreading grid structures proofreading and can become a shared reflex. The flash reading cards and the organization board support the automation of reading and planning. The Picture book of complex sounds and the Articulation tracking chart support work on sound-letter correspondences and language.

The interest of these shared supports is twofold. On one hand, they provide the child with identical reference points in both environments: the same tool used in class and at home becomes a reassuring and effective anchor point, as the child does not have to relearn different methods. On the other hand, they facilitate dialogue between parents and teachers, who have a common language and references to discuss the child's progress. These tools never replace the rehabilitation carried out by professionals (especially speech therapists): they extend and support it daily, in a logic of coherence and autonomy. The complete catalog of DYNSEO tools allows for the selection of those that best meet the needs of each child.

5.2 Applications and the AI coach in support

Beyond paper supports, DYNSEO cognitive stimulation applications can extend support at home, in line with schoolwork. For children, COCO offers fun activities for memory, attention, logic, and language, designed to be motivating and provide successful experiences — valuable for a DYS child who often associates learning with failure. For older children and teenagers, CLINT offers more advanced cognitive stimulation. When the disorder significantly affects communication, MY DICTIONARY supports expression. Finally, the AI Coach can assist parents and children with personalized advice.

These digital tools do not replace teachers or care professionals: they are complements, to be used without performance pressure and in a spirit of enjoyment and success. Their value, from a collaborative perspective, is that they can be discussed and coordinated between parents and teachers: a teacher can suggest a type of activity to reinforce, a parent can report observed progress. The playful dimension is essential: for a DYS child, rediscovering the pleasure of learning and accumulating small successes profoundly changes their relationship with work and nurtures their confidence. Used wisely, these supports contribute to the overall coherence between school, home, and the care pathway.

6. Keeping collaboration alive over time

6.1 Maintaining trust and managing disagreements

A collaboration is not acquired once and for all: it is cultivated over time. Trust, which is its foundation, is built through regularity, keeping commitments, and mutual recognition. A teacher who truly applies the agreed adjustments, a parent who supports the school's efforts: each action taken strengthens trust. Conversely, unfulfilled promises, silence, or judgments erode it. Maintaining the connection, even when everything is going well, through regular check-ins and discussions about progress, keeps this trust alive.

Disagreements, on the other hand, are normal and inevitable: parents and teachers do not always have the same interpretation of a situation. The key is not to avoid them, but to manage them constructively. When a disagreement arises, it is useful to return to the facts rather than interpretations, to listen to the other person's point of view, to seek what would help the child, and to involve a third-party facilitator if necessary (management, healthcare professional, mediator). Approaching a disagreement as a problem to be solved together, rather than as a confrontation to be won, helps preserve the alliance. DYS children, whose support is ongoing, often go through several school years and several teachers: knowing how to transmit, maintain coherence, and rebuild trust at each stage is a major challenge, of which parents are often the guarantors over time.

6.2 The role of systems and intermediaries

Collaboration does not rely solely on individual goodwill: it also depends on systems and intermediaries that structure and facilitate it. Depending on the situations, formal frameworks exist to organize adjustments and follow-up for a student with special needs, and to regularly bring together the family, educational team, and relevant professionals. These systems provide a valuable framework: they formalize commitments, give legitimacy to adjustments, and guarantee regular exchange times.

Beyond formal frameworks, many intermediaries facilitate cooperation: the AESH, who makes daily connections; healthcare professionals (speech therapists, psychologists, occupational therapists), whose recommendations clarify adaptations; the school's management, which organizes the framework; and family associations, which inform, support, and assist parents in their efforts. Relying on these intermediaries relieves both parents and teachers and strengthens collaboration. To go further, DYNSEO training can help families and professionals better understand the disorders and support, and build this essential common culture for successful cooperation. No one should bear the support of a DYS child alone: it is a whole network, coordinated around the child, that makes the difference.

6.3 Pitfalls to avoid and good habits to establish

Some pitfalls frequently arise and deserve to be named to better avoid them. The first is waiting for the situation to deteriorate before communicating: a collaboration that only activates in times of crisis always starts on tense ground. It is better to establish the connection at the beginning of the year, when the climate is neutral. The second pitfall is to rely entirely on verbal communication: an important decision made during a quick exchange, without written record, often ends up being forgotten or interpreted differently by each party. Noting the agreed adjustments, even briefly, secures cooperation. The third pitfall is over-investing in one channel at the expense of others — for example, multiplying anxious messages — which saturates the relationship and exhausts both parties.

Conversely, a few simple good habits can sustainably strengthen the alliance. Starting each exchange with a positive point about the child diffuses tensions and reminds everyone of the common goal. Regularly checking that the adjustments are still appropriate, as a child's needs evolve throughout the year and their learning. Thanking and recognizing the efforts of the other, whether parent or teacher, nurtures trust and motivation to cooperate. Finally, involving the child themselves, depending on their age, in decisions that concern them: explaining the adjustments, gathering their feelings, making them an active participant in their support. A child who understands that the important adults in their life are cooperating to help them, and who has a say, becomes more involved and develops a better self-esteem. These modest but consistent habits gradually transform a functional relationship into a true alliance of trust, capable of overcoming difficulties without breaking.

Ultimately, collaboration between parents and teachers is not an administrative formality: it is a human relationship, built on trust, listening, and commitments kept, that develops over time and strengthens with each step taken together. The benefits also extend far beyond the school framework: a child who sees the important adults in their life cooperating for them learns, by example, what a respectful cooperative relationship is — a valuable lesson for their entire life.