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Feel like I am running out of time and options for my DD who is dyslexic...help!


Guest theoakes
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Guest theoakes

I am new to this forum.  Well, I have stalked it for a long time but never posted.  Many of the the things I have tried with my DD who is almost 9 1/2 years old have been from reading postings.  It is nice to not have to walk this journey alone!  So here is the "short" and sweet on my DD:

 

1.  I homeschool her but we are with a state charter school.  She has been tested and has an IEP.  She is smart, fun, confident (at least she used to be), very dyslexic and has extremely low working memory (bottom 3%).  She does receive 2 hours a week of tutoring from a resource teacher but it is not helpful.  The resource teacher has told me that she has no idea how to help her. sigh.....

 

2. She is at a 1.0 reading level.  She seems to have no problem with comprehension.

 

3.  We shelled out $$ we did NOT have and did Lindamood Bell last spring.  She completed the LiPS program in record time with flying colors.  She also went through the Seeing Stars Program.  She left LMB with wonderful gains in executive functioning skills, but she still could not read.  We continued Seeing Stars at home with a private tutor twice a week until 3 weeks ago.  She was at the point in the program where sight words are key and that is another story.

 

4.  Sight words are WORTHLESS for her!  We have gone through 250 sight words over and over and over again, we have drawn pictures on them, then taken the pictures away, we have done air writing, etc.  She knows them on the cards but CANNOT translate to a page in a book.  They DO NOT stick.  She will still try to sound out words like "for" "there" "then".  

 

5.  From what I can see, she is a word guesser.  She will look at the first letter of a word and move through to try to get fluency.  I will bring her back to the word to help her self-correct and tell her to look at the word again.  She will say the same incorrect word over and over again unless I specifically point out how the letters in the word do not match what she is saying.   

 

6.  Other things we have checked:  Her eyesight is fine....she has been evaluated for convergence and other developmental eye issues.  There were no issues.  Her hearing is also fine.  She qualified for SLP services but she is done now.  She still has great trouble saying multi-syllabic words such as hospital and ambulance. 

 

7.  Curriculum:  We have done AAR 1 & 2.  She flies through all the workbook activities with flying colors and really seems to grasp everything.  However, she cannot read the readers without sounding out every other word if we are lucky.  It is like all the phonemic information is in her brain but she cannot efficiently retrieve it and work with it to read.

 

8.  Currently, she is doing the Jungle Memory program which is a computer based 8 week program ($50) that is shown to improve working memory.  I also have her doing the PRO program by the National Reading Institutes ($35).  Only time will tell if we see any results.

 

Okay, so I am sure I have missed things here, but I would be so thankful to any input (or questions) you might have.  What should be my next step?  Any ideas?  Thank you!!!

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Welcome to the boards!!  :)

 

The word you're looking for is fluency.  I'm not an expert on it, but search this section of the boards and you'll find posts on it.  Barton talks about it a lot and wants you to make sure you get it.  I don't know how everyone does it.  With ds I've done RAN/RAS work using some charts I made.  RAN/RAS is their rapid naming score and it correlates to how well they read.  Also, I take all the words, phrases, and sentences for his Barton lessons and put them into Quizlet.  Quizlet has apps for your kindle, ipad, phones, whatever you have, and so it's convenient to whip it out and go through lists in the car, before bed, etc. etc.  

 

If fluency is your ONLY issue, then those might be ways to tackle it.  There *are* other ways to work on working memory, but again I really like the way Barton weaves it into the techniques of the lessons.  You're going to need to pursue options for it if you aren't open to switching.  You might search for the game A Fistful of Coins.

 

At least around here the speech therapy seems to stop when you hit 1 standard deviation below the mean.  So that doesn't mean she doesn't NEED therapy any more, only that they no longer are going to pay for it.

