Bringing over thread on choosing Barton for Ariel

[PeterPan]

Just giving this a new thread so people see it.  :)

I've been a classically based home educator for a few years, but have just recently come to realize that my youngest is dyslexic.  I have yet to pursue a formal diagnosis, but believe her to be in the mild to moderate range. I found this review and subsequent comments extremely helpful- thank you!!!  I am considering the Barton system, and of course cost is a deterrent.  I believe it is not just the high cost that is worrisome, but the continued expense of multiple levels.  So, I apologize if this is a stupid question, as I mentioned, I'm a bit new to the "dyslexia" party, so here goes:

 

Has anyone had success with starting on this system, yet have their child become adept enough to depart from it?  I know it builds upon itself, but I'm just wondering if once the skills are in place, and have been applied for a few years, if they can then be applied to other texts? 

 

Please let me know!

 

Thank you in advance!

 

Ariel

 

 

[PeterPan]

 

One more question....

 

Do I have to start at level 1? I don't want to pay a ton of money for something we don't need.

 

[PeterPan]

Did you see the screening test?  http://bartonreading.com/students_long.html#screen

 

Barton has tons of info on her site, but you can also just call her.  Seriously, just call her and talk through your situation!  People had told me to do that, and when I finally did I found she was wonderful to talk with, very kind, and she helped me sort it all out.   :)  Do the pre-test first if you're going to call her, so that you have more information.

 

As far as a diagnosis, what are your options?  Insurance?  The ps can run the tests as well.  I think a good reason to get evals is because you want to make sure you have a *complete* understanding of what's going on.  You're worried about cost, but there's nothing so expensive as curriculum that doesn't work, ugh.  Also, Barton will have terrific resale value, making your actual cost per level pretty low.  Thing is, since the ps is the US are federally mandated under IDEA to provide this testing, you might as well get the testing.  You want IQ, achievement, a CTOPP or something similar for phonological processing, and screenings for anything and everything else (ADHD, APD, ASD, whatever).  If you have anything odd with how she processes language, be sure to ask for testing on that.  The ps can do this testing and the price will be right.  Sure a private psych eval at $1-2K is better, but the ps can get this done.  That way you have a baseline and some info.  

 

She might have more issues than what you realize.  60% of kids with dyslexia will also get an ADHD diagnosis.  Any history of that in your family?  Any issues with hand pain when writing, vision oddities, complaints of headaches or fatigue?  The school won't check eyes, but it's always good to go to a developmental optometrist and get at least an annual visit done where they can *screen* for some extra things.  When I got my dd eval'd at that age (10-12), I thought she was dyslexic.  In her case it was ADHD with developmental vision problems.  My ds is dyslexic with no developmental vision problems (so far).  

 

So it's literally possible to go just by symptomatology and think it's dyslexia when it's really something else.  Evals help you sort that out.  A normal eye exam, done with a developmental optom. so they can screen for extra things, is $60-100 in our area.  That's way less than a level of Barton, and for some kids it will definitely be part of the mix. 

 

If she's having hand pain when writing, sensory issues, etc., the ps can run OT evals too.  You *can* just buy Barton and get going.  I'm just a fan of evals, because they let you target your efforts and clue you in on things you didn't realize were going on.

 

Welcome to the boards, btw.  :)

 

 

 

[merry gardens]

Hello Ariel and welcome to the dyslexia party! :party:

 

I used Barton all the way through for one child, but only part of the way for some others. The child who I took all the way through initially failed the Barton screen and he showed signs of severe dyslexia. I held off on getting a formal diagnosis, but we did have an old speech evaluations that made it possible for a doctor to go back and diagnose dyslexia after we'd remediated it quite a bit. (Without that speech evaluation, diagnosing dyslexia would have been much harder to obtain as we remediated to the point where he could pass dyslexia screens.)

 

I started to write more but decided wait to make sure that Ariel actually finds her ways here.

[Minerva]

Hi Ariel,

 

I am only just beginning to use Barton with my son, but I do have some thoughts on the cost. When I went through dyslexia remediation with my daughter I payed a tutor enough money to buy a small kingdom. It was very good, very intensive tutoring, but the cost makes Barton look like the deal of the century. I have decided with my son to go the Barton route. I will probably sell each level after I use it, and my understanding is that the used sets fetch good money. 

 

It took me a long time to purchase Barton because of the cost, but now I realize if I had just bought it before the zillions of other curricula and the tutoring, I would have been way ahead. 

 

 

 

[Guest Lissie]

I tutor using The Barton Reading and Spelling System for students in 1st through 9th grade.  I have heard good things about Wilson Reading, but I have never used it. I have been trained in the Orton-Gillingham method, but even so, I find Barton Reading thorough and easy to follow whether you are following the script as it is written or adapting it by incorporating other methods and materials.  This system gives you all of the basics for decoding and encoding, and Susan Barton is available for individual help by email or phone.

 

I recently completed Levels 1- 10 with a student. It took about 4 years, completing 2 one hour sessions a week for about 30 weeks each year. Other students have done well with only two years of intervention.  When summers are included or the number of sessions increased, the total time can be even less.  It depends on the severity of their reading problem and the specific type of dyslexia they have.  

 

Someone asked if Level 1 was a must. I have only found a few students who did not benefit from completing that level, and these students had previously had phonological awareness training. Level 2 is the Level that I skip (with older students) more often than Level 1. I believe the company allows you to return a level if your child doesn't need it, and apply your "credit" to the next level, but you would have to check on that. I've been happily and successfully using the system close to ten years.