Remediations for RAN

Have you had an eval by a speech and language pathologist There are some great websites that you can access for ESL learners with pictures that you can use to practice your automatic naming. They are also timed so you will know how you are improving. Sue Jones and I have been scouring the web to find things to help students with vocabulary needs…

http://www.resourceroom.net/index.asp

http://www.quia.com/pages/havefun.html

http://iteslj.org/links/ESL/Quizzes/Requiring_Flash_or_Shockwave/p4.html

http://virtual.parkland.cc.il.us/ESLP/ex-index.htm

http://mambo.ucsc.edu/vocabtutor/ ;

http://www.acoustics.org/press/143rd/Massaro.html

http://www.resourceroom.net/newsletters/aug2002.htm —

http://a4esl.org/q/h/vocabulary.html

http://www.teachersdesk.org/spell_plans.html

http://www.englishclub.com/

http://www.edu4kids.com/

http://www.manythings.org/vq/

http://iteslj.org/links/ESL/Quizzes/Requiring_Flash_or_Shockwave/p4.html

I’d suggest an in-person evaluation and some tutoring with an experienced reading teacher. Self-diagnosis is notoriously unreliable, and a person with experience might have some methods or materials that would help. I’d work with you myself if you were anywhere near — where are you?

Hi Patti,

Wow, thank you so much for these sites. I had thought I had covered a wide range of territory but it looks I haven’t.

To answer your question, an SLP is exactly who I am seeking an evaluation from. You’re already in the field or are training to be one right? You wouldn’t know any good ones in the DC area would you? I am not expecting you to know anybody but gosh, I have nothing to lose by asking.

Thanks again.

PT

Hi Victoria,

I don’t know, I think I am better than some of the incompetent professionals that I have dealt with as they are the reason I need to seek another evaluation. If you saw some of my reports, I think you would come around to my way of thinking:))

But I understand what you’re saying. Gosh, I would love it if you were in my area and I think you used to be if I remember correctly from your posts. I live in the DC area.

If my memory is correct, I still greatly appreciate your willingness to work with me. Too bad you can’t be cloned:))

PT

I don’t know anyone in the DC area. Are you going through your insurance? Perhaps there is a univerisity in the area which has a speech and language training program you can be evaluated at.

Hi Patti,

I am going to try the insurance route but you know how that is. George Washington University has the type of program you’re talking about. I have left a voice mail message.

PT

PT,

Go to the readamerica.net website under find a tutor. There is an SLP in Bethesda, Michelle Gips, listed as a phonographix tutor—but she is an experienced SLP who could test you and help remediate you. Not knowing exactly where you live, you could try for other Maryland and Virginia PG tutors on the readamerica site, and contact the ones that are SLPs.

SLPs who have made a commitment to Phonographix are a good bet as it shows they are keeping up with the research. If you are in DC itself, I also can recommend Metropolitan Speech and Language, headed by Kathy Hosty.

Insurance is a difficult issue, but often you can get testing paid for if your primary physician is willing to “prescribe” it.

Also check out iser.com — several reading clinics in the area.

Or, wait until I get time and money to travel and visit my daughter…
I’d offer daughter as a clone except after seeing me do it, she says she doesn’t want to teach.

Mariedc,

Thank you so much for those names. I’ll check them out.

I also greatly appreciate your tip on getting my doctor to prescribe the treatment. In a bit of good timing, I have an appointment with him this week for another issue but I will definitely mention your suggestion. He has been shown the willingness to do whatever it takes for his patients so hopefully, that will translate to this area.

Thanks again!

PT

Hi Pattim,
Does using pictures to practice automatic naming help? The research I’ve read says it doesn’t, but if it actually does help that would be great.

Laura,

The therapy I have done with my son to work on visual-verbal integration has used pictures. Take a look at the Neuronet site—there are some questions at the end that might answer your questions. neuronetonline.com.

He scored 10% on Test of Word Finding and two years later scored 49%. I had the school repeat the test because his rapid naming had dramatically improved on therapy tasks.

Beth

Pictures are used with people who have aphasia to help them with word recall, I wasn’t sure what PT needed because she was talking about how poorly she did on the Boston Naming test..which is a test that SLP’s use for adults wtih aphasia and other neurological disorders.

I also have RAN charts that have a bunch of pictures to help people wtih Rapid Automatic Naming. I guess it depends on what you want to RAN. Categories, pictures, words, letters, etc..

Ooooh where do you get RAN charts? I had thought of getting those baby photo books and cutting out the pictures, but if there is another source that would be wonderful!!! Are there any SLP catalogs that carry this type of thing? My son scored in the 1%ile in RAN and has great difficulty in wordfinding (I think that was something like 9%ile). His school, of course, doesn’t believe this is a problem, but it’s a HUGE problem!

Beth, I’ll take a look at the Neuronet site.

Also, Pattim, any suggestions you might have in how I might be able to help my son with his RAN deficit would be greatly appreciated.

Laura,

My son did rapid naming work making his own pictures. We used a piece of paper with five rows and five columns on it. Each box was a letter—he drew a picture that represented a word starting with that letter (last box was divided in half to be y and z). We did three trials with a stop watch each day and went to a new sheet every couple weeks.

Beth

How interesting…was this to help with letter/sound recognition?