Tutoring for Dyslexia

[OnceAgain]

Hello everyone,

 

I have a special needs student who is 12 years old.  She has PDD-NOS and moderate dyslexia.  We've been homeschooling since day one and while she knows her phonics rules VERY well, she just can't put it together and actually read beyond a 1st or 2nd grade level.  We've are using MP's Simply Classical Level 2 right now.  Over the years, we've had tutors to help with her reading issues, but they all emphasize phonics, and she already knows all the phonics rules.  Her reading is halting and she often has to be coached like: What is the rule for two vowels?- and then she knows immediately what the rule is without being told.  At this point, we are both so frustrated.  I've read online about a non phonics program called "Read Right" that is supposed to help struggling readers.  Has anyone here had a child use the program?   Was your experience good, bad, or indifferent?  Anyone have any suggestions at all?  She's a pretty sharp kid but we just can't seem to make any progress reading.

 

Laura

[Storygirl]

I'm not familiar with Read Right, but I do have a question for you. Have any of the tutors you have used had any specialization in dyslexia? Have you used dyslexia specific curricula and techniques? Specifically I mean something that is Orton-Gillingham based.

 

The OG instruction for dyslexics will actually be quite different than standard phonics instruction. The home-based curriculum most often suggested on this board is called Barton. I haven't used it myself, as we chose to first hire an OG tutor and then enroll my dyslexic daughter in a specialty school.

[PeterPan]

Agreeing with Story.  I don't know what a "two vowels" rule is, but it sounds like she hasn't had OG and wasn't drilled to fluency.  She needs both.  How is her IQ?  There is a threshold for Barton, so you want to make sure she qualifies.  I would start with the free student screening test on Barton's website, just to make sure she passes.  Then I would find an OG/Barton tutor or psych or have the ps do fresh testing on her.  You want a fresh CTOPP, DAR, something for actual reading level (decoding and comprehension) and actual phonological processing.  Right now you're saying she doesn't read beyond x level, but that doesn't tell you precisely where her decoding is.  It might be she just isn't motivated to read because it's hard.  She might have low vocabulary or need language work.  When was her last language testing?  I'm talking about something overall like a CASL or CELF. Language issues would affect her reading, and language issues are COMMON in autism.

 

Has she had her eyes checked by a developmental optometrist?  You find them through COVD.  

 

Don't look for simple answers.  In my kid, actually ALL those things have been going on, which is why I can rattle off the list.  He needed language work AND was lacking motivation AND had a big discrepancy between decoding and comprehension AND...  kwim?  So don't expect one shot, simple answers.  Check all those things, fix the glitches in each, and let it come together.

 

As far as motivation, that's hard.  Once you determine her actual decoding level through testing (DAR, whatever) and have her eyes checked to know she physically, comfortably can, I would build paired reading into her routine and require it daily.  When the paired reading is going well, add in an additional independent reading time.  Even just 10 minutes each time would do.

[beishan]

Does anyone have suggestion for dropping ending sound of a word while reading? DS can decode the word correctly but often drops ending sound like -s, -es, -ed. He does OK with -ing ending though. His OG tutor has been working with him for word list with -ed ending and plan to start nonsense word list with him soon to see if it will help. We have been trying to correct this habit for a long time but seems not able to eliminate it completely. Few years back, he had same issue with his oral language but now he rarely has this issue when he talks. The issue mostly shows on his reading and writing only now.

[PeterPan]

You can do some minimal differences pairs, forcing him to discriminate more carefully.  I'm trying to think if any of the pages in Attention Good Listeners would do that.  I think they do.  Iirc, it had pages that had them discriminating end sounds like singulars and plurals.  So that would be my first suggestion.

 

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