Is your 8 year old a struggling reader?

[parias1126]

I would just love to know that I'm not the only one out there. My DD8 can read Little Bear, Frog and Toad, Billy and Blaze, the Breyer series, etc. If we go past the 2nd grade reading level in any book, she really struggles. Although, the ones mentioned, she can read beautifully!

 

If I assign something harder (she struggled with The Big Balloon Race last week, put it down, and refused to finish it which is a 2.25 reading level whereas the above are 2.00) she really struggles to the point of frustration.

 

I would love to hear from others with some reassurance.

[danivdp]

Yep. My 8yo DS can't even read those books.

 

I'm kinda a "Better Late than Early" advocate though, so I really haven't pushed him that hard. His 6yo brother reads better than he does, and that is hard for him.....it just takes him longer to figure things out. He's still sounding out 3 letter words.

[mo2]

I would just love to know that I'm not the only one out there. My DD8 can read Little Bear, Frog and Toad, Billy and Blaze, the Breyer series, etc. If we go past the 2nd grade reading level in any book, she really struggles. Although, the ones mentioned, she can read beautifully!

 

If I assign something harder (she struggled with The Big Balloon Race last week, put it down, and refused to finish it which is a 2.25 reading level whereas the above are 2.00) she really struggles to the point of frustration.

 

I would love to hear from others with some reassurance.

 

 

No reassurance, but I am in the same boat. My 8-1/2 yo is reading Little Bear and Frog and Toad. Anything harder and she gets so upset that she just quits. I know others have the same problem. Do a search for "late bloomer" or "struggling reader" and you should find lots of reassurance threads. Good luck!

[imhim]

I do not know where you find the ratings, to answer your question. How do you know if books are reading level 2, 2.25, etc?

What reading level is Little Bear? My 7 1/3 yo can read Little Bear very well. She can read well Andy Russell (don't know the rating, but the librarian said it is 3-rd grade, my dd is second). But she stumbles sometimes with longer words. Although I told her I will not be helping her much anymore, she has to take it apart and try to figure it out herself. She read easily the Courage of Sarah Noble, but a little harder on her is Little House. I read this one aloud, but ask her to read a passage every once in a while. None of these books have reading ratings, so I don't know.

 

Does your dd read harder things than Little bear, and only stumbles on long words? Does she skip words? Does she not understand what she reads? Maybe trying smaller passages would be better? Maybe "alternating"? One page you read aloud, one page she does - I do this as my dd is not crazy about reading.

 

Also, I notice that my dd is more likely to put more effort into her reading if it is a subject really dear to her - like horses, ponies or bunnies. Maybe this would help your dd, too.

Edited October 9, 2010 by imhim

[Kates]

My (now almost 13yo) son couldn't read fluently until he was 9 1/2...he's now writing the first novel of a trilogy and lit analysis is one of his favorite classes. I'm completely on board with "teach them when they're ready for it" - I offered him the instruction but allowed him to go at his own pace, and he completely took off with it when he was ready to do so.

[wapiti]

You've probably already done this, but be sure to rule out vision issues, at least with a regular eye checkup, if not a more thorough learning-related checkup with a developmental optometrist (www.covd.org). Note that the text size gets much smaller and closer together as the books get harder. For some people, that's enough to really trip them up if their eyes aren't working together properly, even if they could manage with the larger print. Also, third grade is a common time for some kinds of learning issues to show up.

 

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

[wapiti]

I do not know where you find the ratings, to answer your question. How do you know if books are reading level 2, 2.25, etc?

 

I usually just google the title and "grade level" or "lexile level"

 

There are certain websites that have a lot of this info - scholastic is one - and often there is age level info at amazon. Occasionally I see inconsistent grade level recommendations, but more often they're consistent. Sometimes it is a rather wide range (ages 9-12 seems to be a common one for the books I've been looking up lately).

[parias1126]

You've probably already done this, but be sure to rule out vision issues, at least with a regular eye checkup, if not a more thorough learning-related checkup with a developmental optometrist (www.covd.org). Note that the text size gets much smaller and closer together as the books get harder. For some people, that's enough to really trip them up if their eyes aren't working together properly, even if they could manage with the larger print. Also, third grade is a common time for some kinds of learning issues to show up.

