Question About Tutoring My DS - 5 Years Old & Dyslexic

[Carolina3]

Hi! I just found this board and it's wonderful! My ds is 5 and severely dyslexic and I believe ADD. I have him going to a tutor 2 days a week and then I am pulling him out of his school during reading time to supplement the tutoring.

 

He is to the point where he knows all his letters and the sounds they make in isolation but can not blend, break down words or form them at all.

 

I am trying to keep his tutoring with me very active, tactile and multi-sensory so he pays attention and hopefully retains the info. I was wondering about something like this:

 

http://www.primaryconcepts.com/phonawareness/SS-Objs-Complete.asp

 

Has anyone ever used this and do you think this is a good fit for where he is in his learning? (I would probably make my own version rather than pay for it) I'm just trying to find things that are concrete that may stick in his brain - he has trouble with his memory too. But once it gets into his long term memory, he can retain an amazing amount. The tutor said she would be working with him on blending and taking apart word sounds.

 

Any thoughts or advice would be GREATLY appreciated! Just starting this journey and there's SO much to learn!!!

 

Thank you!! :)

April

[PeterPan]

My dd never could sound out words until she did vision therapy (VT). We did SWR, which has you spell words and read them back. They then put those words on flashcards and practice reading them, a form of whole word essentially. So she was reading as whole words things she already understood phonetically. We did this for months and months (longer than typical I think), but it did all click, just as Sanseri, author of SWR, says. It doesn't click for ALL dc, but it did for mine.

 

I wouldn't pay money for the thing you linked too. He may literally not be able to sound out words. Like I said, vision therapy was what did that for us. Go to http://www.covd.org Many, many, many dyslexics will turn out to have either visual or auditory processing issues or both. My dd was newly 11 when we started the VT. She read well (She's 2E), but it was never quite right. She wouldn't sound out words, was inconsistent with spelling, etc. After two months of VT she started asking *me* what the sounds were for letters in words *she* was trying to sound out! What an amazing thing!!! There are specific activities they do in VT to improve their tracking and help them see every letter in the word. All I know is it worked.

 

So there you go. This has been a journey for us. I spent years, YEARS thinking it was all me and would improve with the right curriculum or teaching methodology. Now we're finally going the therapy route (VT, OT, etc.), and it's making a huge difference. Wish someone would have pointed me this way a long time ago.

 

Oh, if you want a less expensive version of SWR, look for WRTR in your library. It will probably be there. Only $17 on amazon.

[EKS]

I'm all for early identification, but how can severe dyslexia be diagnosed in a 5yo?

[PeterPan]

There have also been stories around here of people whose dc were identified as such and such (low IQ, severely dyslexic, etc.) whose numbers and classifications CHANGED after VT or ADD meds or... These symptoms overlap so much.

[Carolina3]

Elizabeth,

 

Thank you for the information! I've never researched VT. I'll check out that book on Amazon too! Much appreciated :)

 

EKS,

 

My son doesn't have an official designation. They said they could not give him one till he went through a whole year of school. But he was tested for the likelihood of dyslexia and it was extremely high. Ive spoken with a psychologist who has a Phd in learning disabilities of young children, his tester and his tutor and they all believe that given his extreme difficulties with learning his letters, numbers, speech problems, etc, it's highly likely that he has a severe case. Though we haven't labeled him as such, I'm acting as if he does to ensure he gets the help he needs. He has fallen way behind in school and that is why we are intervening now rather than waiting. As I said, it's all a learning experience for me!!

[PeterPan]

Was this an ed psych or neuro psych? Did he give you referrals for more evaluations and therapies? That would be my next question. Google dyseidetic and auditory dyslexia on the boards here and read a bit. (or online) He has speech problems? That's another thing they could be working on. My boy has verbal apraxia. It's extremely common paired with dyslexia, which of course gives me so many inward shudders I've stopped even thinking about it. I had hoped this new child would be easier than dd! Oh well. In any event, as someone pursuing speech therapy for my child (and going to great lengths to get the most effective treatment I can), I'm all for pursuing that route. Yup, I've just become a big therapy fan. We've learned so much this way and seen so many changes, even if it has sucked our money and time to the point of exhaustion.

