My heart breaks for my little girl

[cajunrose]

She's going to be 9 in May. She is surrounded by good readers (her friends) and they are all reading well ahead of their age. They are reading things like Guardian's of Gahoole and Harry Potter, etc. She LOVES fantasy books. However, she has the hardest time reading. When she was 7, she was diagnosed with eye problems and spent a year in vision therapy. That physically got her eyes where they needed to be and now she reads beyond grade level. However, comprehension wise...not so good. She is understanding 1st grade books but nothing beyond that. I put her in tutoring and she was doing well but we are in the process of moving and pulled her.

 

Last night we went to the bookstore and she sat in the kid's section and I found her with silent tears running down her face. She told me that it's not fair that there are SO many good books that she wants to read but she still has to read baby books. She happened to glance at the back of one and saw the suggested reading age was 7 and she was heartbroken because she couldn't understand it. I explained to her that everybody learns at different rates and she'll get there with practice.

 

I was crushed inside though. I just don't know how to help her. I'm out of my league. I did email her tutor and set it back up again.

 

We have tried audio books and read alouds but she has a listening comprehension problem too. We are up to 2nd grade books there. I read a ton to her...but we still can't move up to the books she is interested in. There aren't her 'type' of books available for the 1st-2nd grade level. She's interested in horses and fantasy.

 

Just had to share. If you have book suggestions or reading comp suggestions, we are all ears. :bigear:

 

Stephenie

Edited April 15, 2012 by cajunrose

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: Poor thing. That would break my heart, too, to see her so upset. I hope you can get her back in the tutoring.

[Pippen]

Have you had her tested by reading and speech-language specialists to determine the specific nature of the problem? Having some answers may enable you to come up with a specific treatment plant.

 

FYI: Sometimes reading comprehension problems can be tied into auditory and language processing problems. Speech-language therapy can be very beneficial for these kids.

[mumto2]

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

[Remudamom]

Bless her little heart. Tell her all those books will wait for her.

[snickelfritz]

The Fairy Series by Daisy Meadows

Geronimo Stilton

Flat Stanley

 

My dd likes fantasy and these are series with multiple (the fairy series has...maybe 50-60???) books that dd has read from 1st until now (at almost 9.)

[cajunrose]

Have you had her tested by reading and speech-language specialists to determine the specific nature of the problem? Having some answers may enable you to come up with a specific treatment plant.

 

FYI: Sometimes reading comprehension problems can be tied into auditory and language processing problems. Speech-language therapy can be very beneficial for these kids.

 

Her tutor is a good friend of mine and is a reading specialist (masters in reading problems..can't remember the specific degree though..lol). She was able to specifically pinpoint where her reading problems were. I have never seen a language specialist though. After the eye thing (1 year driving 1.5 hours 1 way twice a week), I couldn't bear putting her through any more therapy's. Some of her problems though make me wonder if we are dealing with Dyslexia as well.

 

How much do you put your kid through though, you know? I have one friend that thinks if I were to just back off she would pick it all up on her own and take off and fly with it. HER daughter taught herself to read though and is now reading 4 grades above her grade though...so I take it with a grain of salt. I couldn't bear to have her have a problem that can be fixed but I sit around and wait only to find out it DOES need fixing, you know?

[cajunrose]

The Fairy Series by Daisy Meadows

Geronimo Stilton

Flat Stanley

 

My dd likes fantasy and these are series with multiple (the fairy series has...maybe 50-60???) books that dd has read from 1st until now (at almost 9.)

 

She tried the Fairy Series and she didn't like the one she read (I'm not sure she understood it). I think she is more interested in the realistic fantasy type of stuff if that makes sense. She tried Geronimo Stilton and she couldn't understand it. Same with Flat Stanley.

[Remudamom]

Has she read Billy and Blaze books? Too easy?

[AHASRADA]

My dd12 is in a similar situation. She is severely dyslexic, and while she can read at about a 4th grade level with great effort, her pleasure books are at about a 1-2nd grade level (Amelia Bedelia, etc.) For the most part, reading is such a chore that she doesn't see books as "fun" or "interesting", and really has no desire to read books much at all; she'd rather watch TV or online. She also doesn't comprehend a lot of what I read to her, so audio books aren't any help either. She just has to have the visual component.

 

As heart-breaking as it is to see your little girl upset that she can't read the books she would really love to, count your blessings that her impairment hasn't completely killed her love of reading and interest in books. It is much easier to overcome our difficulties when we have a strong desire to do so. If she is desperate to read those more difficult books, she will get there some day. Trying to convince a child that books are worthwhile in the first place, worth the effort and struggle it takes to read them, is much harder.

