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

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.

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.

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.