Which program for mild dyslexia?

[MyLittleBears]

I've have bee a little suspecious that my almost 8year old(May birthday) has a touch of dyslexia. He still will occasionally write his 3 and 5 backwards.We have been using OPGTR for almost 2yrs. His reading just does not seem to be flowing and I need to start spelling soon. Today he was doing his handwriting and reversed some letters in one word and added some in another. At this point I'm not sure if we should just keep going and hope it gets better or try some other reading program.

 

Here are what I think are my options:

 

Phonics pathways

Explode the code

AAS

The Reading Lesson- which I'm doing with his younger brother so he'll probably think it's babyish

 

Should I try any of these or perhaps a combination of them?

Are there any other programs I should consider?

Help!

 

I should add that his older brother had similar difficulites, although not to the same degree and at about 9yrs old everything clicked and his reading sky-rocketed.... hope this happens with him also, but I'm not holding my breath.

Edited March 9, 2011 by MyLittleBears

[MerryAtHope]

AAS is Orton Gillingham based, so it's great for kids with dyslexia. It also helped my kids' reading improve within a couple of months after starting, and they went up 2 grade levels that first year. I didn't experience the same kind of improvement with ETC, and haven't tried the other 2. I blogged more about AAS and our experiences here. Merry :-)

[coffeegal]

I used Phonics Pathways for my best readers, and have vowed to use it with my last 2 children as well. If necessary, you can always move slowly and use an index card to help the child see just the phonogram to sound out. :001_smile:

 

I used ETC with the child I now suspect of dyslexia and she seemed to do just fine. Last summer I realized she knew very few of the phonograms, was mixing up 'g' and 'j', as well as many other phonograms. I was horrified. She honestly seemed to do well with ETC and I thought she could read well, even if she couldn't spell. :confused: We're using Apples and Pears Spelling and the Bear reading program to remediate. It's been working wonderfully. :)

[onaclairadeluna]

My dyslexic son did not do well with ETC. Apples and Pears was a good fit for him. Something in it helped things click for him.

[wapiti]

Just FYI, reversals and reading difficulty are also symptoms of issues other than dyslexia, such as vision problems having to do with how the eyes work together (see e.g. www.covd.org )

 

FWIW, I've been interested in the Dancing Bears and the Apples and Pears series, which are supposedly good for dyslexia. http://www.prometheantrust.org/usshop.htm

 

HTH

[ondreeuh]

Dyslexia can manifest differently in different children, so the more information you can give about your son, the better.

 

I can tell you a little about my son so you see where I'm coming from. He was very late to develop phonemic awareness. We had to work a lot on breaking words into syllables and then into sounds. He had/has trouble discriminating between similar sounds. He has a lot of difficulty forming a visual memory of how a word should look, so reading took a long time. Spelling has been excruciatingly difficult because of this. He also has trouble recalling the right phonogram to use with a sound (he will pull up "ch" for "th" quite often - even though he "knows" the difference, it is hard for him to recall). He was tested as having a poor auditory loop memory (couldn't "hear" things in his mind for very long after they'd been said). He has improved a LOT. Some issues have almost resolved (phonemic awareness and auditory memory).

 

My son did well with ETC - it forced him to look at the words carefully instead of guessing. It wasn't enough for phonics, and nowhere close to enough for spelling for him, but it was useful.

 

I tried AAS, I really did, but that approach did not work for my son. I know everyone says "O-G is the gold standard for dyslexia" but it just confused him more. I think it really depends on the child. It gave him a start, and for that I'm grateful, but a rule-based approach was very much the wrong route for him (at least as far as spelling goes). Too many steps to reason through, especially with his difficulty pulling up the rules/sounds), and too many exceptions to make it useful. (Try spelling common words like was, where, said using rules).

 

We are now using Apples & Pears and I wish I'd started it earlier. It starts out with high-frequency words and patterns, works heavily on phonemic awareness, and guides the student to make a visual & kinesthetic memory of the word. Not rule-based, but does reinforce phonics. My son has already made dramatic improvement. It is very systematic and IMO it's genius. It might be overkill for kids who don't need that level of intervention.