:grouphug:

PS: You should look into "high-low" books. There are several educational publishers that offer high-interest, low-reading level books. That way, she can enjoy stories that may interest her, but at her reading level.

[AngieW in Texas]

If she has problems with comprehension even when the books are being read TO her, that points to an auditory processing issue. I would get her tested by a specialist for CAPD (central auditory processing disorder). In the meantime, working through Visualizing and Verbalizing is likely to help (at least it won't hurt).

 

I don't recommend just waiting. Sometimes kids learn how to compensate on their own, but most of the time it just means more heartache. The longer you wait, the bigger the gap becomes between what she is able to do and what she wants to be able to do.

 

It frequently does mean long hours. My youngest was in VT also. It fixed her visual efficiency issues, but she still couldn't read. They suggested that I have her tested for dyslexia and it turned out that she was dyslexic. We spent a lot of time every day working on reading. She didn't like that she had to work so hard in order to learn to read, but when she finally got to a point where she was seeing real progress, she was extremely excited. It took 3 years to get her to the point where she could read at grade level.

 

The first "real" books she read were the Rainbow Magic Fairies books by Daisy Meadows. She also really enjoyed The Pony-Crazed Princess. These are solid 2nd-grade reading level though, so your dd probably isn't there yet in terms of reading ability. My dd wasn't either when we started, so we started off with me helping her to read the 1st sentence on a page and then I'd read the rest. We built up (over about 30 of the books and more than one year of time) to the point where she was doing all the reading.

Edited April 15, 2012 by AngieW in Texas

[wapiti]

In the meantime, working through Visualizing and Verbalizing is likely to help (at least it won't hurt).

 

I don't recommend just waiting. Sometimes kids learn how to compensate on their own, but most of the time it just means more heartache. The longer you wait, the bigger the gap becomes between what she is able to do and what she wants to be able to do.

:iagree::iagree: I'd look at potential auditory processing, language processing, and of course dyslexia.

 

Long after VT, my dd saw speech and language therapist for a year to work on comprehension, doing Visualizing-and-Verbalizing -like activities. That can be done at home, I realized later.

 

Please visit the SN board :). Comprehension problems caused by language processing issues can be improved. Auditory processing issues are a little more controversial, both in terms of diagnosis and then what to do about it, but it would be well worth finding out about.

Edited April 15, 2012 by wapiti

[cajunrose]

:iagree::iagree: I'd look at potential auditory processing and language processing issues.

 

Long after VT, my dd saw speech and language therapist for a year to work on comprehension, doing Visualizing-and-Verbalizing -like activities. That can be done at home, I realized later.

 

Please visit the SN board :). Comprehension problems caused by language processing issues can be improved. Auditory processing issues are a little more controversial, both in terms of diagnosis and then what to do about it, but it would be well worth finding out about.

 

My friend, her tutor, was doing a lot of visualizing and verbalizing activities with her actually. We will be starting back up with that next week. She had improved so much and with the move and such, I just couldn't keep my head above water and let it go. I feel badly now and we will start back up next week. We'll see where we get with this and if it doesn't step us up, we'll take the next step and see what we find.

[Stacia]

I don't have any experience in the areas you're mentioning but I wanted to give you a :grouphug:.

 

Not sure if these books would work, but maybe as a read-aloud...?

 

The Unicorn's Secret series

Catwings series

My Father's Dragon

[cajunrose]

My dd12 is in a similar situation. She is severely dyslexic, and while she can read at about a 4th grade level with great effort, her pleasure books are at about a 1-2nd grade level (Amelia Bedelia, etc.) For the most part, reading is such a chore that she doesn't see books as "fun" or "interesting", and really has no desire to read books much at all; she'd rather watch TV or online. She also doesn't comprehend a lot of what I read to her, so audio books aren't any help either. She just has to have the visual component.

 

As heart-breaking as it is to see your little girl upset that she can't read the books she would really love to, count your blessings that her impairment hasn't completely killed her love of reading and interest in books. It is much easier to overcome our difficulties when we have a strong desire to do so. If she is desperate to read those more difficult books, she will get there some day. Trying to convince a child that books are worthwhile in the first place, worth the effort and struggle it takes to read them, is much harder.

:grouphug:

PS: You should look into "high-low" books. There are several educational publishers that offer high-interest, low-reading level books. That way, she can enjoy stories that may interest her, but at her reading level.

