Is bullying at school because of my child’s dyslexia?

Last updated: January 23, 2026

You’ve seen the change in your child’s face after school—that defeated look that tells you something happened today, even before they say a word. Maybe they mentioned being laughed at during reading time, or came home with new excuses to avoid anything with words. That mixture of heartache and helplessness you feel, wondering if their reading challenges are making them a target, isn’t overreaction—it’s your instincts recognizing a real problem. If you’ve lain awake wondering whether things would be different if reading came easier for them, you’re not alone, and you’re not imagining the connection.

TL;DR

Children developing reading skills face higher bullying risk because reading challenges can make them visible targets in classroom settings
Research shows dyslexic children experience more anxiety and depression, partly from peer cruelty linked to academic struggles
Building your child's confidence and self-worth at home creates a protective buffer that reduces bullying's emotional impact
Teaching children about brain differences helps them see themselves as capable rather than broken
Daily home practice that builds reading skills and emotional resilience creates faster change than waiting for school systems

The Hidden Connection Between Reading Differences and School Social Dynamics

When your child comes home from school with stories about being teased, excluded, or called “stupid,” your heart breaks. And if your child is also developing their reading skills on a different timeline than their peers, you may wonder: are these two things connected?

Research shows that children with reading differences like dyslexia face a higher risk of being bullied. A 2023 scoping review found that children developing reading skills at their own pace experience more internalizing problems—like anxiety and sadness—often stemming from academic struggles and peer cruelty. This isn’t because there’s anything wrong with how your child’s brain works. It’s because school environments often reward speed over depth, creating pressure that spreads into social interactions.

The classroom dynamic matters. When children read aloud and some move faster than others, those who need more time can become targets. Other children, who lack understanding about brain differences, may see reading challenges as something to mock rather than respect. And teachers, despite their best intentions, sometimes inadvertently highlight differences that make your child stand out in ways that attract negative attention.

Your child's reading difference doesn't make them a target—a system that values speed over depth does. Build their shield at home. Tweet Now Follow Learning Success

Why Children with Reading Differences Become Targets

Bullies look for vulnerability. A child who avoids reading, seems embarrassed when called on, or needs extra time on assignments can appear different to classmates who don’t understand brain diversity. This isn’t a flaw in your child—it’s a failure of education that doesn’t teach children to value different kinds of minds.

Children developing reading skills often work twice as hard as their peers for half the recognition. This effort can show up as frustration, avoidance, or emotional responses that make them seem “different.” And in the social world of elementary school, different often becomes a target. Research from UCLA Health found that bullied children are 3.5 times more likely to experience mental health challenges, and children with learning differences already carry extra stress from academic demands.

The real problem isn’t your child’s brain. It’s an environment that hasn’t caught up with what we know about how dyslexic brains process information differently—often with strengths in pattern recognition, creative thinking, and big-picture understanding that go unrecognized when the focus stays on reading speed.

Author Quote "

Children with dyslexia are at elevated risk of internalizing mental health concerns, often linked to low self-esteem from academic struggles and bullying. Protective factors like support mitigate these risks.

Laura Lurns Learning Success Expert

Expert Insight:A 2023 scoping review found that children with dyslexia are at elevated risk for both bullying victimization AND mental health challenges—but the research also shows that protective factors like family support significantly reduce this risk. Your involvement isn't just helpful; it's protective.

Building Your Child’s Shield: Confidence as Protection

Here’s what matters most: how your child sees themselves. When children develop strong self-worth at home, they carry an internal shield that makes bullying hurt less. Research shows that building confidence creates a protective buffer against the emotional impact of peer cruelty.

Start by separating reading from identity. Your child is not their reading level. They are creative, capable, and building skills every day. When you praise effort over outcomes—”You worked so hard on that” instead of “You’re so smart”—you help them see struggle as growth rather than failure.

Teach your child about their brain. When children understand that different brains work in different ways, they stop seeing themselves as broken. Many of history’s greatest innovators—Einstein, Edison, Branson—had brains that worked differently. What looks like a limitation today is often untapped capability waiting for the right approach.

Consider growth mindset development as a core part of your daily routine. When your child believes their brain can change and grow—because it can—they stop accepting labels that limit them.

Key Takeaways:

Reading differences can increase bullying risk through visible classroom struggles

Building confidence at home creates protective shields against peer cruelty

Daily parent involvement outperforms waiting for school intervention

What You Can Do Right Now

You have more power than you realize. While you can’t control what happens in every moment at school, you can arm your child with emotional tools that reduce bullying’s impact and build resilience that lasts a lifetime.

Create a daily practice of connection. Even ten minutes of focused time where you listen without fixing helps your child feel seen. Children who feel deeply understood at home develop grit and perseverance that helps them push through social challenges.

Work with the school, but don’t wait for them. Document incidents. Request meetings. But also know that systemic change moves slowly, and your child needs support now. The daily practice you do at home—building cognitive skills, developing emotional regulation, reinforcing their worth—creates change faster than any IEP meeting.

Address the reading foundation directly. When children feel more capable in the classroom, they stand taller. When reading feels less like a struggle and more like a skill they’re developing, their whole demeanor changes. Other children notice when someone gains confidence. The target on their back starts to fade.

Author Quote "

Bullied teens are 3.5 times more likely to have significant mental health issues. A supportive home climate moderates these effects and builds resilience.

Here’s what I believe with every fiber of my being: your child is not broken, and their reading difference is not a sentence to social suffering. The system that puts children in reading groups ranked by speed, that highlights differences instead of celebrating diverse minds, that leaves your child feeling like an outsider—that system can be overcome by a parent who refuses to accept it. You are your child’s most powerful teacher, not because of any credential, but because of your love and your daily presence. The connection you build at home, the confidence you reinforce every single day, creates a shield that no bully can pierce. Your child’s brain is capable of more growth than anyone who uses words like “can’t” and “never” would ever imagine. Start your free trial of the Learning Success All Access Program and discover what happens when a parent decides that their child’s worth isn’t measured by reading speed.

References

Astle et al. - Understanding Mental Health in Developmental Dyslexia: A Scoping Review (PMC, 2023) - Children with dyslexia face elevated risk of mental health concerns linked to academic struggles and bullying
UCLA Health - Childhood Bullying Study (2024) - Bullied teens are 3.5 times more likely to have significant mental health issues; supportive climate moderates effects
Wiley - Growing Up with Dyslexia: Child and Parent Perspectives (2022) - Socio-emotional experiences include low self-esteem and mental health challenges from school frustrations