Need advice on struggling reader...

[shusband]

I'm in the middle of giving my 3rd grader (he just turned 9) the Iowa Test and am getting more concerned about his reading. He has always been very strong in math and has struggled more with language. He loves listening to audio books and listening to me read to him.

 

He has assigned reading time every day, but it's not something he chooses to do. One of his problems is guessing words he doesn't know without sounding them out. He'll guess "emergent" for "immigrant". Another problem is just not reading the words carefully enough. He'll read "was" instead of "has". When I stop him when we're doing school, he'll go back and read it correctly. We do Writing With Ease, and he does well with the narrations (though it's definitely a lot of work for him), but he's reading aloud (which helps a lot) and has me there to make him stop and reread things he's missing.

 

Spelling has always been very difficult for him. I have been okay with that because he's making progress, but now I'm getting worried that he has a language problem that needs to be addressed and that he'll fall further and further behind until I deal with it.

 

A few questions:

1. Does the guessing words/carelessly misreading words just go away in time. Is that something they outgrow or does it need to be addressed?

2. Does it sound like he needs more intensive reading help - something other than being read to, time for free independent reading and practice reading with me and narrating back what he's read?

3. If I decide he needs some sort of evaluation from someone other than me, where should I go for that?

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Summer

ds9, ds6, ds5, ds2

[gardenmom5]

does he have any visual developmental disorders which would affect his visual processing? (has nothing to do with near or far sighted.) if you don't know, I would suggest having him evaluated by a DEVELOPMENTAL optomitrist.

 

eta: at his age, it really sounds like a processing disorder - and vision is the first thing to check. auditory processing would be my next guess.

[MIch elle]

My boys were still learning to read in grade 3. I had them read aloud to me everyday. We did popcorn reading together from easy readers. We also continued to work through the harder sections of Phonics Pathways.

 

If this was still the case in grades 4 or 5 then I would have it checked out but not at this age.

 

My boys were TERRIBLE spellers until high school! I tried many different spelling programs to NO avail. It just took time, maturity, and constant vigilance of correcting and studying misspelled words along with a spelling program.

[Cassy]

DS13 was still learning to read at age 9 yo, and was later diagnosed as dyslexic. His father is also severely dyslexic, and didn't read much before he was 10 yo. Neither of them can spell at all. They both now enjoy reading for pleasure, but they still have to work at it to some extent. Both have well above average IQs. Maybe have him tested for dyslexia (although it can be expensive)?

 

Cassy

[mom2samlibby]

Those are all signs of dyslexia -- poor speller, struggling reading, mixing up words. Once they start multi syllable words these signs become more apparent because the coping skills that they had in place don't work anymore.

 

You might want to look into testing for dyslexia. This site has lots of info on dyslexia http://www.dys-add.com/

[raceNzanesmom]

does he have any visual developmental disorders which would affect his visual processing? (has nothing to do with near or far sighted.) if you don't know, I would suggest having him evaluated by a DEVELOPMENTAL optometrist.

 

eta: at his age, it really sounds like a processing disorder - and vision is the first thing to check. auditory processing would be my next guess.

 

Those are all signs of dyslexia -- poor speller, struggling reading, mixing up words. Once they start multi syllable words these signs become more apparent because the coping skills that they had in place don't work anymore.

 

You might want to look into testing for dyslexia. This site has lots of info on dyslexia http://www.dys-add.com/

 

I agree with both of these.

 

I would have him read to you everyday. Have him use an index card with the corner notched out or some other tracking devise. Have him correct himself when he misreads. If he continues to struggle I'd have his eyes checked by a dev/op and look into further help. You can also look into ways and programs to help that you can do at home. The above link has good videos. Dianne Craft has good info too. http://www.diannecraft.org/

 

I'd also look at what reading and spelling program you're using and make sure it fits his needs.

[Wildiris]

Before jumping onto the "There is something wrong!" bandwagon, try setting aside time everyday (really do this don't just think about it.) and reading aloud together. The problem might just be a matter of practice. Pick books that your child might not ever choose to read alone and read them together. Try making it a habit.

 

If reading doesn't improve and errors persist after a month of solid effort on a daily basis, then investigate processing disorders, vision, and dyslexia.