 

That's my daughter..she's visual so the tv, computer, and Ipad are her go to things. She does see reading as pleasure still though thankfully. I just don't want her to loose that. It's so sough.

 

How do I find high low books?

[Mommyof4ks]

:iagree: with auditory processing disorder. My son had the issues, and after a year of working with him through APD is doing sooooo much better. My dd practically taught herself to read at 5, so this was not at all what I expected when we started working with him on reading.

[Mandamom]

You need to work with her at the level she is comprehending. Having her read books out loud to you at whatever level she is working on and discussing them with her in detail will help a lot.

 

So, if she's understanding at the first grade get some books (I like to use the Reading Varied Subject Matter Books Early Reading Comp for tutoring -- Book A) at the first grade level. Have her read a section to you out loud. You may need to start having her read 2 sentences and having her tell you about them -- or she might be able to read a whole paragraph or even a whole page. Her success determines how much she is able to read before stopping to narrate back to you. Then have her tell you about that section (paragraph, page, chapter) and if she really understands it you can have her read the next section.

 

Talk about the individual words she is reading (vocabulary), the senses (if in a bakery what might the characters be smelling/hearing or at an auto race what might they see/hear) and predictions about what's going to happen next.

 

Read a variety of topics at each grade level (so on the first grade level -- plants, friendship, holidays, community, history, etc.) so you can build her ability to read a variety of topics at each level.

 

As she starts to get better at this you'll be able to increase difficulty of books.

 

Just a reminder -- no matter how easy comprehension seems to you remember that this is a very very difficult skill for your daughter. Lots of positive reinforcement, don't push till she's very frustrated and always end with her achieving some kind of success no matter how small.

 

Also, keep going with the reading out loud to you. Building her listening comprehension is very important.

[Trillian]

I don't have book suggestions (Catwings and My Father's Dragon would both possibly be ones to aim for, but it doesn't sound like she's there yet). I was just thinking that our library does a 'Read to Dogs' program (they have a cute name for it). Perhaps yours does something similar, so she can have a reason to read the lower level books (for pleasure, that is, without feeling conspicuous)?

 

Also, there are some really nice wordless books - Owly is a sweet graphic novel series, The Mysteries of Burdick Harris, I'm sure there are others - that would allow her to enjoy books and her own creativity while working through this.

 

Good luck.

[black_midori]

I would take a book of a higher level in a genre she enjoys and read it to her - and explain it page by page, recapping what happened & WHY that is interesting.

 

My 8yo reads at an advanced level, but for our read-aloud I try to go above that level. For instance, he reads Harry Potter (up to book 5) on his own, but we read "Hound of the Baskervilles" together. He doesn't understand a lot of what is going on in it right off the bat, because the language & wording is different from what he is used to. So he reads a page out loud to me, and I make excited comments about it ("wow, do you see what happened there? He THOUGHT that x was going to happen but then y happened instead. Do you think that means that z might actually be the case?") then I read him a page and recap it as well. Then we do a general recap ("A just happened today - what do you think might happen tomorrow? Do you think B will actually come true?").

 

It takes a long time to get through a book this way, and we have to take periodic breaks away to read other, lighter stuff, but I think that he starts to grasp the elements of a mystery novel written in old English! :)

 

ETA - I forgot my book recommendation!! "Secret of the Unicorn Queen" is a very fun series for young ladies - I don't know the recommended grade level, but I read it around her age, I think... and it is still interesting enough to read again as an adult. Possibly the "Pony Club" books (or something like that - I don't remember exactly what the series name was - but it was about young girls and horses).

Edited April 15, 2012 by black_midori

[cajunrose]

I don't have book suggestions (Catwings and My Father's Dragon would both possibly be ones to aim for, but it doesn't sound like she's there yet). I was just thinking that our library does a 'Read to Dogs' program (they have a cute name for it). Perhaps yours does something similar, so she can have a reason to read the lower level books (for pleasure, that is, without feeling conspicuous)?

 

Also, there are some really nice wordless books - Owly is a sweet graphic novel series, The Mysteries of Burdick Harris, I'm sure there are others - that would allow her to enjoy books and her own creativity while working through this.

 

Good luck.

 

You know, that's funny. That's how I've gotten her to read some books, by reading to her dogs, stuffed animals, dolls, and even a dying baby bird (her idea). It works beautifully. She reads picture books to them. I am sure it's helping fluency. I don't hover because I want it to be 'her' time without me correcting her, etc.