 

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

 

We have done this. She is now wearing bifocals for far-sightedness, a stigmatism, and some focusing issues.

[Mom in High Heels]

This thread makes me feel so much better. Indy is struggling, but he's dyslexic, so we have to take that into consideration. He wants to read so badly. He has read Little Bear and A Kiss For Little Bear, along with several Scooby-Doo and Spongebob readers. He loves the Spongebob books and just finished one the other day. It took him 3 days, reading about 10 pages a day (he can only read for so long), but when he finished he was super proud of himself. He likes the Scooby-Doo books, but unfortunately, they have Scooby talking and those throw him ("Ruh, Ro!"). This week we're going to start one of the Frog and Toad books this week. I'm hoping it goes well.

[EKS]

We have done this. She is now wearing bifocals for far-sightedness, a stigmatism, and some focusing issues.

 

Is she also getting vision therapy? It can really help for certain things.

[parias1126]

Is she also getting vision therapy? It can really help for certain things.

 

No she isn't. She had actually come quite far since she got the glasses. Vision therapy isn't something we can afford and the couple doctors I spoke to were thousands of dollars.

[elegantlion]

My ds didn't start reading well until at least 9-9 1/2. At 13 he is still a slow reader, but continues to improve. We believe he has some dyslexia going on, but we've never tested him. This spring he read through two 300 page novels. I never thought we'd move up from Magic Tree House books so that was an accomplishment for him.

 

I also always have a read-aloud going that is above his grade level, but not comprehension level.

 

Because he is not a big fan of reading I keep a stack of books available for him to chose from. Usually we rotate who chooses the book. I pick up a lot of novels I approve of at thrift stores and clearance sales. I look for a larger font with more spaces between the lines (Aladdin is a good publisher for this). I also try to pick books that incrementally increase in level. I also throw in some biographies and non-fiction and rotate the length of the book as well.

 

HTH, I feel like we're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, but there were many days I wanted to hide in the closet and scream. :grouphug:

[wapiti]

No she isn't. She had actually come quite far since she got the glasses. Vision therapy isn't something we can afford and the couple doctors I spoke to were thousands of dollars.

 

Hmmm... if VT was recommended but you can't afford it, there two things I'd consider. (1) I'd see whether anyone would be willing to give you some sort of basic set of exercises to do at home, without therapy visits, after you explain your situation. (FWIW, around here what we paid seems relatively average, about 2,500 for 24 weeks. Did the optometrist give a name to the focusing issue?) I thought I remember another poster someplace doing just that - or maybe they had very limited therapy visits or something, like once per month, and the VT just loaded them up with home exercises. (2) I'd look into finding books with larger type-face, to see if that helps. I was thinking that there are books for older people like this (so title choice is likely a problem there, but I suppose you never know?), or perhaps something you could find on-line that you could print out larger, to see if it helps.

 

What I am saying, I guess, is to consider whether the vision issues, even improved with glasses, could be playing a role in the reading problem, if she also has difficulty with her eyes working together (which I am guessing because you got estimates on VT). In other words, maybe it's not so much that she struggles to read as that she struggles to see. Perhaps experiment with different sizes of print, and with different amounts of words on a page. Can she read more difficult words/sentences in isolation?

 

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you that this is simply a late bloomer thing!

[nukeswife]

My dd is late bloomer too. She's going to be 9 in mid-Nov and we're about 50 lessons into McRuffy's 1st grade LA. She's currently working on the McRuffy reader "Super Pork Makes Friends" She was able to read One Fish, Two Fish... to my husband about 3 weeks ago, but it took them about 45 minutes to get through the whole book. She has no vision issues, just a late bloomer. She's very art oriented, but I don't know if that has anything to do with it.