[rafiki]

.

[PeterPan]

I would get his eyes checked first by a developmental optometrist, then see where you're at. We used SWR.

[MyLittleBears]

My son seems to have good days and bad days. He is not reversing letters so much anymore but he will reverse numbers every single day. He switches letter order when doing handwriting and when reading. I'm not sure this counts because he just may not be paying attention. He does not do this all the time. When he was learning to read 3 letters words he was fine. Now that he has had practice with the silent e, he is using it for the short vowel words also. We've have literally been working on reading for almost 2 years in OPGTR doing almost every lesson twice. I do notice he rubs his eyes a lot but he went to the doc this year and has nearly 20/20 vision. I was told however, that he has a clogged tear duct but it should not affect his vision. He also has moderate color blindness. I'm not really worried in other areas because he does do well with math. I have AAS for my older with spelling issues but I can see him getting even more confused with even more sound coming at him. As it is, OPGSTR seems to throw too many rules at him even with plenty of practice.I am looking into apples and pears but not sure where the right place to start would be? Any advice?

Dyslexia can manifest differently in different children, so the more information you can give about your son, the better.

 

I can tell you a little about my son so you see where I'm coming from. He was very late to develop phonemic awareness. We had to work a lot on breaking words into syllables and then into sounds. He had/has trouble discriminating between similar sounds. He has a lot of difficulty forming a visual memory of how a word should look, so reading took a long time. Spelling has been excruciatingly difficult because of this. He also has trouble recalling the right phonogram to use with a sound (he will pull up "ch" for "th" quite often - even though he "knows" the difference, it is hard for him to recall). He was tested as having a poor auditory loop memory (couldn't "hear" things in his mind for very long after they'd been said). He has improved a LOT. Some issues have almost resolved (phonemic awareness and auditory memory).

 

My son did well with ETC - it forced him to look at the words carefully instead of guessing. It wasn't enough for phonics, and nowhere close to enough for spelling for him, but it was useful.

 

I tried AAS, I really did, but that approach did not work for my son. I know everyone says "O-G is the gold standard for dyslexia" but it just confused him more. I think it really depends on the child. It gave him a start, and for that I'm grateful, but a rule-based approach was very much the wrong route for him (at least as far as spelling goes). Too many steps to reason through, especially with his difficulty pulling up the rules/sounds), and too many exceptions to make it useful. (Try spelling common words like was, where, said using rules).

 

We are now using Apples & Pears and I wish I'd started it earlier. It starts out with high-frequency words and patterns, works heavily on phonemic awareness, and guides the student to make a visual & kinesthetic memory of the word. Not rule-based, but does reinforce phonics. My son has already made dramatic improvement. It is very systematic and IMO it's genius. It might be overkill for kids who don't need that level of intervention.

[MerryAtHope]

My son seems to have good days and bad days. He is not reversing letters so much anymore but he will reverse numbers every single day. He switches letter order when doing handwriting and when reading. I'm not sure this counts because he just may not be paying attention. He does not do this all the time. When he was learning to read 3 letters words he was fine. Now that he has had practice with the silent e, he is using it for the short vowel words also. We've have literally been working on reading for almost 2 years in OPGTR doing almost every lesson twice. I do notice he rubs his eyes a lot but he went to the doc this year and has nearly 20/20 vision.

 

Check out www.covd.org. There is more to vision than what a regular eye doctor will find through an eye exam. My son has normal vision but had several vision processing issues--we JUST finished vision therapy (hooray!) and it has made a world of difference. While the things you listed could be dyslexia, they are also common signs for vision processing issues. I agree with OhElizabeth that an exam by a developmental optometrist is a good next step (covd.org has listings to help you find one).

 

Merry :-)

[MyLittleBears]

Thanks Merry! I'll look into that. I should add that he is artistic beyond his years so he has no trouble with perception or anything like that. He' fine with math and seems fine with fine and gross motor skills. Reading seems to be his only issue.

Check out www.covd.org. There is more to vision than what a regular eye doctor will find through an eye exam. My son has normal vision but had several vision processing issues--we JUST finished vision therapy (hooray!) and it has made a world of difference. While the things you listed could be dyslexia, they are also common signs for vision processing issues. I agree with OhElizabeth that an exam by a developmental optometrist is a good next step (covd.org has listings to help you find one).

