momto2Cs Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 She's just turned eight, and still can't read more than a few cvc words. People keep telling me it'll all click someday, but I am getting worried. She can't even correctly identify all her letters/letter sounds. I have tried a number of programs and am getting really frustrated. Should I get her tested? I'm not even sure what to get her tested for, or where, etc. How much does testing cost? Sorry to be all freaked out at you, but this is wearing on me :sad: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 What have you used in the past? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 What have you tried in the past? I had a student who I worked with for about 2 months, on basic reading, spelling and stuff. This kid just didn't get it. I don't know if he'd ever been tested, but one day he was trying to read a line from a simple reader and when he got frustrated I read it for him, and he sat back and said. "You know what I think? I think each letter makes a different sound. Thats why the words keep changing even if they're mostly alike." :glare: I'd been telling him that for a long time. Everyone had... Once he 'got that' he picked up and improved. He now reads enthusiastically (unless its assigned), but still on the lower end of his grade level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted March 10, 2011 Author Share Posted March 10, 2011 We have used, unsuccessfully for the most part: Explode the Code Phonics Pathways Click N Kids Phonics (thinking of just making her start over in this one as it is one of the only things she actually does, but is recently having to repeat lessons, and we're only on leson 18) The Reading Lesson Houghton Mifflin Spelling & Vocab Phonics in Action Tried OPGTR with her and she hated it. Same with 100 EZ Lessons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara in WA Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 She's just turned eight... She can't even correctly identify all her letters/letter sounds. I have tried a number of programs and am getting really frustrated. Should I get her tested? I'm not even sure what to get her tested for, or where, etc. How much does testing cost? Sorry to be all freaked out at you, but this is wearing on me :sad: Let me first say I am no expert in child development. The part that stands out to me is about your dd not being able to identify letters and letter sounds. Eight seems to be quite late for that and I don't think any one program is the answer. My thought is to contact your pediatrician or local school district for direction. They can at least give you a starting point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 She's just turned eight, and still can't read more than a few cvc words. People keep telling me it'll all click someday, but I am getting worried. She can't even correctly identify all her letters/letter sounds. Personally, I would not wait any longer to move forward with testing. I would first rule out hearing and vision problems, by getting checkups. On the vision, I would see an optometrist from www.covd.org, to look for problems in addition to 20/20 vision. Once those issues were ruled out, I'd then be considering something like dyslexia and/or auditory processing issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 We have used, unsuccessfully for the most part: Explode the Code Phonics Pathways Click N Kids Phonics (thinking of just making her start over in this one as it is one of the only things she actually does, but is recently having to repeat lessons, and we're only on leson 18) The Reading Lesson Houghton Mifflin Spelling & Vocab Phonics in Action Tried OPGTR with her and she hated it. Same with 100 EZ Lessons. That's quite a few totally different methodologies to use in a short period of time. It's possible she's just confused about the whole thing. ITA that it wouldn't be a bad idea to have her tested, but I would also suggest that you should pick something--one thing--and make it work. I would probably go with PhonicsPathways, although my favorite--not on your list--is Spalding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renmew Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 The only one I have experience with on your list is 100 EZ lessons, which I'm using successfully with my 4 year old, in conjunction with the old Dick and Jane stuff. I'm not familiar with the other titles on your list. The 2 things that cross my mind are 1. Animal Alphabet, where each letter is identified with an animal and a sound/motion. It worked very well with the kinders and above I saw it used with. The multisensory approach was helpful. 2. The school where I teach 2nd grade uses Writing to Read in kinder and first. I send a 2nd grader every now and then who is new to English. The results are amazing. My students come to me already reading at a solid 2nd/3rd grade level year after year. I think this is a link for it, but I'm not sure of how they would offer services for homeschool. IMO it's worth looking into. http://brightbluesoftware.com/wtr.htm From a teacher pov, she might be feeling deflated having to read "baby books," since her own skills are not age appropriate. Could she take a short break from actual reading instruction and enjoy her choice of books on tape. Make her follow along and enjoy. Then find one that is interesting, yet doable with hard work, and have her focus on it for a couple of weeks. Like, make a short list of "sight words" from the text, study more difficult word families used in it, etc.. that kind of thing. So, after word study and repeated readings/listenings, she might be able to handle something she finds more interesting. Also, if you can get your hand on a basal reader from the library. Scott Foresman basals have a phonics story for each week that incorporates many words focused around one sound/spelling pattern. The stories are short and usually pretty cute/funny. I hope you can find something soon that works for her. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 She is definitely at an age where I would try to get testing done immediately. I did vision therapy with my dd first, but after she completed vision therapy, she still wasn't reading and the VT said that she thought my dd was also dyslexic. I got my dd tested through the ps. I don't know what the laws are like in your state or how cooperative your school district will be. Testing through the ps is free, but private testing is likely to be more comprehensive. The programs that worked for my dd were: I See Sam readers with Headsprout parts 1 and 2 Funnix level 2 with Phonics for Reading 2 Phonics for Reading 3 lots of work with nonsense words timed repeated readings Rewards Reading Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
classics4us Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 :iagree: That's quite a few totally different methodologies to use in a short period of time. It's possible she's just confused about the whole thing. ITA that it wouldn't be a bad idea to have her tested, but I would also suggest that you should pick something--one thing--and make it work. I would probably go with PhonicsPathways, although my favorite--not on your list--is Spalding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbmom Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 How is she with other pre-reading skills? How is her rhyming, can she blend (if you give her a word broken down by sound, can she tell you the word,) can she segment (the opposite-if you tell her cat can she give you the sounds broken apart)? Can she identify beginning, middle and ending sounds (just the sound-she doesn't have to tell you the letter, but can she tell you that dog starts with duh, cat ends with tuh, etc.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted March 10, 2011 Author Share Posted March 10, 2011 How is she with other pre-reading skills? How is her rhyming, can she blend (if you give her a word broken down by sound, can she tell you the word,) can she segment (the opposite-if you tell her cat can she give you the sounds broken apart)? Can she identify beginning, middle and ending sounds (just the sound-she doesn't have to tell you the letter, but can she tell you that dog starts with duh, cat ends with tuh, etc.) Finally, I can say YES to something! Yes, she can do all these things. And I have had her vision and hearing tested, both are fine. Thank you all for the advice. I am going to give her a month of solid focus on the letters/sounds... oh, and we tried going back in ClickNKids to an easier lesson, and getting 100% easily made her smile! If I don't see good progress within that month, I will contact our local school district for testing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silliness7 Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Let me first say I am no expert in child development. The part that stands out to me is about your dd not being able to identify letters and letter sounds. Eight seems to be quite late for that and I don't think any one program is the answer. My thought is to contact your pediatrician or local school district for direction. They can at least give you a starting point. :iagree: Hopefully your ped could point you in the right direction wrt testing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Sherry Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Finally, I can say YES to something! Yes, she can do all these things. And I have had her vision and hearing tested, both are fine. Thank you all for the advice. I am going to give her a month of solid focus on the letters/sounds... oh, and we tried going back in ClickNKids to an easier lesson, and getting 100% easily made her smile! If I don't see good progress within that month, I will contact our local school district for testing. I suggest you get her Earobics Step 2.It's computer software. It is fun and easy to use. It uses games to teach skills necessary for reading and spelling. It won't be stressful at all for her to use. You can use it along with whatever else you are using with her. I used it with 2 of my children. http://www.k12software.com/view_details.php?PHPSESSID=e6fb603a09b66fc96174162a29eafd18&ID=3355 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Students Learn How to: -Follow increasingly complex directions with and without background noise -Remember sounds and words in sequention order -Sound out individual sounds in a word -Blend sounds into syllables and syllables into workds -Identify the position of a target sound in a word -Add, delete, substitute and rearrange sounds to create new words -Recognize a word when a asyllable or sound has been omitted -Associate a sound with a letter or group of letters -Understand the meaning of words -Recognize printed syllables and words Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Have you tried adding in spelling and nonsense words? I've found both very helpful for my remedial students. My children have both enjoyed Read, Write, Type. I like it because it doesn't use sight words, it focuses on phonics and spelling. There is a free demo and they now have an online version. http://www.talkingfingers.com/readwritetype/RWT-learning-system.html Also, you might want to try Webster's Speller. I would do some syllables for a bit, then, find a few 2 syllable words she can sound out, like ad-mit and re-mit. It is very confidence building to be able to sound out "hard" 2 and 3 syllable words. If you scour through the lists, you should be able to find a few 3 syllable words that can be decoded as well. Also, do you have the "Talking Letter Factory" DVD? That's the easiest way to get in repetitions of the letter names and sounds. I would start looking into possible reasons if things do not click soon. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 I definitely agree that testing is important at this point. However, I wanted to let you know about what worked for us. My seven year old was seriously struggling. A mom on here, Perry, told me about the I See Sam book series -- thank goodness because it's been wonderful for my son. It starts simple, fun and short and takes the child up to fourth grade reading. And -- a friend repeated this too -- my son really loves the characters and discusses them. It's funny. I also used The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading. It looks daunting, but it's very nicely done. You just do one lesson at a time and she tells the parent what to say. I highly recommend both, Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 I recommend that you read the book Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz. Also, has your daughter had a developmental vision exam? This type of exam is done by a developmental optometrist and looks at more than just acuity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 I would test immediately, given her age and the fact that she's still unable to connect letters and sounds. Remediation is more successful when started early and at 8 there's no time to lose. If she were 5 or 6, I would agree with Ellie, perhaps. Not at eight. Start making phone calls today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest CarolineUK Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 My husband is severely dyslexic, as is our niece, and DS11 is also moderately dyslexic. DH was diagnosed dyslexic aged 10 and then had intensive treatment from one of the then top specialists in dyslexia in the UK. DH's view is that even once a diagnosis has been made the only 'treatment' is a lot of hard work with a phonics based programme. Reading finally clicked for DS11 when he was 8 yo after a lot of very hard work - he was at school at the time, so the work we put in at home was less then it might have been had he been homeschooled. When DS6 showed very definite signs of dyslexia we started homeschooling and I have spent between 20-30 minutes twice a day, almost every day for the past 18 months doing reading practice with him. He's now probably where he should be for his age, although he reads slowly and still has bad days. It has required more patience than I ever thought I possessed at times, and there have been many times we have both been on the verge of tears, but to have got to the point we are at now has been very rewarding. Best of luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Oh, and just so you know, my younger dd was not reading at her age level until she was 9½yo. I didn't even try to evaluate how many cvc words she could read or anything else. We poked at Spalding a couple of times, and R&S's Unit O, but it wasn't until she was 9 that I spent the fall months working diligently with Spalding--and only the fall months; we put everything away at Thanksgiving--that she "finally" took to reading. FTR, she was taking classes at the community college when she was 14, and graduated with a 3.98 GPA (she turned down valedictorian because she didn't like some of the silly games that were being played...I forget what they were, lol). So, it *could* be that there are some learning difficulties, but there may not be any at all. Your "yes" answers are comforting. It might just be that she's a very independent little learner and she's determined to read when.she.wants.to. That was one of the things going on with my dd, bless her heart.:glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aspasia Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Also, do you have the "Talking Letter Factory" DVD? That's the easiest way to get in repetitions of the letter names and sounds. :grouphug: I was going to suggest "Letter Factory" as well. It's incredible. My 3-year-old didn't understand the concept of letters having sounds when I was trying to teach them to her myself. Initially I just assumed she wasn't ready yet (no big deal), but two weeks with that video and she had them all down cold. Still does. It really is amazing, because it's low-stress and enjoyable, so kids are happy to do it over and over again. I especially think it's good for older kids like your dd because they are so discouraged and the DVD's are a nice "break", without really being a break. Oh, and it's only $9. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Also, do you have the "Talking Letter Factory" DVD? That's the easiest way to get in repetitions of the letter names and sounds. :iagree: Assuming there are no learning disabilities or physical impairments (which at this stage ought to be evaluated) I would get the Leapfrog DVDs. And not just the "Talking Letter Factory" (which is terrific) but also the "Talking Words Factory I" and "Talking Words Factory II." These 3 DVDs take a child through everything from letter sounds to blending skills in a form that appeals to children, and they are a very effective learning tool. I could not recommend these more highly. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeganW Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 I have spent between 20-30 minutes twice a day, almost every day for the past 18 months doing reading practice with him. ... It has required more patience than I ever thought I possessed at times, and there have been many times we have both been on the verge of tears, but to have got to the point we are at now has been very rewarding. You are a GREAT Momma, and a inspiring example for the rest of us!! Thanks for sharing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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