 

 

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Don't panic.  You are not running out of time.  Kids with disabilities, struggles, you name it - take time, a lot of time.  There is no magic fix.  It is so unfortunate that the resource teacher had no idea how to help your dd.  That has got to be frustrating and disappointing.  You have stated that she has been tested - by whom?  The Charter school?  What types of testing did they offer?  It seems that if they tested, found issues and provided IEP but then didn't fully provide what was needed to help your child make true progress.  You also state that your dd's hearing was tested?  How?  In a sound-proof booth or the simple "raise your hand when you hear the sound" type testing in the Peds. office? 

 

Helping these kids make progress and find success is a long marathon.  It is filled with many things worked along with things that failed.  One that that comes to my mind when I read your post is perhaps trying to many different kinds of things to help make progress and hence causing the brain to really become miswired.  Kwim?  I could be totally off base here as I'm not an expert but it was the first thing that came to mind.  How best does your dd learn?  I see you are using a lot of visual (computer screen) tools and flash cards but this may not actually be making the connections needed in her brain.  (This is what is so frightening about our society's push to put all kids in front of a screen for learning).

 

Just a few initial, early morning rambling thoughts.  I know, without a doubt, that other ladies will have much more valuable wisdom to share as the day progresses.

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Hi and welcome to the forum,

 

You wrote that: "She knows them on the cards but CANNOT translate to a page in a book. "

But 'translate' is the wrong word?

As it seems that she can read the word on a card, but not on a page.

 

With the 'card', it would be at a different distance from the book.

Also a different font size.

As well, on the card, it doesn't have any surrounding words.

 

It really suggests an underlying vision issue?

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You may want to consider phonics-only reading instruction. Have you considered Barton? We couldn't afford anything that expensive, but when we tried hooked on phonics and 100EZ lessons, DD would get bogged down once there was too much on the page. It overwhelmed her.

 

What worked was using a program called Word Mastery, from Don Potter's website. It would introduce a phonics rule, then a list of words that followed that rule. DD worked through the entire thing, then we went back to simple readers and books. She really needed to master one sub-skill of reading at a time. So, first she learned how to sound out individual words in isolation from context, then she learned how to decode sentences and paragraphs strung together, and how to guess/glean meaning from a word's context.

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It definitely sounds like she's made progress in the underlying skills needed for reading, but you're right it seems like you've hit a wall with getting her to the point of actually reading. 

 

I wonder if AAR is moving too quickly for her? I know lots of severe dyslexics need a slower pace than AAR provides, I know it'd be way too fast for my DD who is dyslexic. My DD had working memory scores even lower than your daughter's 1 year ago but after 9 months of Barton tutoring with me at home her working memory scores actually increased a lot on her most recent neuropsych test, as did her decoding of nonsense words. It might be worthwhile to switch from AAR to Barton Reading and Spelling program. It's expensive but not nearly as expensive as Lindamood Bell. You can buy one level, then sell it for almost the same amount on ebay, then buy the next and sell it, etc. I've never had problems selling our levels. It's scripted and very thorough. In fact some online charter schools in our state (PA) use Barton or Wilson programs (both Orton-Gillingham) for their dyslexic students so you can get it free through the charter school possibly. 

 

It definitely sounds like fluency is the biggest need right now, which comes mainly from lots of practice. And since she seems to struggle to translate her knowledge of sight words on cards to sight words in context I'd have her practice with normal print on pages, typed just like regular words. If you could get some Wilson books it might be helpful for her, they have just lists and lists of words typed in regular fonts on a page. The entire Wilson set (it's like a rainbow colored set of books) is really not expensive at all. I got it from an O-G training I did but I looked up the price and I think it was $50-100. It's not a whole scripted curriculum but the books would be a good resource if she needs to work on fluency mostly. 

 

Another specific trick is to give her sentences she can decode that includes some sight words and highlight the sight words with a colored pencil to call her attention to them. 