[Carolina3]

Elizabeth,

 

This was an ed pysch. His speech problems are really only with certain letters - k, d, t, etc. The tutor said since it wasn't across the board, she felt he didn't need speech therapy. He had a pretty extensive hearing test when he was 1 because he hadn't started talking a lot yet but just a few months later he had an amazing vocabulary and I never had him tested again.

 

They did not mention any other tests so I will broach that with them. I have already found an eye doctor in our area who can test him and does VT so I will set that test up asap. It's a shame there aren't more resources or funding for parents going through this - the time and expense is overwhelming at times! But if it makes a difference, I'll find a way somehow!! Thank you again for all your advice!!! You're wonderful! :)

[LizzyBee]

My dd9 is dyslexic. We've used:

 

Speech therapy, ages 3-9, for severe articulation deficits and probably undiagnosed apraxia

 

Occupational therapy, ages 7-9, for sensory processing disorder and fine motor deficits, Interactive Metronome for dyslexia and ADHD, Therapeutic Listening Program

 

Audiologist eval at age 7 for auditory processing disorder

 

EdPsych eval at age 7

 

LiPS (Lindamood Bell Phonemic Sequencing), bought the clinical kit and did it at home, to improve phonological awareness. If your ds is reading whole words because he can't hear the separate sounds in words, this will help with that issue. I would recommend this instead of the primary concepts program you linked. LiPS is a unique program that build oral-sensory awareness and it's really the premiere program available for improving phonemic awareness.

 

Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, after going as far as I wanted to in LiPS, dd wasn't quite ready to start Barton Reading, so we used this to fill the gap. This book got her blending! We went through it slowly and she started enjoying it once we got past sounds and words to the little stories.

 

Barton Reading and Spelling, an Orton-Gillingham based program for dyslexics. All of the training is included on DVD and the program is scripted; it's probably the easiest OG program to use at home and it will take your child to a 9th grade reading level.

 

Some books and websites that I found particularly helpful:

 

http://www.dys-add.com (hours of free video online!)

 

The Mislabeled Child by Brock and Fernette Eide, medical doctors who homeschooled their own children for several years because of LDs, nice blend of theory and practical suggestions

 

The Everything Parents Guide to Dyslexia by Abigail Marshall

 

The Secret Life of the Dyslexic Child by Robert Frank and Kathryn Livingston

 

Upside Down Brilliance by Linda Kreger Silverman

Edited December 29, 2010 by LizzyBee

[Carolina3]

LizzyBee,

 

Thank you so much!! These resources are wonderful! I will certainly be asking the psychologist whether further testing is needed or if she recommends any other kind of therapy.

 

My ds does not read at all. Nothing. And I have worked with him a lot. He is surrounded by books and has been in preschool and now kindergarten and still can't blend or put letters together at all. Do you think, given where he is, that LiPS (Lindamood Bell Phonemic Sequencing) would be the best thing for me to start him on now? THANKS!!!

[LizzyBee]

LizzyBee,

 

Thank you so much!! These resources are wonderful! I will certainly be asking the psychologist whether further testing is needed or if she recommends any other kind of therapy.

 

My ds does not read at all. Nothing. And I have worked with him a lot. He is surrounded by books and has been in preschool and now kindergarten and still can't blend or put letters together at all. Do you think, given where he is, that LiPS (Lindamood Bell Phonemic Sequencing) would be the best thing for me to start him on now? THANKS!!!

 

If he knows his letters and sounds, you could start LiPS. I would be careful to go slowly and not frustrate him. That goes for all of his tutoring. He is only five; slow, gentle, and fun will be more effective at his age. You will have to expect him to lag behind his peers; if you feel compelled to make him catch up, it will be all too easy to burn him out. Think of this as a journey, not a race.

 

I'm trying to remember my dd at age 5. She couldn't read, couldn't rhyme, couldn't clap syllables, and I'm pretty sure she didn't know all her letters yet. Her attention span was about 10 seconds, and I didn't push academics that year. At age 6, she did daily schoolwork, and at the end of the school year, she still couldn't read. I'd suspected she was dyslexic at age 4, but that summer I was sure of it. At age 7, she could read some words, but there were no books that she could pick up and read all the way through. At age 9, she has made tremendous progress and her therapists are thrilled with how well she's doing; but she still tests 2 years below grade level for reading and 2.5 years below grade level for reading and writing.