[AvasMom]

Before jumping onto the "There is something wrong!" bandwagon, try setting aside time everyday (really do this don't just think about it.) and reading aloud together. The problem might just be a matter of practice. Pick books that your child might not ever choose to read alone and read them together. Try making it a habit.

 

If reading doesn't improve and errors persist after a month of solid effort on a daily basis, then investigate processing disorders, vision, and dyslexia.

 

:iagree:

[Cassy]

Before jumping onto the "There is something wrong!" bandwagon, try setting aside time everyday (really do this don't just think about it.) and reading aloud together. The problem might just be a matter of practice. Pick books that your child might not ever choose to read alone and read them together. Try making it a habit.

 

If reading doesn't improve and errors persist after a month of solid effort on a daily basis, then investigate processing disorders, vision, and dyslexia.

 

:iagree: Even if he is dyslexic, this advice is sound. With my boys (DS7 is also a struggling reader, probably dyslexic), I have had them read aloud twice a day, every school day, for a minimum of 10 to 20 minutes each time. It isn't a cure, but enormous progress can be made. DH (who is dyslexic) agrees, no matter how many new techniques are developed for treating dyslexia, consistent practice is key.

 

Cassy

[shusband]

The responses are very helpful. Thank you. I'm going to try reading aloud with him daily and am also going to get him tested for dyslexia. Has anyone done this through the school system? Is that possible/worth it? If we have the money, is it better to just have it done privately?

 

Thanks again for the help.

 

Summer

ds9, ds6, ds5, ds2

[MomatHWTK]

The book Reading Rescue 1-2-3 might offer you some ideas on how to improve fluency. I found lots of useful information when DS was struggling.

[Ellie]

Have you done a consistent, purposeful phonics program in the past?

 

And no, I wouldn't recommend going to the public school for testing.

[raceNzanesmom]

 

And no, I wouldn't recommend going to the public school for testing.

 

Our district won't test. We have one sliding scale center that does testing and works with students, but it has a very long waiting list.

 

Reading together every single day, using AAS, tracking with a notched card, and patience has been very beneficial for my ds.

[shusband]

Have you done a consistent, purposeful phonics program in the past?

 

And no, I wouldn't recommend going to the public school for testing.

 

We finished OPGTR a year ago. It wasn't easy for him, but he finished it. He seems to do fine when he's reading aloud with me there to correct any words he misreads carelessly (like "has" instead of "was") or has trouble sounding out (longer words he doesn't know). Since then we haven't used a phonics program.

[OrganicAnn]

We did testing through the school district and did not find it helpful. They focused on behavior (attention) and had suggestions for working on better behavior. Private testing gave us concrete information and should how the behavior was just the results of a smart kid who needs weren't being met.

 

After you have your son read, ask him "what is it like when you read?" Ask if the words jumble up or if he has trouble following a line. Does he use a finger to keep track of the line? Does he have more problems with fine print? While not conclusive, it might help you determine if vision therapy testing should move up the priority list. How is he at eye/hand coordination - catching a ball, kicking a ball, etc.

 

We start Vision Therapy (VT) soon. It wasn't quite as expensive and I feared. I hope it lives up to its promise (ironically I had VT as a child I should have known many of these things are inherited).

[5kidsforME]

If you look into this and are interested. We bought the whole package. I have it For sale on the FS board. :001_smile:

 

http://www.thestrugglingreader.net/

[ElizabethB]

I would try a few weeks of nonsense words and syllable division, following the program on my how to tutor page. You could also watch my phonics lessons instead, supplementing them with my phonics concentration game and syllable division rules and exercises from the how to tutor page.

 

If that doesn't help, I would get a covd vision exam to screen out vision problems.

 

If there are no vision problems, I would continue with nonsense words and syllables and look in Orton Gilligham (OG) resources. The cheapest OG book is "Recipe for Reading," $27 for the manual.

 

You could also try a notched card for a while, you use a card with a corner cut off to reveal one letter at a time/one syllable at a time.

[Dobela]

The testing the school district does is only to determine if the child qualifies for services from the district. They do not, and can not, make any specific diagnosis. We had to find a private practice educational psychologist, and then another who was a reading specialist with training in dyslexia. Some people will go thru the schools to get the initial IQ and achievement evaluations done to save costs, but depending on the district it could take months for that to happen.