 

I requested Catswings and the Unicorn book from the library for us to look at.

[jennynd]

DS had a big gap between comprehensive and decoding skill earlier on.

what we did was we chose books in between, book i know he can read easily but have hard time to comprehend and I started to ask for summery. we started out ask summery for each paragraph then each page, then each chapter. We did that for past year and half and we see a dramatic improvement.

you also might find it helpful to find some workbook for sequencing. I found those helped too,

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

Perhaps Aesop's Fables and other very short stories might be good to expose her to more complex sentences and vocab. You could cover vocab with her prior to story. K12 has several very interesting Children's stories collections that are interesting even to older kids. You can find them on Amazon or perhaps Abebooks. Since they are short maybe that will help with comprehension.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Classics-Young-Readers-Volume-1/dp/1931728003/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1334506541&sr=8-7

 

The phonics page also has lots of info and free phonics lessons that might be helpful. IMO every child benefits from strong phonics done every year up to at least 4th or 5th grade.

 

http://thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/onreadinglinks.html

 

http://thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/dyslexia.html

 

 

Between the Lions on PBS which can also be found at libraries might also. It be helpful since it is strong on phonics and has stories. They can also be watched free on the first link below:

 

http://www.ovguide.com/tv/between_the_lions.htm

 

http://pbskids.org/lions/parentsteachers/lionstogo/video_music.html

 

Of course, I would get her evaluated and treated asap.

:grouphug::grouphug:

Edited April 15, 2012 by priscilla

[merry gardens]

I would take a book of a higher level in a genre she enjoys and read it to her - and explain it page by page, recapping what happened....

:iagree:

 

I think it's a great sign that she WANTS to read those books. Let her pick out a book that she wants to read and read to her, having her follow along. Children with reading troubles can still be exposed to literature at their grade level and beyond. It also can help reading comprehension. If the child has a general idea what the book is about and is familiar with the subject matter, they are more likely to understand them. By reading a book, it may set her up to successfully re-read the story or other stories in a series on her own in the future.

[merry gardens]

My friend, her tutor, was doing a lot of visualizing and verbalizing activities with her actually. We will be starting back up with that next week. She had improved so much and with the move and such, I just couldn't keep my head above water and let it go. I feel badly now and we will start back up next week. We'll see where we get with this and if it doesn't step us up, we'll take the next step and see what we find.

In addition to reading the stories she wants to read (like mentioned above) learn the V&V techniques to ask her explain what she's seeing in her mind as you read. For example, ask her to explain what she thinks the main character looks like in specific details, (details that may or maynot be included in the story.) Your tutor friend might be able to help you with learning those techniques.

[Mimmy]

Hugs to you and your DD. She might enjoy the Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa series.

[MomatHWTK]

If she is having auditory and visual processing issues, I think it would be worth it to put her through getting help now. Not getting help is making her unhappy, right?

 

In our situation, I am the primary teacher for DS and am accomodating his limitations while he has therapy to work on emotional issues. We may have to seek out additional helps later. I was able to improve his reading comprehension using various techniques, probably similar to what your tutor is doing. But being able to read words and being able to process and comprehend their meaning are two very different skills. :grouphug:

[TechWife]

If you have book suggestions or reading comp suggestions, we are all ears. :bigear:

 

Stephanie,

 

Have you looked at Saddleback books? They have fiction and non-fiction books that are "high interest" for "lower level readers," so that people can read things that interest them on their own level. Look through their reading section - maybe you'll find something there that she might like.

 

Also, talk to a children's librarian. If you have a small library that doesn't have one, call a larger library. They may have some recommendations for her.

[cajunrose]

Hugs to you and your DD. She might enjoy the Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa series.

 

I ordered these from the library. Thanks!!

[cajunrose]

Stephanie,

 

Have you looked at Saddleback books? They have fiction and non-fiction books that are "high interest" for "lower level readers," so that people can read things that interest them on their own level. Look through their reading section - maybe you'll find something there that she might like.

 

Also, talk to a children's librarian. If you have a small library that doesn't have one, call a larger library. They may have some recommendations for her.

 

I guess I'm not understanding the Saddleback website. When I choose level 1-2, they give me grades 9-12 books! I can't find any elementary books.

