jg_puppy Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 I have suspected that my son is dyslexic for a few years. We recently had him tested through the local school district and the committee agreed unanimously that he is dyslexic. I was thinking about buying either The Gift of Dyslexia or The Dyslexic Advantage. I know I have read people reviewing both of these books here and I will probably get both eventually, but I was wondering which one would be better to read first. Janet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tokyomarie Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 How old is your son? How much help do you need to figure out how to teach him? What areas are you struggling with the most to figure out how to make school work for him? I really like Dyslexic Advantage, but its primary purpose is to discuss the significant strengths that dyslexic people have, that are often there because of the way dyslexic people process information . The very last part does discuss school-related issues & is helpful. Another book by the Eides that I really like is The Mislabled Child. It discusses specific cognitive processes involved in learning such as memory, attention, as well as specific tasks such as reading & writing. It's got lots of good foundational information, though it's not specifically about how to teach a dyslexic student. I have not read Davis' book, though I probably will at some point. I have perceived that I have some philosophical differences with him concerning dyslexia, so I think that's why I haven't read it yet. A foundational book on dyslexia that I have read- which is a lot more dense and takes time to get through- is Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz. So, I guess I'm saying what book is best to read first depends on what your greatest need for knowledge is right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heathermomster Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 (edited) I have suspected that my son is dyslexic for a few years. We recently had him tested through the local school district and the committee agreed unanimously that he is dyslexic. I was thinking about buying either The Gift of Dyslexia or The Dyslexic Advantage. I know I have read people reviewing both of these books here and I will probably get both eventually, but I was wondering which one would be better to read first. Janet The Gift Of Dyslexia appears to be geared more towards dyslexia caused by tracking and other visual causes. I'm certain that some would argue that vision is the root cause of dyslexia. I don't care to debate that. The author offers anecdotal evidence without any MRI or other research based evidence. I'm not saying the book is bad, I'm just saying that at the time the book was written, there were no research models evidenced to support his claims. The author recommends some "minds eye" exercises and other practices, like taking play dough and shaping letters with it by hand....This has worked for some...Not my child, but some. I also found the book a little sad. The author shares his early learning experiences and was mistreated by adults due to his LD. The author did mention highly successful LDs too, which I suppose offset the sad somewhat. Overall, I didn't care for the book. I would first read Overcoming Dyslexia. This book was extremely helpful for my family. The book is filled with research based brain studies. I felt really guilty about my son's reading disability until I read this book. If I were Elizabeth, I'd probably be telling you to get your child's eyes tested by a COVD.org Developmental Optometrist and ensure your kids eyes are tracking properly. Heather would say follow that visit up with a trip to the bookstore and purchase Shaywitz's book and learn the hows and whys of reading development. Later and after you have a good handle on understanding dyslexia, purchase and read The Dyslexic Advantage. Edited March 3, 2012 by Heathermomster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jg_puppy Posted March 3, 2012 Author Share Posted March 3, 2012 How old is your son? How much help do you need to figure out how to teach him? What areas are you struggling with the most to figure out how to make school work for him? So, I guess I'm saying what book is best to read first depends on what your greatest need for knowledge is right now. Thank you. Here is some more information about my son. He just turned 9. He is very strong at math, but struggles with reading, spelling, and handwriting. We are using CLE Learning to Read program and it seems to be working for him. I know it isn't for dyslexic kids, but he responds well to CLE. We are just taking it very slow. I don't think it will work to get him reading fluently, but it has worked better than anything else that we have tried. I have a friend that used S.P.I.R.E and has offered it to me at a good price. I am leaning towards using these two programs for now. I don't have them both so I don't know if they will fit together or not yet. I still need to figure out how to address handwriting. He was evaluated by an OT as well, but I don't have the results yet. I would really like a book to help me understand how his brain works so that I can help him in non school subjects as well as school subjects. He is extremely creative and great at problem solving, but struggles a little with memory and focus. It takes him longer than most kids to process information that he hears. I see this not only in school subjects, but also outside of school when he is playing baseball. Janet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixpence1978 Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 My top recommendations would be: Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz The Mislabeled Child by the Eides Dyslexic Advantage by the Eides The first two books are much better for getting an understanding of what dyslexia is. I would recommend The Dyslexic Advantage after reading those first. I didn't find The Gift of Dyslexia very helpful. If you are interested in exploring right-brained learners there are many other helpful books that I have had recommended but haven't read myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onaclairadeluna Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 My top recommendations would be: Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz The Mislabeled Child by the Eides Dyslexic Advantage by the Eides :iagree: Overcoming Dyslexia is a good first book. If you have to get only one, I'd go with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jg_puppy Posted March 3, 2012 Author Share Posted March 3, 2012 I just check and our library has Overcoming Dyslexia (2003 edition) and The Mislabled Child. Does anyone know if there is much difference in the 2003 verses the 2005 printing of the book Overcoming Dyslexia? Janet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tokyomarie Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Here is a really nice website about dyslexia: DyslexiaHelp at the University of Michigan. It is a new-ish website and has quickly grown to be what, IMO, is the most comprehensive website around on the topic of dyslexia. As for handwriting, you'll get more information once you get the results of the OT eval. OTs typically use/recommend Handwriting Without Tears. It is multisensory- meaning it teaches using several senses- and was designed to help kids with handwriting difficulty. I, personally, used and like the Getty-Dubay Italic system with both of my learners with language-based learning differences. It was often recommended for kids with handwriting difficulty back in the '90s before Handwriting Without Tears gained in popularity. With handwriting issues, you also have to think about foundational motor development- looking at upper body strength and tone, strength and tone in the arms & hands, and coordination. There are many activities that can be done to develop strength & coordination that can better prepare a child for handwriting development. One aspect of reading that is difficult for dyslexic students is fluency. Many dyslexic students become accurate decoders if they have been well-taught, but lack of automaticity or fluency in reading results in slow reading speed. Part of the reason for lack of fluency is that dyslexic students typically have slow retrieval of information from memory. Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) is a name that is given to the idea of retrieval speed and is tested using the CTOPP or the RAN/RAS tests. There are techniques for building fluency in reading that are often not part of traditional reading programs, but are part of programs designed for dyslexic students. I am not familiar with all the details of the S.P.I.R.E program, but it is a well-respected multisensory program. There are multiple levels, so you would need to make sure you have the level that is right for your son. You probably would not want to combine two different reading programs. It's best to stay with one system that includes all the components you need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jg_puppy Posted March 3, 2012 Author Share Posted March 3, 2012 One aspect of reading that is difficult for dyslexic students is fluency. Many dyslexic students become accurate decoders if they have been well-taught, but lack of automaticity or fluency in reading results in slow reading speed. Part of the reason for lack of fluency is that dyslexic students typically have slow retrieval of information from memory. Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) is a name that is given to the idea of retrieval speed and is tested using the CTOPP or the RAN/RAS tests. There are techniques for building fluency in reading that are often not part of traditional reading programs, but are part of programs designed for dyslexic students. This sounds exactly like my son. He can decode CVC words, but he doesn't read those words fluently yet. The parts of CLE that we have used so far have been review for him and it is helping him build fluency, but I don't know how it will work once we get to new skills. The other thing that I have noticed is that he can read a word he has learned in his reading book, but then not read the same word when he sees it someplace else (like his math book for example). I think that is part of why I had thought about using both programs. One to teach the skills and the other for review. I don't have both programs yet so I don't know if that will work or if it would even be needed. Janet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 (edited) My favorite resource about dyslexia is http://www.dys-add.com. Susan Barton is da bomb. After ps failed her dyslexic nephew, she left her career and became a dyslexia specialist. She is certified in something like 8 Orton-Gillingham based reading programs and she finally created her own because she wanted to make OG more accessible to parents and volunteers. Edited March 3, 2012 by LizzyBee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherylw Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Hi, I've just started reading Overcoming Dyslexia. I have skipped ahead to the end though and then I will come back through it. Although I am finding it very informative part of the book is troublesome to me because she states that parents should never be the primary teacher. The author states that only highly trained teachers skilled in scientificly based reading programs can do it effectively. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tokyomarie Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 (edited) Hi, I've just started reading Overcoming Dyslexia. I have skipped ahead to the end though and then I will come back through it. Although I am finding it very informative part of the book is troublesome to me because she states that parents should never be the primary teacher. The author states that only highly trained teachers skilled in scientificly based reading programs can do it effectively. Either I missed that part or I just rolled my eyes. She probably hasn't met some of the tenacious, eager-to-learn mama bears that inhabit boards like this one! :laugh: I am now a 20+yr veteran of homeschooling. I had spent several years learning about language-based learning challenges and using curriculum that was available to homeschooling parents in the late '90s. By the time my son was in K, I had 10 years as a home educator under my belt and 3 years of reading about & teaching to my children's learning challenges. Even so, there were major "tools" missing from the toolkit that I needed for teaching my son. Not just curriculum resources, which are far more abundant now than when my son was in K, but the tools of teaching techniques. At the time, however, I didn't realize what I didn't yet know. Honestly, typical parents tend not to have the motivation or the willingness to make the time to learn what they need to learn to teach a dyslexic student. It takes a lot of motivation and time to acquire the tools for teaching children with significant challenges due to dyslexia. Thankfully, there are more tools available to highly motivated parents than there were in 2003 when Shaywitz first wrote the book. However, I finally had to admit that I needed professionals to come along side me because it was tough to teach the child I have, even though I had succeeded in managing the academics with his older sister who also had language-based learning challenges. Edited March 3, 2012 by Tokyomarie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bobby Soxer Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Hi, I've just started reading Overcoming Dyslexia. I have skipped ahead to the end though and then I will come back through it. Although I am finding it very informative part of the book is troublesome to me because she states that parents should never be the primary teacher. The author states that only highly trained teachers skilled in scientificly based reading programs can do it effectively. :iagree: Overcoming Dyslexia is not one of my favorite books on the subject. It seemed to lack hope as well, and hope is what I have needed and will continue to need to navigate through this maze called dyslexia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merry gardens Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 I have suspected that my son is dyslexic for a few years. We recently had him tested through the local school district and the committee agreed unanimously that he is dyslexic. I was thinking about buying either The Gift of Dyslexia or The Dyslexic Advantage. I know I have read people reviewing both of these books here and I will probably get both eventually, but I was wondering which one would be better to read first. Janet Between those two books, I'd recommend The Dyslexic Advantage without a doubt. I've read both. I regret that one of the first books on dyslexia I read was The Gift of Dyslexia. It doesn't give a good overview about dyslexia. It mostly talks about the method that the author developed. If you still want to read "The Gift of Dyslexia" save it for much, much later, after you've explored the various other ways to remediate dyslexia. Since those are the two books you are interested in reading, it sounds like you want to discover the positive side of dyslexia. The Dyslexic Advantage will give you that encouragement. Then, read some good materials like others have provided on how to remediate reading problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jg_puppy Posted March 4, 2012 Author Share Posted March 4, 2012 Since those are the two books you are interested in reading, it sounds like you want to discover the positive side of dyslexia. The Dyslexic Advantage will give you that encouragement. Then, read some good materials like others have provided on how to remediate reading problems. Yes, that is what I am wanting. I need to do some more reading about remediating dyslexia now that I know for sure that he is dyslexic, but I also want something that will help me better understand the whole picture of how his brain works. Janet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 If I were Elizabeth, I'd probably be telling you to get your child's eyes tested by a COVD.org Developmental Optometrist and ensure your kids eyes are tracking properly. Heather would say follow that visit up with a trip to the bookstore and purchase Shaywitz's book and learn the hows and whys of reading development. Later and after you have a good handle on understanding dyslexia, purchase and read The Dyslexic Advantage. Hahaha, quoted and I wasn't even here! But honestly, that WASN'T the first thing in my mind! :lol: Seriously, the first thing *I* would do in that position is get an actual neuropsych eval. What kind of eval did the school do? Did the test attention, executive function, etc. etc.? I would want complete information, not just a single test or something. Sorry, just reading in there. Some schools do full testing and some distinctly don't. It's just something to check. My next thing was not to buy anything. Use your library and read all the books you can find. I also think it's wise to read across labels, since a dc with dyslexia will have things that get helped by techniques in books about ADHD, etc. That's another reason why you want the full eval, so you understand everything going on in his brain, not just his phonics and whether he qualifies at this moment for a reading disorder label. Our neuropsych said kids who go to the local dyslexia school get remediated and no longer get a reading disorder label (actual DSM coding, since it doesn't say dyslexia). But they still have the brains and the OTHER differences that go along with it. From what I've read, dyslexia and ADHD actually used to be lumped under one beautiful label "minimal brain dysfunction." Awesome, eh? So that's my two cents. And yeah, at some point obviously it's good for EVERYONE to get their eyes checked. Everyone in the whole wide world: people in 3rd world countries, people in the US, people in China. I want EVERYONE to have the blessing of a proper eye exam. :D And if you're gonna do it, the doc that checks more than a regular doc but still charges a low price for that normal eye exam is a *developmental optometrist*. He's going to screen for convergence, focusing, and other problems that can directly cause problems with school work. Good for everybody. I've tested both my kids. You find them through COVD. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jg_puppy Posted March 4, 2012 Author Share Posted March 4, 2012 Unfortunately at the moment a full evaluation and an exam by a COVD optometrist is just not possible. I found a few developmental optometrist in the area. The one I would like to go to because he has the most experience charges the most and we can't afford it at the moment. I found another one listed on the COVD website, but his website don't say anything about vision therapy like most of the other ones listed on the COVD website. I just wonder how much experience he has. I am not sure exactly what tests the school district completed since I don't have all of the official paperwork yet. I know they told me that they would do all of the same screening as Scottish Rite. I am trying to do as much research as I can since I know that lots of things can have similar symptoms or may be present together. I am doing research on ADD, auditory processing, and dyslexia. I checked out the Mislabeled Child and Overcoming Dyslexia from the library and I plan on reading through those. Lots of pieces to the puzzle, and I have lots to learn about how they all fit together. Janet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 I would read Overcoming Dyslexia first followed by The Dyslexic Advantage. Frankly, The Gift of Dyslexia is not the most scholarly work in the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamonaQ Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 I would read Overcoming Dyslexia first followed by The Dyslexic Advantage. Frankly, The Gift of Dyslexia is not the most scholarly work in the world. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 Sounds like you're on the right track! On the vision thing, have you checked on the price of just a *regular* vision exam with that good COVD doc? I totally agree I wouldn't go to somebody who's not advertising it and not doing it a lot. A regular exam is one of those things that's good for everybody, and then the COVD could just *screen* for the extra stuff. Maybe he wouldln't even have indications of needing the full exam. Also, some of those docs have sliding scales or other helps to bring it within reach. And you know, that regular exam with the screening would let you know if it's something to start saving for or not even an issue at all, kwim? Sounds like you're doing all the research to find everything you can! Good job!!! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merry gardens Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 Yes, that is what I am wanting. I need to do some more reading about remediating dyslexia now that I know for sure that he is dyslexic, but I also want something that will help me better understand the whole picture of how his brain works. Janet Ah, so you're a person who wants to get the whole picture! :D "Big picture thinking" (which is not always accompanied by reading problems) is one of the positive traits often found in people with dyslexia. I know what you mean about wanting to know how your son's brain works. Many of us here have developed a fascination with the human brain. That reminds me...there was an online course some of us took and discussed here last year. It went into how the brain works. When you're ready to explore remediation for dyslexia, it would give you a wealth of knowlege. https://training.epsbooks.com/training/servlet/courseaccess/CourseList Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Hi, I've just started reading Overcoming Dyslexia. I have skipped ahead to the end though and then I will come back through it. Although I am finding it very informative part of the book is troublesome to me because she states that parents should never be the primary teacher. The author states that only highly trained teachers skilled in scientificly based reading programs can do it effectively. I think Shaywitz has come around on homeschooling. The Yale website on dyslexia includes information about homeschooling. I was in a Yahoo group for homeschooling dyslexic kids, and one of the moms there had some fruitful correspondence with Shaywitz, and her child's story is on the Yale website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixpence1978 Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 That reminds me...there was an online course some of us took and discussed here last year. It went into how the brain works. When you're ready to explore remediation for dyslexia, it would give you a wealth of knowlege. https://training.epsbooks.com/training/servlet/courseaccess/CourseList Oh yeah! I did this class and it was very helpful to me. It might be just what you are looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jg_puppy Posted March 5, 2012 Author Share Posted March 5, 2012 Ah, so you're a person who wants to get the whole picture! :D "Big picture thinking" (which is not always accompanied by reading problems) is one of the positive traits often found in people with dyslexia. I know what you mean about wanting to know how your son's brain works. Many of us here have developed a fascination with the human brain. That reminds me...there was an online course some of us took and discussed here last year. It went into how the brain works. When you're ready to explore remediation for dyslexia, it would give you a wealth of knowlege. https://training.epsbooks.com/training/servlet/courseaccess/CourseList Yep. I like seeing the big picture and then figuring out the details. Oh yeah! I did this class and it was very helpful to me. It might be just what you are looking for. I am glad to hear good things about this class. I had been wondering about this class. I will look into it again. Janet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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