Please look at these phonics/reading/spelling options for stuggling teen (dyslexia??)

[Caribbean Queen]

Thank you Elizabeth. I am very discouraged that Barton is so expensive. My husband hasn't worked in almost 6 months.....the total cost of Barton is more than we even have to our name! Goodness, there has to be something that will work......I'm really hoping for under $100.

 

The Writing Road to Reading is a complete spelling and phonics OG program for about $20. All you need is the book The Writing Road to Reading, lined notebook paper, a sewn composition book, notecards for making flash cards, and pencils. There is nothing babyish about the program - no worksheets with cute teddy bears on them, or anything like that.

 

WRTR is not easy to read. I had to read it 3 times, and study the parts I underlined, before I understood what I was supposed to be doing. Once I figured it out, I realized it is an easy program to follow. It's straightforward and open-and-go.

[2boysmom]

We did Phonics for Reading and had great results from it. (it's cheap BTW).

Did all three books. (Son is dyslexic) I have done some of those "other" expensive programs. (didn't work). Just an FYI.:)

 

(the books are written for older ages so that's a plus too).

 

Best wishes.

[siloam]

Thank you to everyone for your comments, suggestions, etc. I don't have the time to address each of you individually right now. I will be copying all of these comments so I can read through them all again more slowly. :001_smile:

 

My son plays the guitar. He has my dad's old guitar and also an electric. He's really enjoys it and it pretty good. He was taking lessons once a week but we've had to stop those for awhile (can't afford it right now).....but he's teaching himself too.

 

Well, I'm hoping to see the "reading lady" at the library today (she's there 2 x's a week for that Read Naturally program) . Hopefully I can get some info from her about any testing / programs at the public school. I'll update once I know what's going on.

AprilMay,

 

Two things I haven't seen addressed. First, while you can't afford Barton there is still value in doing the Barton Screening to make sure there isn't an auditory problem. Second is, can he see words in his mind?

 

I am dyslexic and a bad speller. Once spelled which four different ways in the same document because none of them "looked" right to me. But I have no visual memory of words. I see everything in pictures, like a continual movie going on in my mind. I have had to develop the ability to see words in my mind to create a visual memory of words so that I can spell.

 

If he has hearing gaps then you really need to do LiPS. You can get by with just the manual (I know it isn't cheap either). It will go through a process of discovering how sounds feel, so when the ears aren't hearing it right they can fall back on how the mouth feels. It also categorizes the sounds, which give you great labels to use in giving hints without giving the answer.

 

If he has a problem with seeing words in the mind then the best option would be to buy a Seeing Stars manual and add the work in it to AAS.

 

My 9yo is just like I am, and couldn't spell, couldn't hear the difference between short /i/ and /e/ nor could she hear both of the sounds in blends, only the strongest sound. Both of these program have help her and myself with our spelling issues.

 

Heather

 

p.s. I picked up both my LiPS and Seeing Stars manual used. It took a while of checking daily, but it did eventually come up for a price I could manage.

[ElizabethB]

Is Spelling Rules and Spelling Dictation one resource? Who is the author...or can you provide a link?

 

Thanks!

 

Here they are, Rainbow Resource has them, they are here:

 

Spelling Plus

 

Spelling Dictation

Edited May 8, 2010 by ElizabethB

[Kristine in VA]

Hi,

Here's another thought for finding an OG trained tutor for free. I am currently taking classes to be certified as a Wilson tutor. Part of the training requires me to tutor a student who has reading difficulties. You might contact Wilson (check their website) and see if there is anyone in your area looking for a student to tutor. The Wilson program includes instruction for older students, which might work for you son.

 

All the best,

Kristine in VA

[jabuford]

My daughter is 13 and getting tutoring with her reading. The tutor found her to be lacking in a few of her phonics sounds. So she is starting over and going through them Also I tested my daughter for learning style and found her to be a visual learner. Here is the link for testing.http://discoveryourchildslearningstyle.com/

 

This is another link I enjoy going to for help. Lots of information on learning styles.

http://www.custom-homeschool-curriculum.com/index.html

[Guest Martha B]

Hi;

 

Spell of Words is a good program as are many others and you don't need to redo a phonics program if your child has had reasonable exposure, such as a year or two. What you do need to know for peace of mind is that spelling is ONLY 53% phonemically fair (decodable), whereas words for reading are 70% fair (decodable). What your child may be missing is a strong visual processor, meaning he can't store spellings in long term memory. This is a documented problem but one that teachers seem not to be aware of. So, use a spellchecker for the rarer words and have him learn the 3 great rules of spelling from Spell of Words. Trust me - we have tried to correct this problem for years and at some point, it is what it is. Take a breath and good luck!

Martha B.

[tenoraddict]

My son was diagnosed with dyslexia and visual processing issues at age 7. With a year of vision therapy, he jumped several grade levels in reading comprehension. At age 10, his fluency is still lagging behind, his spelling slowly improving (we use Apples and Pears, and like it a lot), his handwriting definitely improving, and his comprehension still above average. He's been having trouble with multiplication and division, though, which I've learned is common to dyslexics (something that may or may not pertain to your son). I HIGHLY recommend that you check into vision therapy because your son probably has more going on than just dyslexia.