Barton Reading & Spelling - Should I or shouldn't I? Please help!!

[Cynful]

I've written about my son here before and he has dyslexia along with other delays. I've been working with him on phonics/reading for years now. He is 13 and still having trouble. Even a leveled 3 reader, though he can read it well, he will come to me constantly to make sure he's read words correctly. He started to read Percy Jackson and did ok, but again had to check with me on many, many words and it really frustrated him.

 

I started working with him recently on REWARDS but it was suggested to me to try ABeCeDarian Short B and then C with him first, then move back into REWARDS. He's finished with B and moving into C. I see improvement with him but he's so far behind where he should be. Previously, we've done Saxon Phonics K, 1 and Intervention (didn't finish) and AAS 1, 2 and 3. He hated both of these programs because he just can't remember all the rules and he also has a hard time with patterns.

 

So my question, finally.... :) Do I continue on the path we're on or do you think something like Barton would really be more beneficial for him at this point?

[LizzyBee]

This is just my opinion, but I would absolutely do Barton. OG has a greater research base behind it, and with a 13 yo, you don't really have time to try different things to see if they'll work. You need to go for the most proven, most researched, most effective curricula.

 

Have you checked to see if your son can pass the student screening on the Barton website? If not, you might have to use yet another program to get him ready for Barton, but you need to back up as far as necessary to fill in the missing skills.

 

One thing that made a huge difference for my dyslexic dd is Interactive Metronome therapy - that's something else you might want to look into. You mentioned other delays - if your son qualifies for OT covered by insurance, IM can be a component of the OT so that you don't have to pay for it out of pocket.

 

Also, since your son has other delays, you might want to call Susan Barton to discuss whether Barton Reading is a good fit for your son. She will tell you if it thinks it won't be effective in your circumstances.

Edited August 23, 2010 by LizzyBee

[cjshima]

I've been using Barton since April. My daughter (entering 5th grade) is just finishing level 3. It's nice because it uses the colored tiles which helps the hands on learner. Every time they learn a new spelling rule, it is added to a sheet which the student can look at as they're working. It has worked well with us.

I agree with LizzyBee that you should contact Susan Barton and see if she thinks this program would be good for your son (Susan is very good about helping with questions).

[Ottakee]

I can't remember if you have an a vision therapy exam or not done with your son. I mention that as my 11 year old nephew REALLY struggled with reading, spelling, etc. He started out last school year at an early 1st grade level but started vision therapy. He just graduated from vision therapy and his test scores (done by someone else for their state requirements) tested him out at an 8th grade reading level.

 

The vision therapy program made that much difference for him.

 

Vision therapy did not help my daughter but she has many complex issues, including a mental impairment but she DID learn to read using http://www.3rsplus.com or http://www.iseesam.com Then we used Apples and Pears spelling which was wonderful. Much easier and cheaper than Barton but I have heard good things about Barton as well.

 

I've written about my son here before and he has dyslexia along with other delays. I've been working with him on phonics/reading for years now. He is 13 and still having trouble. Even a leveled 3 reader, though he can read it well, he will come to me constantly to make sure he's read words correctly. He started to read Percy Jackson and did ok, but again had to check with me on many, many words and it really frustrated him.

 

I started working with him recently on REWARDS but it was suggested to me to try ABeCeDarian Short B and then C with him first, then move back into REWARDS. He's finished with B and moving into C. I see improvement with him but he's so far behind where he should be. Previously, we've done Saxon Phonics K, 1 and Intervention (didn't finish) and AAS 1, 2 and 3. He hated both of these programs because he just can't remember all the rules and he also has a hard time with patterns.

 

So my question, finally.... :) Do I continue on the path we're on or do you think something like Barton would really be more beneficial for him at this point?

[Cynful]

Thanks everyone - I'm still trying to decide what to do though I'm leaning heavily toward Barton. He's already done vision therapy and though it helped a bit, he's got too many other issues going on that it couldn't help.

 

If anyone else has any opinions, I'd love to hear them too.