[cajunrose]

Perhaps Aesop's Fables and other very short stories might be good to expose her to more complex sentences and vocab. You could cover vocab with her prior to story. K12 has several very interesting Children's stories collections that are interesting even to older kids. You can find them on Amazon or perhaps Abebooks. Since they are short maybe that will help with comprehension.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Classics-Young-Readers-Volume-1/dp/1931728003/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1334506541&sr=8-7

 

The phonics page also has lots of info and free phonics lessons that might be helpful. IMO every child benefits from strong phonics done every year up to at least 4th or 5th grade.

 

http://thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/onreadinglinks.html

 

http://thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/dyslexia.html

 

 

Between the Lions on PBS which can also be found at libraries might also. It be helpful since it is strong on phonics and has stories. They can also be watched free on the first link below:

 

http://www.ovguide.com/tv/between_the_lions.htm

 

http://pbskids.org/lions/parentsteachers/lionstogo/video_music.html

 

Of course, I would get her evaluated and treated asap.

:grouphug::grouphug:

 

 

I had thought of a book of short stories too and completely forgot about it. Thanks for reminding me! I'm looking up the other websites too you listed.

[bettyandbob]

You've gotten several good suggestions about evaluating and remediating possible LD issues.

 

While you pursue those, go to the library. Find out what books they have in the genre she likes in print and in audio. Check out both print and audio. Have her listen and follow in the book. Following along may take some practice. However, this would give her a chance to "read" the same books as her peers.

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I had thought of a book of short stories too and completely forgot about it. Thanks for reminding me! I'm looking up the other websites too you listed.

The K12 Classics for Young Readers starts at the level of linked to and they have books of short stories for each year of elementary school. I don't think they specify a grade either, just volume numbers.

 

I forgot to add that besides my reading to ds every single day, that Between the Lions also played a role in ds's reading. I had him watch several episodes a day. I think it would still appeal to a 9 year old:)

Edited April 15, 2012 by priscilla

[TechWife]

Instead of searching by level, search by type or topic. When I choose "view all" the full list comes up. It looks like the books for high school kids come first & then the further down you page, the younger the grade. The earliest grade I saw was for grade 5, so that would be something a 5th grader might be interested in, but it is written at a lower level. Since your daughter is almost 9, she is almost 5th grade age. Maybe she would be interested in some of those? You could also search under the "grade level/interest level" heading & maybe something would turn up there.

 

Scholastic also has some hi lo books, check out their website and see if you can find anything. Go to the teacher section and search for "high interest low readability."

 

I hope you can find something useful.

[elfgivas]

you might try these:

 

http://www.chinaberry.com/p/The-Unicorns-Secret-Quartet-Set-2.cfm

 

our dd loved them, including dyslexic dd.

 

you could try reading aloud to her.... maybe using five in a row books with the curriculum could help? its hard to suggest things without knowing more.

 

:grouphug:

ann

 

here's what they say about the unicorns secret

 

The Unicorn's Secret Quartet - Set #2 << Prev page The Sunset Gates, True Heart, Castle Avamir, The Journey Home

Kathleen Duey

Illustrated by Omar Rayyan

 

This is an astonishing conclusion to a magical fantasy series about a young orphan girl who rescues an injured mare, only to discover that it is actually a unicorn. The Unicorn's Secret is an amazingly rare find for children just starting to read. These easy-to-read chapter books with short, beautifully written sentences and compact chapters accomplish the difficult task of being both engrossing and accessible for beginning readers.

[Lizzie in Ma]

Bless her little heart. Tell her all those books will wait for her.

 

Poor little one, so frustrating for her. :grouphug::grouphug:

[weddell]

:grouphug:

 

How about some more sophisticated picture books? There are picture books for little kids and there are picture books that are meant for a larger age range or are even inappropriate for 2 year olds. These might be just right for a 9 year old.

 

The Rainbow Goblins is an example. The story is simple but the illustrations are such that it appeals to older kids as well.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Rainbow-Goblins-Ul-Rico/dp/0500277591/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334581459&sr=8-1

 

It looks like the "customers who bought this also bought these" section on the Rainbow Goblins' amazon page might be similar types of books.

A book called The Egg is listed there. I haven't read it, but it looks like very easy to read fantasy.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Egg-M-P-Robertson/dp/0142400386/ref=pd_sim_b_1

[CalicoKat]

She's going to be 9 in May. She is surrounded by good readers (her friends) and they are all reading well ahead of their age. They are reading things like Guardian's of Gahoole and Harry Potter, etc. She LOVES fantasy books. However, she has the hardest time reading. When she was 7, she was diagnosed with eye problems and spent a year in vision therapy. That physically got her eyes where they needed to be and now she reads beyond grade level. However, comprehension wise...not so good. She is understanding 1st grade books but nothing beyond that. I put her in tutoring and she was doing well but we are in the process of moving and pulled her.