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Guest theoakes

Thank you for your responses so far.  Thankfully, our pediatrician is GREAT and has worked with me and our insurance to get a full hearing examination from an audiologist in a sound proof booth and a full developmental eye evaluation from an ophthalmologist.  Both of these appointments were 1 hour long and found absolutely no concerns.  I am thankful to remove those from the puzzle!

 

I also want to clarify, that things I have listed above have been done over a 3 year period.  Maybe it is still too much?  I don't know.  Thank you for the reminder about the "marathon" of this journey.  Yes, indeed!  I know her dyslexia cannot be cured (my husband has it as well) but I think I have felt a time sensitivity because of the window of brain development that her pediatric neuropsychologist talks about.  I probably just need to let that go.

 

In regards to the testing, she was tested by the charter school.  Here are the tests she was given:

Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement Form B 

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-4 (WISC-IV)

The Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration – 6th Edition (VMI)

Test of Visual Perceptual Skills-3 (TVPS-3)

Test of Auditory-Processing Skills-3 (TAPS-3) ~ Selected Subtests

Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition (BASC-2)

Conners-3 Short Form 

 

Her next IEP meeting is in May and I am seriously considering using an educational advocate.  Now, I just have to figure out what I want to ask for?!?  

Thank you for your thoughts and advice so far!!!

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Push for a test of phonological processing like a C-TOPP as I don't see one on the above list. That would help with determining which specific area(s) she struggles with. Here's a list of other tests you could request from your charter school: http://dyslexiahelp.umich.edu/professionals/learn-about-dyslexia/diagnosing-dyslexia/tests/from-the-clinicians-dyslexia-tests-we-like

 

Also, a friend who is studying to be an educational therapist told me that the achievement test and the cognitive/IQ test should be from the same publisher because they are co-normed. So if the school does a Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement, they should also do the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities. She was telling me that school districts often deliberately mix & match because the co-normed tests are more likely to reveal a discrepancy for kids with LD's. I sympathize with budget constraints but at the end of the day, Federal law says that they have to provide the services necessary for the child to receive an appropriate education.

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Have you read up on dyslexia?  It might help you to be less stressed out if you read more about it based on current research.  While dyslexia can be a pain in the rear for how our educational system is structured it can also mean that your child may have some great abilities, too, abilities that may not be being tapped at the moment.

 

You might read books like The Dyslexic Advantage by Brock and Fernette Eide.   Maybe Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz.  How to Homeschool Your Struggling Learner by Kathy Kuhl might help.  The Learning Abled Kids website might help, too.  Sandy Cook sometimes posts on this board and her story might very much be of interest to you.  Definitely get on that website.

 

FWIW, my daughter was only able to decode Clifford and Black Lagoon books in 5th grade, and even then she sometimes still stumbled.  While she still struggles with some words in content areas like science and history, her reading improved dramatically once we switched her to a system designed specifically for dyslexics and started using it at home every day (even some weekends) in shorter increments.  Outside tutoring was useless.  We tried many, including a supposed dyslexia specialist.  She is now 14 1/2.  Her reading has improved dramatically.  Will she be picking up War and Peace any time soon?  Nope.  But she did read Divergent and the Maximum Ride series and has read other books as well.  Just 3 years ago that would have been impossible.

 

Take a deep breath, know that you are not alone, but give yourself and your child some grace.  This is a long process.  It takes time.  You both have that time.  DH is dyslexic.  He barely graduated High School.  He reads fine now and is a successful Engineer.  He had parents that believed in him and gave him ample opportunities to learn skills outside the traditional academic path and helped him tap into his hidden strengths from the time he was little.  They had little money but they found ways (garage sales/pawn shops/retirees willing to teach, etc.).  While you seek ways to help your child academically, see if you can also help find your child's hidden strengths.  Help her learn skills that will keep her interested in learning and can possible apply to careers later on.  