[Kates]

One thing to note with dyslexic kids - from my experience, symptoms can rise and fall with physical changes. Especially puberty...I can always tell when my son is facing a rough patch (brain is being flooded with hormones/chemicals/etc.) because his dyslexia absolutely goes nuts. He'll go from being able to read books that are in an appropriate font & spacing for him to barely being able to read a road sign without feeling like he's going to throw up (from the words moving in front of him).

 

During these patches, we revert completely to read-alouds and manipulatives for a few weeks. Once he starts picking things up on his own to read again, I start assigning more independent work.

 

Just something to be aware of and look for, for those with dyslexic young'uns who will get to that point sooner or later :) Please note this isn't true of all dyslexic kids (not much is), but it's something that is good to have a bit of foresight on. I thought my son was kidding/trying to get out of work until he started actually throwing up, purely from the motion sickness from reading during one of these times.

[FO4UR]

My 7.5yo (he turns 8 in Jan) is not yet reading Little Bear or Frog and Toad. He's getting closer every week. He's reading the Elson Primer right now.

 

Mine did some VT at home last year. I need to take him in again and see where he needs improvement....but we've moved (and will be moving again soon - ACK!)...so I will have to find another doc. He knows his phonics. He has trouble seeing print on the page (though he has better than 20/20 vision) and tracking a line. His ability to focus on the print is MUCH better...but he is still jumping lines all over the place unless we use a 3x5 card or a finger to track.

[MerryAtHope]

Both of my kids were struggling readers at age 8 (just starting to read Frog & Toad, we did a LOT of buddy reading). Both of them could read chapter books by age 9 though, so it was a year of a lot of change. Keep letting her read easy stuff, that builds speed, confidence, and comprehension. I used to put together a reading basket with a selection of books, mostly easy, some a bit challenging--and let them pick what to read. I'd have them read a page & then I'd read 2 or 3 etc... until we got through the book. With chapter books I would have them read a paragraph to my 2-3 pages. Eventually they were able to do chapter books on their own.

 

Both of my kids are likely dyslexic, and my oldest also has vision processing issues & is going through therapy. We could not have afforded it when he was 8 either, but God has really provided a way now. Our therapist works with him once a month & then I do exercises at home, and he's making progress. But if you can't work out something like that, check out the books at Lane Learning Center. If possible, I'd pay for one appointment to have a therapist look at a book and tell you which exercises to focus on. I haven't used his books, but that's a direction I considered before we found a way to make VT work.

 

OG materials really helped both of my kids, even before I was able to do VT with my son.

 

Hang in there. I know it's work & takes so much patience. (((Hugs))) Merry :-)

[jentancalann]

My son will be 10 in November and struggles through Frog and Toad- we're actually reading one right now. Some days are better than others. Some days its smooth going, and others all the words come out wrong. I do suspect a LD of some sort. But no, you're not alone.

[parias1126]

Hmmm... if VT was recommended but you can't afford it, there two things I'd consider. (1) I'd see whether anyone would be willing to give you some sort of basic set of exercises to do at home, without therapy visits, after you explain your situation. (FWIW, around here what we paid seems relatively average, about 2,500 for 24 weeks. Did the optometrist give a name to the focusing issue?) I thought I remember another poster someplace doing just that - or maybe they had very limited therapy visits or something, like once per month, and the VT just loaded them up with home exercises. (2) I'd look into finding books with larger type-face, to see if that helps. I was thinking that there are books for older people like this (so title choice is likely a problem there, but I suppose you never know?), or perhaps something you could find on-line that you could print out larger, to see if it helps.

 

What I am saying, I guess, is to consider whether the vision issues, even improved with glasses, could be playing a role in the reading problem, if she also has difficulty with her eyes working together (which I am guessing because you got estimates on VT). In other words, maybe it's not so much that she struggles to read as that she struggles to see. Perhaps experiment with different sizes of print, and with different amounts of words on a page. Can she read more difficult words/sentences in isolation?

 

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you that this is simply a late bloomer thing!