 

My oldest sister has a 17 yo son who is severely dyslexic, and she told me to find out what my dd excels at and be sure to give her opportunties to be successful. DD does Irish dancing and takes piano lessons, and she's doing well with both of those. She's a good basketball player, and academically, she does best in math.

[Carolina3]

Lizzy,

 

Thank you so much! Yes, I want it to be fun for him and to go at his own pace. That's one of the reasons why I pushed so hard for all of his tutoring to be done during school hours- I didn't want his whole life to be about tutoring and studying at the age of 5! He would burn out way too fast! And I don't want him to hate school - I already struggle everyday to get him up and going. He's not crazy about it as it is so I try and make our tutoring sessions very fun and active. Thank you again for your guidance!

[PeterPan]

Carolina, I'm sure you've already thought of this, but is it a possibility for you to pull him out entirely? You'd be able to shorten those days, do the things he needs, and then have time for things he enjoys or would benefit from (sports lessons, etc.).

[Carolina3]

I have thought about it and probably will home school next year. He says he hates school but he really likes the interaction with the other kids and his teacher is wonderful. He has made a lot of progress and I am hoping once we really focus on how he learns best, he'll like it even more. (He's only had one tutoring session so far with the tutor and only a few weeks of me tutoring him during reading). I am also a single mom and am trying to figure out how I could home school him and still have time to make enough money to pay for what he needs! I'm hoping I'll figure it our before the next school year :)

[Ottakee]

Quickly my favorites are:

 

http://www.prometheantrust.org/soundfoundationsbooks.htm The dancing bears or Bear Necessities program would like be very helpful for him. Once he is reading, their Apples and Pears spelling is TOP NOTCH.

 

I taught my girls to read using the I See Sam books from http://www.3rsplus.com or http://www.iseesam.com THey start out with 5 sounds blended into 3 words and move VERY slowly from there. The keep apart easily mixed up letters like p and q, b and d, etc. Look for information on using the cursor as that really helps with eye tracking/training as well.

 

Here, meds for ADD did wonders as well. We gained 2 years of academics in less than 6 months once we started meds for my youngest.

[Carolina3]

THANK YOU so much for the resources and the info! I will check out those books - the dancing bears look wonderful!

[Ottakee]

THANK YOU so much for the resources and the info! I will check out those books - the dancing bears look wonderful!

 

The books from the people at Dancing Bears are WONDERFUL. You can email Hilsie (the author) and tell her Brenda in Michigan sent you and she can help direct you to the right program for your son. I have met her and her husband Tom a few times when they visited the states.

 

Once he gets the idea of blending, there is nothing better than the I See Sam books for getting them reading "real" books. The story lines are really cute and it is motivating for them to be able to read a whole book on their own.

 

There is a yahoo group called Beginning Reading Instruction that is a well of information for using these books. It consists of homeschool parents (and several WTM ones), tutors, special ed teachers, reading specialists, etc.

 

There IS hope. I taught my very special needs daughter with an IQ of 30 and LDs (yes you can be mentally impaired and have LDs as well) to read using these programs. It took a LOT of hard work on both of our parts but we made it and she can now read at a 3rd grade leve which is pretty functional given her low IQ.

[Carolina3]

Brenda,

 

THANK YOU so much for the wealth of information and for sharing your inspiring story! I'm SO glad I found this board! What a lifesaver!! :) It's been exhausting trying to doing this all alone!! I'll call Hilsie and make sure to tell her you sent me - Thanks again!

 

And thank to everyone else who posted as well! :) I've gotten more info (and direction) from you ladies than I have in all the months I've been researching this!

[Sevilla]

I don't know about the thing you posted, but I wanted to drop off this link. http://www.diannecraft.com/ Several hs'ing moms I know whose kids struggle with these issues have raved about her seminars and web resources for helping their kids finally 'get' academic concepts they were struggling with due to dyslexia/dysgraphia/dyscalculia (sp?).