eReadingPro

[dtsmamtj]

Has anyone used eReadingPro?  

 

www.ereadingpro.com

 

If so, thoughts please.

[Lecka]

I glanced, and I would not go this direction for dyslexia. I think the dyslexia blurb REALLY does not do a good job summarizing Dr. Sally Shaywitz.  I have never seen anything where she reaches a conclusion like it says in the little blurb.

 

For autism -- I am more open to starting with sight words.  But for my little son I have got a chance to use Reading Mastery, and it is not a sight word one.  It is one that teaches letter sounds and then blending.  But I can see using the sight words if a child would cooperate more and be more motivated. 

 

Otherwise I don't know.  It probably depends a lot on the child and what will work for the individual child -- it doesn't look like one that is utilizing general best practices about reading instruction ---- so I think there would need to be a specific reason to think it would be a good approach. 

 

When I have looked for autism -- there is a lot recommending sight words, and then some recommending Reading Mastery.  It is taught with direct instruction in a way I am hoping will be a good fit for my child -- but will just have to see. 

 

Anyway -- I have one child with suspected possibility of dyslexia, and one with diagnosed autism -- so those are my thoughts. 

 

Something I have a confusion about is that sometimes "visual learner" or "right-brained" is used as a short-hand for dyslexia, and sometimes as a short-hand for autism spectrum.  With my two kids ------ they are not going to learn in the same ways, I don't think.  So I don't always know what to make of the use of "visual learner."  Even though I think it is a real thing!

 

For suspected dyslexia ---- I would not go this direction without having tried a solid OG program first (something like Barton). 

 

 

 

[geodob]

Given that eReadingPro uses a 'whole word' method.

I would suggest that the first question is whether a whole word approach will be more suitable?

Then if you decide that it is?

You might rather ask about what other whole word programs people have used, and how eReadingPro compares?

 

 

[Lecka]

So succinct!

 

I agree.

 

I think she misrepresents Sally Shaywitz on her dyslexia link from the homepage, but that doesn't mean nobody should use whole word.  But frankly whole word opens a can of worms, because it is inappropriate for so many.  Not just -- oh, well, an equal choice among choices.  Actually inappropriate. 

 

But that doesn't mean it is not right for anyone. 

 

When I looked briefly -- it seems whole word programs are being used with children with autism and Down Syndrome successfully.  Sometimes to jump-start them when they have been having problems with motivation to learn traditional reading, sometimes when they have very serious auditory processing problems.  Some of these kids literally only learn the words they memorize and that is a good outcome.  Some will go on to intuit how reading works as do other successful readers who are taught with whole word methods.  Some will go on to a phonetic method. 

 

There is the Ron Davis approach along these lines.  For suspected dyslexia you can check out his book.

 

If you read Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz, she does not advocate whole word.  She is a professor at Yale and has got brain scans with before and after pictures of people who have used a certain type of reading program, that is NOT whole word.  So ---- to me that is some evidence on her side.  But I also think it is reasonable that there is more than one thing going on, and that the same thing will not work for everyone.  But for picking a reasonable starting point -- I think this is it most of the time. 

 

In fact a major point of the book is that many reading problems come from students who do NOT intuit phonetics on their own.

 

Phonetics is just a fact of reading.  Words are made of letters, which represent sounds.  Somehow this is picked up -- is it picked up by intuition by learning whole words for many people -- yes.  But the problem is that other people will not be able to intuit this, they need to be taught.  Whole word does not teach it. 

 

 

[Lecka]

Oh -- if you are looking to compare to a program focusing on visual memory, possibly compare to "Seeing Stars." 

 

Seeing Stars is not a program I would consider for my kids, because it is not their issues. 

 

But I think it is well-known.

 

I don't think being well-known is an argument for something being better, but if you think it is similar to Seeing Stars, then you could search that and see if it sounds like people are talking about the same things you are seeing. 

 

When I have looked -- well, it is not what I am seeing (to date).  But if it was I would use it or something similar. 

[OneStepAtATime]

My children were woefully unsuccessful with the whole word approach, and struggled mightily to read.  Spelling for one was not that much of an issue in passing tests, but he couldn't remember the spelling sequences to write the words correctly later on.  For the other child, it was a complete nightmare using whole word rote memorization.   NOTHING would stick.   There may be many children for whom that is the only way to learn, though.  Personally,I have found that going back and doing a phonics based system (Barton) actually helped all three of us to spell better and for my kids to read better than they ever have before.  They are far more in control of both reading and spelling, When they come across a word they haven't seen before, they have tools in place to figure out how to say, spell and read the word without any assistance from me, instead of being lost because they have not been taught that particular word before.