Vision Therapy was never recommended. I was only responding to a previous poster who asked a question. The optometrist did say she had focusing issues, but they were caused by the astigmatism. She was trying to make up for the astigmatism and therefore it caused some focusing issues. The optometrist said that the glasses would correct the astigmatism, therefore, fixing the focusing issues over time. But he never recommended vision therapy and when I asked about it, he said it wasn't needed. He told me if I didn't see an improvement in her reading skills then I should call him, but her reading skills have improved. I just think she is a late bloomer. My DH is a very slow reader and a horrible speller so it may even be hereditary and my dad has the astigmatism. They have both gotten through life without vision therapy and are both successful. :001_smile:

[merry gardens]

I would just love to know that I'm not the only one out there. My DD8 can read Little Bear, Frog and Toad, Billy and Blaze, the Breyer series, etc. If we go past the 2nd grade reading level in any book, she really struggles. Although, the ones mentioned, she can read beautifully!

 

If I assign something harder (she struggled with The Big Balloon Race last week, put it down, and refused to finish it which is a 2.25 reading level whereas the above are 2.00) she really struggles to the point of frustration.

 

I would love to hear from others with some reassurance.

I would like to reassure you that all with be well, but I also think you should explore this further.

 

Somewhere around 10-15% of the population has enough difficulties with reading to qualify as dyslexia. Others mentioned already mentioned vision. I suggest you check out auditory/phonemic processing too, which is strongly linked with reading problems. Some children can not detect the difference between the sounds of several letters or hear the sounds of individual letters within words. That makes reading phonetically very difficult.

 

When my ds was 8, I realized his struggles with reading were not within the normal range. I suspected something was wrong earlier but age eight was the marker I used to tell me it was time to investigate his reading problems further.

 

The special needs section of this board has several threads discussing dyslexia and reading difficulties. I suggest you check out that portion of this board. Even if it does turn out that your child has dyslexia, I would like to reassure you that there are some wonderful programs and methods used that teach children with dyslexia to read.

[Storm Bay]

My ds read a year behind at 8, but it turned out his weaker eye was causing him trouble even though the opthomologist said it wasn't that bad. Within 2 weeks of wearing a patch his reading was improving, and within 2 months he was reading several grades ahead instead of a year behind.

 

While I'm a better late than never fan in many things, it's important not to wait too long before checking for dyslexia. I had checked ds at 5 for this and he showed no signs of dyslexia. While the normal range for reading readiness is from 3-8, it's better not to assume that this is all it is.

 

There are other visual issues such as eye tracking problems that can cause problems with reading, too.

[wapiti]

Vision Therapy was never recommended. I was only responding to a previous poster who asked a question. The optometrist did say she had focusing issues, but they were caused by the astigmatism. She was trying to make up for the astigmatism and therefore it caused some focusing issues. The optometrist said that the glasses would correct the astigmatism, therefore, fixing the focusing issues over time. But he never recommended vision therapy and when I asked about it, he said it wasn't needed. He told me if I didn't see an improvement in her reading skills then I should call him, but her reading skills have improved. I just think she is a late bloomer. My DH is a very slow reader and a horrible speller so it may even be hereditary and my dad has the astigmatism. They have both gotten through life without vision therapy and are both successful. :001_smile:

 

I'm sorry, I was confused about the VT.

 

I have an astigmatism in my right eye, which now makes me wonder if that's why I read mostly with my left eye (I started wearing glasses when I was 8 :) ). Though I probably have a different problem too; my eyes don't focus enough on the same spot - a tad too far apart - though I too made it through life without VT. When dd9 was doing VT a few years ago, I couldn't even do the stuff myself, though the doc said it was just 'cause I'm old :D )

[parias1126]

I'm sorry, I was confused about the VT.

 

I have an astigmatism in my right eye, which now makes me wonder if that's why I read mostly with my left eye (I started wearing glasses when I was 8 :) ). Though I probably have a different problem too; my eyes don't focus enough on the same spot - a tad too far apart - though I too made it through life without VT. When dd9 was doing VT a few years ago, I couldn't even do the stuff myself, though the doc said it was just 'cause I'm old :D )

 

Haha! I'm sure that made you feel great! :lol: did you tell him that you aren't old, but wise??? :tongue_smilie: