cherylw Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Has anyone used this for their child with dyslexia? It looks good..but would like some feedback if anyone has used it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amazzie Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 I don't have an answer for you, but I started it with my son 2 days ago. He flipped out over some of the flashcards because the font was different - for example he thought the l was a j due to the little tail the l has. I put away the flashcards and am just using the text and he's doing fine. We'll see how it goes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 I don't have diagnosis, but I have a child (9yo) who is very likely dyslexic. The benefits of Dancing Bears lie in training the eye to see, and the brain to respond with sound for each phonogram. My ds knew his phonics upside and down, but still couldn't read b/c he wasn't SEEING the sounds and responding. (He could spell, but not read.) Using Fast Track, he has not learned a bit of new phonics, but he's reading with the phonics he learned years ago. I love the method. I do not love the stories intermixed in the books. I use other readers. (McGuffey is our default reader.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellers Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 My 11 year old son has severe dyslexia and has been using Dancing Bears A, and Bear Necessities A2 for extra practice (which he really needs). He's almost done with the book Dancing Bears A, and I plan on sticking with the program. Some of the stories in Dancing Bears are a little strange but they keep my son interested and he wants to keep reading to find out what happens. He's also using Apples and Pears which has helped not only his spelling but also his reading. This time last year my son could read and spell nine words, now he can read and spell 100's! :):) I highly recommend both programs! My son has made HUGE improvements and is actually starting to read on his own, which is something I feared would never happen. After six + years of the public school system failing to teach my boy how to read, he is learning to read at home! His confidence has skyrocketed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenneinCA Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 I didn't use it for my likely dyslexic son (ds11) when he was little because I didn't know about it then. I did use it for ds7 because I wasn't taking any chances and figured it wouldn't hurt anything. The best parts of the program are the phonogram cards and the little notched card. By the time we were done ds7 could rattle through those cards as fast as I could turn them. The cards were fantastic. And he felt very proud of himself too. The little notched card taught me as much about teaching him to read as it taught him about reading. It forced him to read from the beginning of the word since that was all he could see, no chance to start at the wrong side. It helped me remember that it was necessary to reinforce the proper left to right orientation every time. The stories are weird. Sometimes very very weird. Ds7 loved reading them. It was very different than the usual easy reader books. These stories made him want to read them because he didn't know what would come next because you couldn't guess. They were just that strange. If I had another child I wanted to teach to read, I would definitely use them again. Dyslexic or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barbarajon Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 I haven’t heard about it even yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyLittleBears Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 I ordered this but immediately decided to return it. The stories IMO go beyond just weird, they are unwholesome, for lack of a better word. The premise is that they appeal to older children but there is quite a lot of mention of beer and the boy spends the whole of the 3 books in a dress. In the first story, when the boy gets dirty and comes down in a dress, the man in the story has of a weird smile/smirk on his face as he is talking to the boy(while there are empty beer bottles laying all around the floor). Most of the characters are the kind you would not like to meet in a dark alley. I personally think they could have done a better job with the storyline without having to get babyish or pristine like the pathway readers. I realize this is a matter of personal opinion, but they were definately not for my family. I honestly wish I had taken a closer look at the samples before ordering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherylw Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 Thanks for the insight. As I was looking at the samples it did look strange to me as well, and I was quite disturbed when I noticed beer being mentioned in one of the stories. But at the same time, its much easier to get ds to read if he likes the story...and he likes the weird stuff.:001_huh: I was looking a Apples and Pears too and it seems like their isn't a flow to how they have system set up. But maybe I'm just not seeing it as a whole from looking at the samples. I don't see a definite pattern to spelling rules??? As for db would it be possible to mark out the things I think are inappropriate (like beer) or is it too much? Cheryl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherylw Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 I love the method. I do not love the stories intermixed in the books. I use other readers. (McGuffey is our default reader.) After rereading your post, could I try this as well?? We are currently using the Christian Liberty Nature Reader (book 1). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Thanks for the insight. As I was looking at the samples it did look strange to me as well, and I was quite disturbed when I noticed beer being mentioned in one of the stories. But at the same time, its much easier to get ds to read if he likes the story...and he likes the weird stuff.:001_huh: I was looking a Apples and Pears too and it seems like their isn't a flow to how they have system set up. But maybe I'm just not seeing it as a whole from looking at the samples. I don't see a definite pattern to spelling rules??? As for db would it be possible to mark out the things I think are inappropriate (like beer) or is it too much? Cheryl I wouldn't worry too much about the the things like the mention of beer if it's not a super-huge issue for you. For my son it was basically a giggle moment as beer is an adult thing and here it is in one of his stories. It does pop up but I didn't feel the mentioning of it was inappropriate. There's a slightly naughty undercurrent to the whole thing which I'm convinced was intentional because the authors knew the program might be fighting some walls and misperceptions (reading is boring) that a child might have. As it is, it feels a little subversive at times (there's a goat named Groin) and that makes it really appealing. I think that's important because the programs asks for a lot of hard work from a kid. That hllook of mock horror on your face as he reads "beer" is a huge reward.:001_smile: I'm a huge fan myself. A tip if you get it...There are cloze activities. It adds to the subversive fun if, rather then circle the right answers for the blanks in the sentences, you let your child circle the most ridiculously wrong answer.:tongue_smilie: All in all it's very British. Rigorous but with tongue firmly planted in cheek. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellers Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 I wouldn't worry too much about the the things like the mention of beer if it's not a super-huge issue for you. For my son it was basically a giggle moment as beer is an adult thing and here it is in one of his stories. It does pop up but I didn't feel the mentioning of it was inappropriate. There's a slightly naughty undercurrent to the whole thing which I'm convinced was intentional because the authors knew the program might be fighting some walls and misperceptions (reading is boring) that a child might have. As it is, it feels a little subversive at times (there's a goat named Groin) and that makes it really appealing. I think that's important because the programs asks for a lot of hard work from a kid. That hllook of mock horror on your face as he reads "beer" is a huge reward.:001_smile:.... :iagree: The stories of that mention beer didn't bother me at all, but I will admit I was shocked that beer was mentioned. I could see how some people would be put off by it though. My son really likes all the talk about getting lunch. LOL - the kid likes his food! I was looking a Apples and Pears too and it seems like their isn't a flow to how they have system set up. But maybe I'm just not seeing it as a whole from looking at the samples. I don't see a definite pattern to spelling rules???There are spelling patterns, filling in the blanks, word sums, morpheme analysis, spelling tests, daily sentence dictation, and lots of repetition, which is what my dyslexic son needs. Spelling rules aren't really taught because there are too many exceptions to spelling rules. This time last year my DS11 couldn't spell more than 10 words and yesterday, on lesson 63 or Book A, I dictated these sentences to him: They would be delighted if you could reserve some seats. Would you please make room so I can do a handstand? Those fearless foxes took some food out of our schoolroom. I know my father said the wrong thing to my teacher. He got them all correct! I am thrilled! The program just works! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixpence1978 Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 One of the things that prevented me from leaving AAS to change to A&P is that it just didn't make sense to me. I extensively looked at the samples, and couldn't figure out HOW it was teaching spelling. There were no rules and it just seemed to be random words each day. I finally got frustrated enough with my DD's lack of progress in AAS, that I went ahead and took the plunge. The PP is correct, I see A&P as teaching the patterns of spelling more than the rules. They do it in such a way that my DD is finally able to "see" the correct spelling of the word. Sometimes it still makes no sense to me and I, myself, love AAS, but A&P is working when nothing else has. As far as using DB to teach a dyslexic to read, I'm not sure. I think it really could. One thing I really appreciate about DB over something like PP, is that the review is built in. PP just didn't have enough practice (other than re-reading the same page over and over). My DD was reading previously from using other methods. She just wasn't accurate at all. We are going through DB to try to improve her accuracy and we look forward to the word building exercises later in the book. I can't stand the stories and I always give the option to skip them (they are supposed to be a "reward" for working through the decoding pages after all). My DD is still choosing to read them, but I figure that we have enough outside material to read as well, that skipping them doesn't really affect the program at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 After rereading your post, could I try this as well?? We are currently using the Christian Liberty Nature Reader (book 1). Yes. The magic of Dancing Bears is in the pages between the stories. We are using the Fast Track book,getting close to the end of it, and I'm really impressed with the progress made. It isn't a very fun 10min out of our school day, but it's THE most worth-while 10min. I'm not above bribing my ds for every line he attempts. I'm not afraid to spend DAYS on one page. I do limit lessons to about 10min per day. I like the McGuffey readers b/c they progress slowly and steadily...and I got a set for $2 used. I let ds choose material to read too...he read a Star Wars easy reader today. He doesn't like the McGuffeys.:tongue_smilie: I like A&P spelling, but it is a lot of writing. If I could marry Orton-Gillingham to Apples&Pears, I'd be in spelling heaven.:lol: ds9 got burned out on the routine of A&P. ;) (I do not plan on selling the materials I have on hand though b/c I will either use them as is in the future or as for inspiration to tweak other materials.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellers Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 .... I like A&P spelling, but it is a lot of writing. If I could marry Orton-Gillingham to Apples&Pears, I'd be in spelling heaven.:lol: ds9 got burned out on the routine of A&P. ;) (I do not plan on selling the materials I have on hand though b/c I will either use them as is in the future or as for inspiration to tweak other materials.) I think the writing is the ingredient that has helped make my son a good speller. Sounding out the words while writing them imprints the words into his brain. When I started homeschooling DS in November, writing just one sentence was exhausting to him. He now does a full lesson of A&P daily and doesn't complain. He's learned more spelling with A&P than he learned being in public school for six years with an IEP. A&P is an amazingly effective spelling program for my dyslexic son. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 I finally got frustrated enough with my DD's lack of progress in AAS, that I went ahead and took the plunge. Me too! I should have listened to Ottakee the first time, but better late than never. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 I think the writing is the ingredient that has helped make my son a good speller. Sounding out the words while writing them imprints the words into his brain. When I started homeschooling DS in November, writing just one sentence was exhausting to him. He now does a full lesson of A&P daily and doesn't complain. He's learned more spelling with A&P than he learned being in public school for six years with an IEP. A&P is an amazingly effective spelling program for my dyslexic son. We're getting closer to to one lesson a day with all the writing. I generaly split them over two days and do some of the written stuff orally. I also haven't done a lot of the sentence dictation but his writing is getting much better and he's also more focused so we'll be doing all the work soon. There are some horrible days when it's too much work and I want to switch but then I remember where we were jusr one year ago with his reading and I thank my lucky stars that we found DB and AP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 A note about DB and dyslexia - that's exactly what the program was meant to address! They wrote the program specifically for dyslexics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherylw Posted February 10, 2012 Author Share Posted February 10, 2012 Thanks ladies...I think I am going to try it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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