mom2jjka Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 My DD is 6 1/2 and she has global apraxia. (Her neurologist also suspects either mild CP or mild Rett Syndrome.) This is my fist year 'officially' homeschooling her and she is doing well in most areas except phonics/reading. She knows her alphabet and all of her letter sounds - but she cannot put them together. We have tried several different reading programs (Abeka, ETC, 100 Easy Lessons,) but none of them were a good fit. We tried memorizing word families, and she did alright when she was there, in the moment - but if I waited a bit and showed her the words separately she couldn't recall any of them. I'm stumped as to how to help her. Is this just a maturity issue? Should I wait awhile. (I'm afraid to wait TOO long...especially if she needs more help.) Is there a program/curriculum that would be better for her? I welcome any advice you all might have! :-) Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Check out the I See Sam books http://www.roadstoeverywhere.com/3RsPlusRead.html. The UK link on the right is the BEST for seeing the program, samples, download of the 1st book for free, etc. I post a lot about this program because it WORKED with my girls when nothing else did. We have apraxia, mild CP, mito disorders, seizures, etc. and on and on (I am sure you understand). I can also email you some samples if you want. This program breaks the learning down into lots of smaller steps and gives lots of practice with each step. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 No, it's not a good idea to wait when there are reading issues. I'd recommend you read Sally Shaywitz, Overcoming Dyslexia. It's a great book of the current research on teaching reading. There is also an excellent publication online called Put Reading First. You can google it or order a free hard copy. Reading Reflex is a good program to address issues of phonemic awareness and beginning reading skills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 If there is a possiblity she has mild CP, then she could have vision problems that have not been diagnosed yet. Check out the covd.org website to learn how tracking and visual perception problems also effect reading. I know when I was teaching special ed, many of the children with CP received vision therapies because the muscles around the eyes were also effected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2jjka Posted March 26, 2009 Author Share Posted March 26, 2009 Thank you all for the recommendations - I will definitely look into those! We did have her vision tested this past year, and she tested okay - but I will mention that to her other therapists and see if they have noticed anything unusual in that area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tadoussac Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 You may also want to check Susan Barton's materials, Lindamood Bell materials, All About Spelling or SPIRE. My dd12 has dyslexia and I felt like I was banging my head against the wall trying to teach her to read with 100 Easy Lessons, Phonics Pathways and other such programs. She went through Learning Links (a program similar to the Lindamood Bell program), and jumped 2-3 grades in her reading ability in 3 weeks of intensive work. I'm now working on Literacy Links myself with my ds10 who has severe learning difficulties, and we are finally making our way through first grade reading materials. He was really struggling with sight words until I found Child1st, who sell flashcards with doodles. He is a strong visual learner, and seeing the words with doodles on them seems to help him learn the words much more quickly. We have nevertheless been working on "want" for two straight weeks, both as a sight word and phonetically. It will come! Good luck. Leslie-Jean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 I agree, don't wait. You might want to try syllables, my dyslexia page has pictures and an explanation why (the atomic nature of syllables, 1/3 of the way down.) http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/dyslexia.html And, for that age, you just might need a lot of extra repetition but they can't work as long as an older student with boring drill, here's a game that makes it more fun (my older students appreciate it, too, but it's a must for the younger students with shorter attention spans): http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Phonics/concentrationgam.html I would also stay away from sight words, here's why, and how to teach the most commonly taught sight words phonetically: http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/sightwords.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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