 

Merry :-)

[PeterPan]

You can have 20/20 vision and still have vision problems. Ask us how we know. ;)

 

A developmental optometrist looks for deeper issues (convergence, focusing, eye-teaming, etc.) that a regular optometrist only screens for. We went to the regular optometrist for similar symptoms (headaches, problems with school work) and were told she was 20/20 but could have reading glasses. The reading glasses actually made it WORSE, as can happen, because they took the strain off the eyes for focusing but not for convergence and the other issues. Just do yourself a favor and get the full exam by a developmental optometrist. You can't teach through vision problems. When they aren't seeing correctly, they can't process correctly. And when they aren't processing correctly, how is all the learning connected to that visual processing supposed to take place?? You fix the eyes first, then all the rest falls into place. And some people here on the boards suspected or had a dyslexia diagnosis that got reversed by the time the vision therapy was done. It's not unheard of.

[siloam]

AAS is Orton Gillingham based, so it's great for kids with dyslexia. It also helped my kids' reading improve within a couple of months after starting, and they went up 2 grade levels that first year. I didn't experience the same kind of improvement with ETC, and haven't tried the other 2. I blogged more about AAS and our experiences here. Merry :-)

What Merry said.

 

But I would also first do the Barton student screening, becuase dyslexic students often don't hear the differences between sounds, which is part of why they can't spell. If they can't hear the differences between sounds, they will struggle even in a good o/g program. LiPS is probably the best thing to use with a child struggling hearing the sounds. It just isn't cheap. You need the manual, lip pictures and cards at the least. You can make your own colored felt squares. If you want to have your hand held more the DVD's would be nice. I learned it with the 1st edition and no DVD's and it wasn't that difficult.

 

Heather

[Tracy]

Writing in cursive can remedy the letter reversals.

[siloam]

Thanks Merry! I'll look into that. I should add that he is artistic beyond his years so he has no trouble with perception or anything like that. He' fine with math and seems fine with fine and gross motor skills. Reading seems to be his only issue.

You might also tray Irlen filters, which you can get when you buy her book (or pay for testing, which is much more expensive).

 

The theory here is that some people see some colors faster than others, causing distortions in what they read. If you instead read through a filter which is a color that works well for you, then you see everything at the right speed.

 

I personally have problems with glare, and a sense of movement around the white edges. On bad days things will blur like a bad photo copy that has shadows of the letters. I was diagnosed through Irlen Institute 20 years ago as a visual dyslexic, and use a pink and blue filter combo to read with.

 

I also have had my 2nd dd in for VT, which didn't help her, because her issues are not with teaming and such but with how her brain processing the information.

 

With the reversals and such, it is not an inattention to detail. The brain is actually switching the order on them. I have had times when I have read a word, switched the order, can see I switched the order and still continue to say it wrong. I have to have some sort of reset to get it right. Starting back at the beginning of the sentence is often enough of a reset, but sometimes I just need someone else to say the word.

 

If it makes you feel better my 3rd dd reversed most of her numbers into 3rd grade, but does so only occasionally now, and is self correcting and most of those. She also didn't get silent e. For the first years she would read it with the short should, and I would have to take my finger and run it from the e to the vowel as a visual clue, and she would then read it long. The next year she would self correct, but she still read it short first then saw the e and read it long. Not it is rarely an issue.

 

AAS is an o/g based program, but it is missing some key parts for dyslexic students. First is it doesn't work with units. Second is the speed is a little quick without much review (I add a lot of review). Third is they don't use nonsense words. Barton Reading and Spelling uses roughly 50% nonsense words so they have to sound out, apply rules and not guess based on the shape or beginning letters of the words. If you can afford a program like Sonday System, Barton Reading and Spelling, or Wilson Reading I would highly recommend it. If you can't I am told Recipe for Reading tells you how to create your own program. AAS can still work but you might need to modify it, like I do.