 

And if she likes audio books or you reading to her, do that as much as possible, for as many areas as possible so she doesn't fall behind any further in exposure to concepts/grammar, etc.  FWIW, DS loves listening to books on his Kindle and "reading" with Immersion Reading.  Because it is portable and he can use headsets he can carry it anywhere.  Gives him a sense of control and he doesn't have to wait for me to be available when he wants to read.

 

 

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I have 2 resources that I LOVE that were designed for dyslexic students in England.  Several families here use them as well with good success.  http://www.prometheantrust.org/soundfoundationsbooks.htm%20  The Dancing Bears reading program and the Apples and Pears spelling program.  They are non graded and even the very early levels don't seem babyish.  They have some silly sentences and a few times you get some British words in there but kids seem to love it.

 

My all time favorite set of reading books is I See Sam www.iseesam.com or www.3rsplus.com  They are very sequential and give TONS of practice at each level and with each new word/sound.  Check out their resources for the notched card which helps kids track left to right........it is just a 3x5 card that you cut a notch out of.  They explain how to use it.

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I'd suggest looking at programs specifically geared to dyslexia. Barton used successfully by many on here, I think.  My son at around same age as your daughter used www.Highnoon.com materials successfully. Don't worry it is not too late!

 

Also suggest you look at Read Write Type www.talkingfingers.com

 

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You can teach the sight words phonetically.

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/sightwords.html

 

Also, I would buy and use the Phonovisual small charts until she has committed all the sounds to long term memory. The act of looking up the sounds should eventually help get them into her memory as well as working on them a few at a time in spelling and reading and as phonograms to memorize. I used them with my son and they helped, they are also helpful for my remedial students who need a lot of repetition and practice.

 

https://www.phonovisual.com/products.php?c=1

 

Keep working through a variety of Phonics Programs until it clicks. I had to use 6 with my son, some of my remedial students have needed even more repetition. My phonics concentration game is a fun way to get in repetition. I also like Read, Write, Type to get in fun practice.

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Guest theoakes

Thank you everyone for your suggestions!  I feel encouraged with all the new ideas!  I have read several dyslexia books, including several of the ones mentioned in this thread.  I talked with the director of special education for the charter school and they are open to providing the Wilson Reading system for my daughter.  Good news!  However, they will only do 3 days a week.  Is that enough?  I am thinking that she will really need 5 days a week to do it right.  I am hoping I can do the other 2 but from what I have read about Wilson in the other threads is that that may be easier said than done......we shall see.

 

 

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Oh, glad to hear about them providing Wilson for her. I was about to post that straight OG is really the best way to go for dyslexia, especially moderate to severe. We floundered in many other programs that were said to be OG spinoffs. My ds is 11 an is only now starting to make progress thanks to Barton. I love the support and and teacher training I receive with it. It makes it much more doable and easy to remedy if we hit a bump in the road.   

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Thank you everyone for your suggestions! I feel encouraged with all the new ideas! I have read several dyslexia books, including several of the ones mentioned in this thread. I talked with the director of special education for the charter school and they are open to providing the Wilson Reading system for my daughter. Good news! However, they will only do 3 days a week. Is that enough? I am thinking that she will really need 5 days a week to do it right. I am hoping I can do the other 2 but from what I have read about Wilson in the other threads is that that may be easier said than done......we shall see.

My DS used a Wilson tutor, 3 days per week at 45 min sessions each. Once July came, he worked with the tutor 1 hr per day at 4 days per week for a month. We did that for 4 straight years.
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  • 2 weeks later...

I will try and chime in:

 

1) I am seconding the Dancing Bears series and the spelling program

2) One of my kids couldnt read anything written down. I added in signing the letters and guess what he could read it. Hmmm. More parts of the brain activated maybe. So now with reading, I teach my son the signs of the letters and we sign some words together as we hit it with Dancing Bears. 

3) There is a curriculum called Visual Phonics. Noted on other areas in this forum. 

 

http://seethesound.org/

 

Some kids need the kinesthetic part to reading. Not just visual. 

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Just wanted to add another word about Dancing Bears. I don't want to suggest that it is a better choice than the other things suggested, but I do know a bit about it, because I used the first book (A) with my daughter. It did not address or remediate all of her issues, but it did help with word guessing, which you say is an issue for your daughter. The basic approach of the program is to use a notched index card to only reveal one letter or phoneme of the word at one time. So they must sound out that sound only and not jump to trying to guess the whole word.

 

Dancing Bears did help DD9 learn to sound words out. Before we used it, whenever I asked her to sound out a word, she would just guess the whole word at one go, instead of trying to figure it out bit by bit. Now when she reaches and unfamiliar word, she can work more effectively on sounding it out.

 

However, the program did not address my daughter's other stumbling blocks. We need to move on to something else. Barton or something similar may be in our future, but I'm waiting to commit until we manage to have her evaluated by a NP so that we can pick something very specific to her needs.

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I have a suggestion, too.

 

It sounds like she knows the sight words on flash cards, but it not generalizing to other reading.  

 

This sounds like it could be fluency.  My son struggled with decoding and then struggled again with fluency.  He struggled with fluency for words he could decode, and still struggled with decoding harder words -- that we would work on fluency with later.  It was a stair step thing -- first decoding, then fluency for the words he could decode --- while doing decoding at a higher level.  

 

I recommend you read about fluency.  I have not read the whole book b/c it is not at our library, but the top link on Amazon is http://www.amazon.com/Fluent-Reader-2nd-Recognition-Comprehension/dp/0545108365/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1425731999&sr=8-3&keywords=fluency TheFluent Reader.  

 

I have read this book http://www.amazon.com/Building-Fluency-Lessons-Strategies-Reading/dp/043928838X/ref=la_B001ILIDQS_1_12?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1425735298&sr=1-12  itis in our library, and I got some really good ideas.  They are different suggestions than you get for decoding.  They can be the kinds of things you are told not to do with a child who is still learning to decode b/c they can encourage guessing.  But -- if they are using materials where they really can sound out or recognize the words but just have to get used to doing it -- I think it can be good.

 

One idea you might try is to make flashcards with just two words or with a very short phrase (maybe 3-4 words).  I have seen this as a suggestion.  It is not too hard or too much, and is not making too high of demands like reading-reading (when you must pay attention to so many things, and need so many things to be automatic).  You can keep practicing the same flashcards.  This could also be, if she does not always like flashcards, a list on a piece of paper.  

 

Another suggestion is to do repeated reading but starting with things that are very, very short and working up to longer.  This is where some people use poems, b/c they can be very short, and it can also seem natural to re-read them.  The same with readers theater (aka -- the children put on a play, but instead of memorizing lines, they read from their piece of paper).  I could not have gotten my son to do this at home, but he did this in school in 3rd grade when he was in his reading group.  But there are cute ones, they have books of readers theater at our library, and maybe your daughter would like that at home or with a couple of friends (and don't say it is to practice reading, the kids aren't supposed to know that it is mostly about reading practice to the adults -- they think it is about putting on a play in front of a few people).  

 

There are other fluency programs that have a good reputation:  Great Leaps is one, it is always mentioned for fluency.  I liked the look of Oneminutereader http://www.oneminutereader.com/products/but I didn't get it.  Separately -- I do not time my son, even though both of these programs say to time kids so that they can see their progress as they do repeated readings.  I just know this is counter-productive for my son.  But -- I can see many kids being motivated by this. 

 

If you go back with a reading/decoding program ----- many reading programs include decoding and fluency.  But, here are some questions.  

 

One -- does your daughter *need* the decoding, or could she be in a higher level in decoding?  You might be able to have her be advancing in decoding if you use lower-level fluency materials.  But -- it might be fine in a reading program, too, if it includes fluency b/c the fluency passages may be a lower level than the decoding level already.  However -- some programs do not include enough fluency practice for all kids.  Plus, some programs assume that you will be doing many outside activities to build fluency -- not just using the reading program itself to work on fluency.  