 

Last night we went to the bookstore and she sat in the kid's section and I found her with silent tears running down her face. She told me that it's not fair that there are SO many good books that she wants to read but she still has to read baby books. She happened to glance at the back of one and saw the suggested reading age was 7 and she was heartbroken because she couldn't understand it. I explained to her that everybody learns at different rates and she'll get there with practice.

 

I was crushed inside though. I just don't know how to help her. I'm out of my league. I did email her tutor and set it back up again.

 

We have tried audio books and read alouds but she has a listening comprehension problem too. We are up to 2nd grade books there. I read a ton to her...but we still can't move up to the books she is interested in. There aren't her 'type' of books available for the 1st-2nd grade level. She's interested in horses and fantasy.

 

Just had to share. If you have book suggestions or reading comp suggestions, we are all ears. :bigear:

 

Stephenie

If she's interested, has the drive to read those book who cares about the comprehension. It will come. Let her library books be whatever she wants to read. Her reading skills will improve faster if you let her try to read what she wants to be reading. Keep her passion alive!

[maddykate]

I haven't read all the replies, but I am sure you have gotten excellent suggestions. Another that I will throw out there is to just completely remove all pressure to perform. Let her read for enjoyment sake, if she wants to but don't require any kind of question/answer type situations.

 

My oldest dd did this same thing around the same age, but just couldn't master reading and comprehension. My research took me to Barton Reading and Spelling System for dyslexics. We worked on it for a while and got through level 2. Around that same time, I read the book, "Better Late Than Early", by Dr. Raymond Moore. It was clear to me that my dd fell into the category of kids who were not ready to read until later. So, at that time, when she was 10, I decided to completely remove all forms of reading. Everything. I didn't even make her read the directions to her math lessons. Once I removed all pressure from her and gave her the time it took to develop at her own pace without my demands, she actually blossomed and developed a love for reading that I never could have imagined. She is 13 now and cannot get enough of reading. She rushes through her schoolwork so she can get to her latest book.

 

I think that I needed to be more careful about snuffing out her sense of self, because I was constantly demanding something from her that she wasn't able to give yet. Once I convinced myself to relax and just wait, she became happier and not so judgemental of herself, not so harsh with her assessments of herself, and freed up her mind to allow her to move to the next level. And I am proud to say, that at 13, she is doing beautifully. She has at least two books going at all times.

 

For full disclosure, though, I must admit that the poor child still cannot spell very well. She realizes it and uses spell check for everything.

[cajunrose]

I haven't read all the replies, but I am sure you have gotten excellent suggestions. Another that I will throw out there is to just completely remove all pressure to perform. Let her read for enjoyment sake, if she wants to but don't require any kind of question/answer type situations.

 

My oldest dd did this same thing around the same age, but just couldn't master reading and comprehension. My research took me to Barton Reading and Spelling System for dyslexics. We worked on it for a while and got through level 2. Around that same time, I read the book, "Better Late Than Early", by Dr. Raymond Moore. It was clear to me that my dd fell into the category of kids who were not ready to read until later. So, at that time, when she was 10, I decided to completely remove all forms of reading. Everything. I didn't even make her read the directions to her math lessons. Once I removed all pressure from her and gave her the time it took to develop at her own pace without my demands, she actually blossomed and developed a love for reading that I never could have imagined. She is 13 now and cannot get enough of reading. She rushes through her schoolwork so she can get to her latest book.

 

I think that I needed to be more careful about snuffing out her sense of self, because I was constantly demanding something from her that she wasn't able to give yet. Once I convinced myself to relax and just wait, she became happier and not so judgemental of herself, not so harsh with her assessments of herself, and freed up her mind to allow her to move to the next level. And I am proud to say, that at 13, she is doing beautifully. She has at least two books going at all times.

 

For full disclosure, though, I must admit that the poor child still cannot spell very well. She realizes it and uses spell check for everything.

 

I have considered that too. So different ends of the spectrum! I have a friend that took that approach with her daughter (I think I mentioned her way ahead of the game daughter in this post somewhere). She didn't teach her to read at all. At 7.5 she still couldn't read. At 8, she taught herself to read and just FLEW and is now just crazy ahead. My friend tells me my daughter is just not ready. How do you make that call though? How do you decide it's a maturity thing and not a physical problem or an auditory problem? How do you just back off 100%? Gosh..being a mom AND a teacher is SO difficult!!!