 

Also my ds has been working with letters, letters sounds and reading/spelling since he was 5. He is reading at grade level now, when he can recall the right sounds. He still has huge gaps in recall of letters for spelling and hearing the individual sounds correctly. Sometimes it is just a long road.

 

Heather

Edited March 10, 2011 by siloam

[LizzyBee]

I've have bee a little suspecious that my almost 8year old(May birthday) has a touch of dyslexia. He still will occasionally write his 3 and 5 backwards.We have been using OPGTR for almost 2yrs. His reading just does not seem to be flowing and I need to start spelling soon. Today he was doing his handwriting and reversed some letters in one word and added some in another. At this point I'm not sure if we should just keep going and hope it gets better or try some other reading program.

 

Here are what I think are my options:

 

Phonics pathways

Explode the code

AAS

The Reading Lesson- which I'm doing with his younger brother so he'll probably think it's babyish

 

Should I try any of these or perhaps a combination of them?

Are there any other programs I should consider?

Help!

 

I should add that his older brother had similar difficulites, although not to the same degree and at about 9yrs old everything clicked and his reading sky-rocketed.... hope this happens with him also, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

I don't want to discourage you, but what you describe in your first son may be mild dyslexia; what you describe in your second son, if it is dyslexia, is likely moderate to severe. I would encourage you to use an Orton-Gillingham based program with him. AAS is multi-sensory, but it's not a complete OG program.

 

The cheapest OG curriculum is Receipe for Reading, which is about $25. I haven't seen this, but my understanding is that the manual tells you how to do OG, but you'll have to make your own manipulatives and lesson plans.

 

At the other end of the spectrum, Barton Reading and Spelling is laid out for you and even includes training on DVDs; but the program is so easy to follow and use that I don't even watch the DVDs. The total price is about $2900, but it's sold in 10 modules that you'll use over a period of about 3 years, maybe longer since your son is only 8, and it goes through a 9th grade reading level. The modules have an excellent resale value, which helps toward buying the next level.

 

In the middle, Wilson Reading is also very popular with homeschoolers. The comany sells primarily to schools, so their customer service is not as good as Susan Barton's, but it's a solid program.

 

My favorite website about dyslexia is http://www.dys-add.com. It is a wealth of information, which you can read or watch on video.

[MyLittleBears]

Thank you! I am going to make an appointment with a local one tomorrow.

 

A developmental optometrist looks for deeper issues (convergence, focusing, eye-teaming, etc.) that a regular optometrist only screens for. We went to the regular optometrist for similar symptoms (headaches, problems with school work) and were told she was 20/20 but could have reading glasses. The reading glasses actually made it WORSE, as can happen, because they took the strain off the eyes for focusing but not for convergence and the other issues. Just do yourself a favor and get the full exam by a developmental optometrist. You can't teach through vision problems. When they aren't seeing correctly, they can't process correctly. And when they aren't processing correctly, how is all the learning connected to that visual processing supposed to take place?? You fix the eyes first, then all the rest falls into place. And some people here on the boards suspected or had a dyslexia diagnosis that got reversed by the time the vision therapy was done. It's not unheard of.

[MyLittleBears]

I had forgotten that it can be passed down by parents. My dh was diagnosed dyslexic. His is brilliant but he still reads slowly and his spelling isn't great.

 

 

Also, I had forgotten that my ds had chronic ear infections.He had tubes put in and did not speak until he was about 2yrs old. His first utterings were "leave me alone!" LOL! He was on antibiotics for almost and entire year.... now I'm starting to wonder whether this has also had an affect also.

 

You might also tray Irlen filters, which you can get when you buy her book (or pay for testing, which is much more expensive).

 

The theory here is that some people see some colors faster than others, causing distortions in what they read. If you instead read through a filter which is a color that works well for you, then you see everything at the right speed.

 

I personally have problems with glare, and a sense of movement around the white edges. On bad days things will blur like a bad photo copy that has shadows of the letters. I was diagnosed through Irlen Institute 20 years ago as a visual dyslexic, and use a pink and blue filter combo to read with.

 

I also have had my 2nd dd in for VT, which didn't help her, because her issues are not with teaming and such but with how her brain processing the information.