 

Two -- is your daughter decoding single words at her level pretty well?  If she is -- then the word-guessing sounds to me like it is just from fluency.  If she is still really struggling just to sound out -- which it doesn't sound like to me -- then I would think more about decoding, too.  

 

Three -- keep in mind all the demands that go into reading-reading.  They include:  decoding, phrasing (do you pause where you should), paying attention to punctuation (so you don't read through periods), making your voice sound like a question when you read a question,  ------- those are all at the decoding and fluency level.

 

But anyway -- I see that you have worked on decoding, and you are working on working memory.  

 

But I would look into fluency, too.  Maybe add fluency practice separately from other things.  Maybe pick a program that incorporates fluency more.  

 

At the time -- I thought we would get through learning to decode and things would be good, he would just leap into reading chapter books.  It did not happen that way.  He needed lots of the explicit fluency practice things.  I am glad her eyesight has been checked, that is great to have ruled out.  

 

Anyway -- that is what I think.  Knowing things when they are isolated but not being able to put them together ----- that means to look at fluency and ways to build fluency.  You don't have to keep teaching how to sound out words she already knows how to sound out. .

 

I just do not totally agree with the idea that she has completed and (it sounds like) mastered several programs that cover decoding and recognizing sight words -- so let's do some more of the same.  I think it is time to give the recommended practices for fluency a try.  I wish decoding could magically translate into fluency, and for a lot of kids it seems it does, but that was not the case for my son -- it was like "here we go again" when I thought we might be finished.  And, it takes a lot of time.  It just takes a lot of time and practice.  

 

My experience is also -- I couldn't compare my son to a child who had already had two years of developing fluency and two years of practice and built-up automaticity in reading.  My son had to spend the year working on fluency (hard) and then he was pretty good, then over the next year he kept getting better, and after two years -- he really seemed to read well.  This is on top of the time spent on phonemic awareness and decoding.  

 

Now with my daughter who seems like a normal reader (please), I am seeing how she is working on decoding and fluency even at a very basic level.  She is not expected to magically start to read fluently -- it is expected to take time.  But she is working in a balanced way.  But of course she is sounding out words all the time, forgetting what she just read, not recognizing when she has come to a sight word ------- but that is expected b/c she is still young.  

 

I did not feel like that with my son.  He was my oldest.  And, he was older!  He had been through all this decoding!  I did not think he should be having to work through things like this -- but he still kind-of had to work through them.  

 

I am hopeful for progress -- my son reads well now.  I am not hopeful for anything where the progress is fast, I am afraid.  I think if she was going to make a leap, she would have by now.  So -- I think it is time to think of the slow, steady way.  But a slow and steady way where you see her making progress!  

 

(Separately -- I am also seeing how it is different for me to go through a reading program with my son ------- I go through it, after Unit 1 we do Unit 2, then Unit 3..... when we get to Unit 8, I expected him to have the Unit 8 reading level.  With my daughter ----- there is so much more she is doing than just going through a reading program, one unit after another.  There is more time for her to be doing little things.  There are more little activities.  She is not expected to do so good when she is part of a class --- very different than how I would be as a tutor to my son and expect him to really master things b/c I had seen him complete a unit and knew he could do the unit.  My daughter is picking up reading fine -- but she gets all this time and it is not like -- well, you finished Unit 8, so why are you not doing all these things?  It is just something I am seeing now.  But I think -- it is good to blow through decoding so kids can decode -- that is good ------ but it does not mean they will just get to be fluent.  They will still have to have the awkward stages the same as kids who went through the awkward stages back when they were 4, 5, or 6 ---- though they don't have to do it with little kid books, that is why there are High Noon readers and stuff where they have lower-level books written at a higher interest level more appropriate to older kids.  I did a lot of pre-reading books I was reading to my son, and underlining sentences for him to read as we came to them, that he would be able to read -- there are things like that, too.  So he could still be reading the same books he wanted to, he was just reading some sentences here and there at first, that I knew would not be too hard for him.)  