[Splash]

We went through this with my dd. It was so hard, she'd cry as well. All her friends, even those younger than her were reading books like Harry Potter, Island of the Blue Dolphins, etc. She was struggling with Biscuit books at 8 1/2 yrs old. We started OG tutoring and worked with a tutor for 2 and a half years. We adjusted her grade level down from 5th to 4th and when finished she was at grade level 4.0. She listened to tons of books on tape, not all of them hard books some silly like Hank the Cowdog, Geronimo Stilton, Little House on the Prairie. These helped her vocabulary to continue to grow. There are books on tape at the library that are designed to be read along with that move at a slower pace, I think you can even set the pace if you want. Listening and following along is great practice once they get to a certain point. During first year and a half of tutoring we didn't read one book. Just listed to books and worked on word lists and lessons from tutor.

 

All she would read after tutoring was done were the books from the series Secrets of Droon which is a 2.0 to 4.0 level depending on the books. I think she read each book about three times. She attempted Harry Potter but put it back on shelf in tears declaring it too hard.

 

Went through fairy tale type books by author of Ella Enchanted for awhile. and others around a 4.0-5.0 grade level.

 

Fast forward dd is turning 13 on Saturday. She reads all the time. She's read they Harry Potter Series multiple times, can read books above grade level now and enjoy them as well as understand and retain what she's reading. She can read for information and do grade level work and is an A student. Her processing speed is still slow but her work is excellent. She is the best reader in the house currently, her understanding of what she reads is amazing and the details she remembers.

 

Keep remediating the reading, try not to get discouraged. My dd tested in the 1% Kindergarten month on when we started tutoring at almost 9yrs old. We had worked really hard since she was 5 and that is where she still tested. It was worth every struggle and penny we paid to see her happily reading on her Kindle the Secret Garden or Little Women, etc..

Edited April 16, 2012 by Splash

[maddykate]

I have considered that too. So different ends of the spectrum! I have a friend that took that approach with her daughter (I think I mentioned her way ahead of the game daughter in this post somewhere). She didn't teach her to read at all. At 7.5 she still couldn't read. At 8, she taught herself to read and just FLEW and is now just crazy ahead. My friend tells me my daughter is just not ready. How do you make that call though? How do you decide it's a maturity thing and not a physical problem or an auditory problem? How do you just back off 100%? Gosh..being a mom AND a teacher is SO difficult!!!

 

I do admit, it was so painful to just sit and watch. I wanted to be doing something! But, I had tried everything else and it hadn't really worked, decided to just stop it all. I am amazed at the difference in my dd, but I do realize how hard it is to do nothing. But sometimes, if all other physical aspects have been ruled out, then it is prudent to just wait and see.

 

I encourage you to read the book I listed earlier. It was very helpful to me.

 

:grouphug: I know it is hard!

[merry gardens]

I haven't read all the replies, but I am sure you have gotten excellent suggestions. Another that I will throw out there is to just completely remove all pressure to perform. Let her read for enjoyment sake, if she wants to but don't require any kind of question/answer type situations.

 

My oldest dd did this same thing around the same age, but just couldn't master reading and comprehension. My research took me to Barton Reading and Spelling System for dyslexics. We worked on it for a while and got through level 2. Around that same time, I read the book, "Better Late Than Early", by Dr. Raymond Moore. It was clear to me that my dd fell into the category of kids who were not ready to read until later. So, at that time, when she was 10, I decided to completely remove all forms of reading. Everything. I didn't even make her read the directions to her math lessons. Once I removed all pressure from her and gave her the time it took to develop at her own pace without my demands, she actually blossomed and developed a love for reading that I never could have imagined. She is 13 now and cannot get enough of reading. She rushes through her schoolwork so she can get to her latest book.

 

I think that I needed to be more careful about snuffing out her sense of self, because I was constantly demanding something from her that she wasn't able to give yet. Once I convinced myself to relax and just wait, she became happier and not so judgemental of herself, not so harsh with her assessments of herself, and freed up her mind to allow her to move to the next level. And I am proud to say, that at 13, she is doing beautifully. She has at least two books going at all times.

 

For full disclosure, though, I must admit that the poor child still cannot spell very well. She realizes it and uses spell check for everything.