 

With the reversals and such, it is not an inattention to detail. The brain is actually switching the order on them. I have had times when I have read a word, switched the order, can see I switched the order and still continue to say it wrong. I have to have some sort of reset to get it right. Starting back at the beginning of the sentence is often enough of a reset, but sometimes I just need someone else to say the word.

 

If it makes you feel better my 3rd dd reversed most of her numbers into 3rd grade, but does so only occasionally now, and is self correcting and most of those. She also didn't get silent e. For the first years she would read it with the short should, and I would have to take my finger and run it from the e to the vowel as a visual clue, and she would then read it long. The next year she would self correct, but she still read it short first then saw the e and read it long. Not it is rarely an issue.

 

AAS is an o/g based program, but it is missing some key parts for dyslexic students. First is it doesn't work with units. Second is the speed is a little quick without much review (I add a lot of review). Third is they don't use nonsense words. Barton Reading and Spelling uses roughly 50% nonsense words so they have to sound out, apply rules and not guess based on the shape or beginning letters of the words. If you can afford a program like Sonday System, Barton Reading and Spelling, or Wilson Reading I would highly recommend it. If you can't I am told Recipe for Reading tells you how to create your own program. AAS can still work but you might need to modify it, like I do.

 

Also my ds has been working with letters, letters sounds and reading/spelling since he was 5. He is reading at grade level now, when he can recall the right sounds. He still has huge gaps in recall of letters for spelling and hearing the individual sounds correctly. Sometimes it is just a long road.

 

Heather

[PeterPan]

You can have ALL these things going on. Ditto on the dyslexia from the dh here. The dyslexia manifests LOTS of ways, not just in reading. Anything involving bilaterality, two hemispheres, language, oh my. I've finally given up on foreign languages with her. We've tried latin, french, etc., and it was just a mess. The vocab didn't stick. The grammar memory work would stick, but then to PROCESS it just took SO much effort, an unusual effort, that you could see steam coming from her gears. It was just awful. We got through PL, LC1, part of LC2 and part of Latin Prep and finally just gave up. With french, I tried lots of fabulous curricula, always to the same effect.

 

So no, if the dyslexia is there, the VT doesn't make it go away. I'm not even saying all dyslexics need VT. But you can have both, and it's a very easy, easy thing to identify and eliminate as an issue. And for us, it was like VT made all the work we had done with SWR and whatnot click. She started sounding out words, asking letter sounds, etc. It was like she wasn't seeing letters as individual entities before. And yes, thanks to SWR (and lots and lots and lots of time spent on this), she CAN read and excels dh. So the cycle CAN be broken. She's on the sharper end of the stick, which I think also helps frankly. It gives them the ability to memorize a lot visually and cover over their problems. But when you finally crack the shell on the problems, then they really fly!

 

When you get the VT eval, let us know how it goes! If it's nothing, that's cool, problem eliminated. They may even have the name of the next person you should try for an eval. But yes, it literally could be dyslexia *plus* needing VT *plus* some auditory or language processing issues. That's actually the next thing I'm thinking about with my dd, but I'm only doing little bits about it right now using some of Yllek's ideas here on the boards. If it were only one thing, that would make it too easy, eh? :)

 

PS. While people on the boards will talk about dyslexia with only the visual or only the language component, I've had several people now say you need *both* to get the dyslexia label. Or to work it backwards, when you're sure there is dyslexia, there's a strong possibility there are both aspects. At least something to eliminate.

[mom2bee]

Before you invest too much money, take a good look at The Phonics Page, its a great site! if you're not Christian, you'll have to ignore or edit a good bit, but I'm looking now to see if I can't make it work for my crew of primary students. The worst case scenario is you'll spend a few afternoons with your son, studying from free materials online that wont work.

 

LilGal is suspected of having dyslexia but its equally probably that she just doesn't have a strong grasp on reading because her beginning reading instruction wasn't very good, thorough, or consistent.

 

Plans to have her evaluated are in s...l...o...w motion, but in motion. In the mean time I'm giving The Phonics Page another look! It could help us break through with reading and spelling, (spelling is high on the list of things needing to be studied...)