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My DD was similar in that she could do worksheets/exercises and not be able to apply it to reading.    This is part of why the Abecedarian program didn't work for us -- she could grasp the days lesson and apply it to all the worksheets.... and not be able to use it later.   For the worksheet to reading -- Dancing Bears was the most helpful in that it has so much mixed practice.    A lot of programs spend a lot of time going over the 'phonemes of the day' so to speak -- DD needed less time with that and more time with putting that phoneme into practice mixed in with all the others she knew thus far.    Also if the DD were a more compliant child, I think the High Noon readers would have been useful for this. 

 

Also DD did the same guessing thing -- she would insist her word was right until I pointed out the letters.   For guessing I think there were two key things that helped  -- one is the Abecedarian mistake handling method -- which is to point out the different letters/sounds immediately rather than try to make the child 'look again' -- and it took me far too long to move to this method!  The second is the notched card from Dancing Bears and I See Sam --- showing the word phoneme by phoneme, and then moving to having her use a pencil to do the same (looping in Rewards).     

 

I tried a lot of the things Lecka is pointing out for fluency, such as phrase flashcards and repeated readings.   And none of those made much difference here.   They are the gold standard right now - and have studies showing they help most kids -- I just wanted to say this to point out something I think now that I didn't realize for a long time -- and that is to not keep pushing on and pushing on with something that is not making a difference just because it is the gold standard.   If it is not making a noticeable difference within a couple months then it is time to try something else.  Which may mean finding a different program that addresses that issue or comes at it differently or breaks it down more -- but also may just mean find a way to come at it differently or break it down to an easier level using the program you have.     DD has made far more improvement when I have taken the initiative to mix together what I have learned with each program that works for her instead of just following the program verbatim.     

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 She completed the LiPS program in record time with flying colors.  

<deleted a bunch of stuff in between these two statements>

  She still has great trouble saying multi-syllabic words such as hospital and ambulance. 

I just wanted to add that DD also had trouble saying many multisyllable words.  She added/deleted/mixed up letters/syllables.  She could say the parts just fine - and then mix them back up again when saying the whole word.   She did private speech therapy for 6 months with no affect on this.  I then did LIPS with her at home and it pretty close to eradicated this.... however it was just like I described in my above post -- I could not do LIPS conventionally.  Doing LIPS conventionally meant very little time spent on lips/mouth pictures, just enough for the child to grasp the concept and then it jumped to colored squares and expected the child to apply the knowledge.  Even though DD understood the idea behind the consonants/vowel circle very quickly she could not have made this jump  -- instead I spent a couple months asking DD to go over the consonants and vowel circle every week and she pulled apart words daily using the lip pictures.   We basically did half the program plus many, many words I added in without ever moving away from the lip pictures to colored squares/letters.     Fortunately I knew going in that the mouth/tongue connection was the part of LIPS that DD needed to focus on -- if I had followed the program as is my DD would also have 'completed in record time with flying colors'... and it would have been a complete waste of money with no gains.

 

(and I really wish I had continued to use those tongue/mouth concepts when moving to the next program but I wasn't mixing programs yet at that point)   

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My oldest has suspected CAPD (came out borderline low on testing so no "official" diagnosis but the AudD. thinks she has it) and she does the mixing up syllables when pronouncing multisyllabic words thing too. She is a very strong reader and speller but auditory sequencing is a real struggle. Give her dictation, and she'll paraphrase or mix up the order but with the same "big picture" meaning. When attempting to follow oral directions, she'll frequently mix up the order of steps. I wish I had the budget to do CogMed with her, but unfortunately her needs are on the "back burner" given that she's doing fine academically and her little sister is struggling.

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