Please note: Maddykate's child got through two levels of Barton before the mom decided to postpone further reading instruction. The early levels of that program develops excellent foundational skills needed for reading --skills that many struggling readers lack. Yet some children with the tendency towards serious reading problems don't even have the skills needed to START Barton level one! People don't outgrow dyslexia. Here's a link to the Barton screen. http://bartonreading.com/students_long.html

[Amber in SJ]

I know how you feel, so tons of :grouphug: for you and your daughter.

 

My 9yo dd struggles to read in a family a voracious readers. Six months ago I found her sitting on her bed with all the books off our book shelves that claim to be for her grade level. Picture a little girl on her bed surrounded by 50+ books. I watched her, unseen as she would pick up a book, try to read a few pages then put it down with tears running down her face. Needless to say, I shed a few tears as well.

 

The advice to try short story collections is great. The heft of a bigger book made my daughter feel like she was not reading a baby book while still being at her comprehension level. Arnold Lobel collections of Frog & Toad as well as collections of the Frances books by Russell Hoban. The Harry the Dirty Dog treasury was a big hit, along with the Jenny and the Cat Club.

 

Amber in SJ

[LaughingCat]

High Noon Books has hi-lo books as well.

Also, the Warriors series (cats) and Redwall both have a "graphic novel" series if your DD likes/can follow comic book style.

 

Fantasy - high 2nd grade level, low 3rd grade level chapter books

The Secrets of Droon series - first books only

Dragon Slayers Academy series- first books

 

more fairy style:

The Jewel Kingdom series

Pixie Tricks series

The Rainbow Fairy - the original series only, the others are higher reading level - although they're all pretty much the same story :glare:

 

a higher reading level but similar style: Fairy Realm series (we read some of these aloud at the same time DD was enjoying Jewel Kingdom and Pixie Tricks as read alouds)

or the Poppy series by Avi (more like Guardians I think? - we didn't get past the first chapter due to a mouse death by owl)

 

However, I must point out: "surrounded by good readers (her friends) and they are all reading well ahead of their age" is not a reading issue. Nor is it a "find a similar style series she can read (or be read to)" issue. It is a social/friendship and self image issue (which we have too :glare:).

[MomatHWTK]

The book Reading Rescue 1-2-3 helped me figure out some of my DS' stumbling blocks. He did begin reading, though he has other LDs that I failed to recognize at the time. We are just now getting those figure out.

[MegP]

Regarding MaddyKate and her DD-if she still can't spell well at 13, it is likely she has stealth dyslexia. Persistent, subtle reading problems, spelling problems, and lack of oral reading fluency are all red flags that point to this.

[Amy Jo]

Haven't read the whole thread, but DS9 couldn't follow any story at 7. We did Visualizing and Verbalizing at home, I still remember the first time he understood a story (it was 3 sentences about a dog getting a bath). His face lit up and he laughed! Anyway, he is 9.5 and has great comprehension now - Robin Hood by Pyle, Beowulf by H. E. Marshall, etc. So it didn't take long to start going the right direction, they recommend V/V be fast and intensive.

 

The problem was he never pictured what he was reading, and didn't follow the story at all. Idea Chain is supposed to be more step-by-step than V/V, but it costs more. I sold the V/V book when we finished, so my total cost was about $20. (I bought the manual and one of the "stories" books.)

[maddykate]

Regarding MaddyKate and her DD-if she still can't spell well at 13, it is likely she has stealth dyslexia. Persistent, subtle reading problems, spelling problems, and lack of oral reading fluency are all red flags that point to this.

 

I did not mean to imply that my dd does not have dyslexia. Without a doubt, she does. That was evident as early as five or six years of age. I tried every spelling and reading idea out there. What I did, though, after trying all the different approaches and getting little results at that time, was to take a break and let her mature on her own without the constant barrage of expectations. I completely backed off of any reading requirements and during that time, she decided -on her own- that she wanted to learn to read. She was self-motivated, whereas before, she had been fighting me every step of the way. Once she reached a certain maturity level, she had the capacity within herself to make the connections. I allowed her to find the love of reading on her own. I am firmly convinced that had I continued on the same path, she would have hated reading and learning to this day. There was no joy...and if waiting a year or so can allow a child (even one that struggles with dyslexia) to have the desire to conquer this without feeling like they are not smart or that they are not able, then that is a small price to pay, in my opinion. I did not kill my child's self-confidence by constantly working and correcting what she was doing wrong.

 

Taking time off from any reading expectations worked well for our family. It seems that some folks don't agree with that approach, but that is the beauty of things...we each get to decide for ourselves and our families.