DB in NJ Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 He is a painfully slow reader. So am I. So is his dad. I see my dh struggling with it as he takes online classes through Liberty. I want to help my boy and give him tools in this area so he doesn't struggle moving up through high school and then in college. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB in NJ Posted March 1, 2014 Author Share Posted March 1, 2014 After doing more thinking & searching, maybe he needs help with fluency more? I don't know. Any tried and true experiences you've had in these areas would be helpful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freerange Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 I'd tried all sorts of things before I took my daughter to see an optician with an interest in vision training (in the US I think you need to look for a developmental optometrist) The optician noticed a tiny discrepancy in her tracking. A couple of months of homework 10-15 minutes a day & her reading speed had tripled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie of KY Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 I would suggest doing some evaluating as to why his reading speed is low. As the previous poster said, vision issues are a common reason for slow reading speed and doing vision therapy with a developmental optometrist may be what you need. Oftentimes vision issues cause slow reading, frequently loosing the spot, being "tired" from reading. Other visual symptoms by occurs such as tearing, double or blurry vision, headaches. It also might be helpful to do an evaluation for learning disorders. Does he have trouble decoding the words? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 Ditto the suggestion to get his eyes checked by a developmental optometrist. You find them through COVD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB in NJ Posted March 1, 2014 Author Share Posted March 1, 2014 He has no trouble decoding at all. But he does get very tired from reading. What is COVD? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 The COVD.org website has a provider locator. It's the association for developmental optometrists. Yes, what you're describing is a vision problem. A developmental optometrist specializes in how the eyes work together and function. They have tons of extra tests and tools that a regular eye doc misses. Get some feedback to know you have a good one, obviously, because they vary just like anything else. Btw, with my dd we ended up doing a combo of VT (vision therapy) which helped immensely and bifocal contacts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB in NJ Posted March 1, 2014 Author Share Posted March 1, 2014 Thank you! Dumb question time: do I want to choose an associate or fellow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB in NJ Posted March 2, 2014 Author Share Posted March 2, 2014 I found a doctor close to home. There is a pre-appointment screening quiz on his website. Matt did not score high on the quiz at all, so no indication of a problem. Obviously he may still have an issue and need to be seen, but I think it could be worth trying something else before taking him to a specialist. Does that make sense? In my gut, I feel like it's a skill issue not a physical or learning issue. Of course, I could be wrong. Ultimately, I just want to help him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanetC Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 I found a doctor close to home. There is a pre-appointment screening quiz on his website. Matt did not score high on the quiz at all, so no indication of a problem. Obviously he may still have an issue and need to be seen, but I think it could be worth trying something else before taking him to a specialist. Does that make sense? In my gut, I feel like it's a skill issue not a physical or learning issue. Of course, I could be wrong. Ultimately, I just want to help him. I would investigate both vision and reading issues, then. dyslexicadvantage.com is a good place to research reading disabilities. Initial consultations with these specialists should not be too expensive, however follow-up testing or therapies may be. A lot depends on your insurance. So, you might want to do both initial consults first, and decide what road seems most promising before deciding where to spend next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Don't just pick the first doc you find. That's a crumby way to decide somebody has a vision problem, using an online checklist, so I might put a red flag by that doc just for being an idiot. They have actual tests and tools. If they give you a list of questions designed to catch convergence problems (by far the most common thing) and he has some totally different problem that also would be caught by a developmental optometrist, what if you don't come because of the question list?? That's totally bizarre. Eye fatigue with reading is a perfectly fine reason to see a developmental optometrist. Anyways, our practice has one Fellow and many associates. I think *personal recommendations* and user feedback and online reviews are WAY more important than associate vs. fellow. I'd take your time, just like you would with dentists or an OB or anything else, and talk with some people and snoop around. You have some docs doing a lot of this stuff and some who only see it on occasion. Better to drive a little farther and get someone really good if necessary. The COVD website has email links for many of the docs and therapists, and they will actually write you back! Try it! That's how I made our first contact when we started down the path. It's an accepted way to contact docs now. Contact several and ask what they make of those symptoms, how to know if he needs to be checked, whether they would advise starting with a regular exam and a screening or with a full developmental exam, and the cost of each. That should be pretty telling if you contact multiple places and track those answers. Also find out if they have certified vision therapists. Our practice had one of the only *2* certified vision therapists in the state at the time. So just because some place says they're doing xyz doesn't mean they're as up on it as the next place. They may have info meetings or do tours or meet the doc sessions. Just ask. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB in NJ Posted March 2, 2014 Author Share Posted March 2, 2014 Wow! Great info, as usual. Thank you!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 PS. Let us know how it goes! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 If his vision turns out not to be the problem, consider enrolling him in a class to improve speed and fluency. My BFF teaches for http://readingprograms.org/ --they have classes all over the country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Take all my tests and report back--the quick screen test, the NRRF and its extension, the New Elizabethian Test, the MWIA level 2. http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/readinggradeleve.html Most important will be the WPM rates to compare on the MWIA and the New Elizabethian test. The nonsense words should not be any more difficult than a normal word for a good reader. A good reader will not miss a single word on the MWIA and will read both passages at the same rate, for an older student, at least 80 WPM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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