helping a middle schooler with ld

Hi,

That’s a tough question. Dyslexia is a very broad term for reading problems, and in order find the right approach for this particular child, more information is needed. Dyslexia can also be caused by various factors - visual processing and auditory processing (listening skills) seem to be the most prevalent causes of dyslexia, although there are other factors that can weigh in.

Have your friend research auditory processing and visual processing and see if either of these describe her son. The underlying causes of the dyslexia need to be addressed prior to remediation so the remediation is more effective and more lasting. For auditory processing issues, start with www.ncapd.org (National Coalition for Auditory Processing Disorders). For visual processing issues, start with www.covd.org (College of Optometrists in Vision Development).

Have your friend “buddy read” with her son. She can read a page, and he can read a page (or a paragraph - whatever works). Check for things like decoding skills, fluency, and comprehension. Try to answer the following questions:

Can your child decode unfamiliar words? Multi-syllable ones?

Do his eyes track on the text well?

Does he hear the difference in words when the sounds are very similar?

When he reads outloud, does her voice fit the tenor of the sentence (i.e. raise at the end for a question, or emphasize an exclamation point), or is he more monotone?

How is his speed when reading aloud? Does the reading sound natural, or labored?

Does he keep going, or does he need to stop and decode many words while reading?

Can he pick out the important concepts in the story, or does he focus only on the details?

Can he give you a good summary of what he has read, and answer questions about it?

The answers to these questions will give the mother insights as to where weaknesses in his reading skills might be.

There are many excellent programs for various reading issues, that can be used by parents to teach their children to read. I’m sure others will chime in here. :-) For decoding, I tutored my son using “Reading Reflex” one summer, and used concepts of the program to help him during the school year. The following summer, I took him to a week long intensive reading clinic using the same program. For more information on that program go to www.readamerica.net. Read the “FAQs” to get the best information about this reading program. The book, “Reading Reflex” is available at www.amazon.com for under $15.

Good luck, stay in touch,

Lil

Depends an awful lot on their situation, the severity of the dyslexia, etc.

I’d prioritize: do what I could to keep the reading problem from holding him back academically, primarily, which means extra effort such as books on tape, helping him with homework, etc.
Very Important (in my not so humble opinion :)) : Do *not* try to turn academics into reading lessons. Most kids can’t read textbooks without dyslexia. Get stuff read to him. Get the knowledge in there. If writing is a problem, let him dictate and work on writing good sentences with good words. Then he can copy what you dictate (or type it).
INsist on not lowering expectations. If teachers want to dumb him down because of the language skills, fight tooth and nail — but support him and accommodate for the langauge skills deficits.

(that was me — I have to try to log in, fail, and then click the “bulletin board” link at the top to be logged in… gotta love technology!)

I think there is something wrong with the forum. I can’t seem to sign on.

But back to topic. I also would see that the kid is getting the curriculum alternatively (being read to), etc. I knew a woman who got her masters in social work, all like a blind person. It is doable, though difficult.

If you can work with your own kid, you could check out “Reading Reflex” (cheap). And if that is not enough you could check out “Barton reading and spelling” very great program but on the initial pricey side. Still cheap compared to professional tutors at $90 an hour. Geeze I sure don’t charge that!!

—des

Welp, for somebody who coudln’t sign in, your name was there anyway (that happened to me, too; that’s how I figured out the secret pathway to login. Hey, how can I keep my message total up going up if I”m not logged in?)

Yep well I am on the same computer. Maybe there were problems with the server or something. I noticed I am no longer “guest”.

—des

I still have to *try* to log in (just did this on the work computer), get the “404” page, back out, and then click on the link on top to the bulletin boards. Then I’m logged in. Rather a bunbite.

I might suggest Looking Glass Spelling. It helps decoding and is easy to use. It’s a little pricey for an individual, but each level has more than a full school year’s worth of work. It’s difficult to say what would be ideal, because there are no specifics about the severity of the dyslexia, or even if it is true dyslexia.

I just wonder why the mother doesn’t want the child classified or to have a 504 at least. The help would be free, and the child doesn’t have to be taken out of class if he can manage in the regular classroom with support. I’d strongly recommend that she reconsider getting the child evaluated by the school for accommodations and modifications that could help him.

Fern

A lot does depend on the specific problems the child has. However, there are some rather inexpensive programs the mother can do at home that tend to produce significant results. In some cases total remediation can be achieved, in some cases very little will happen, but for most children there will be gains somewhere between those two extremes. Assuming the mother is willing to work one-on-one with her son at home, these are the programs I would recommend.

(1) If her son is reading on less than a 4th grade level, I would have her buy the book “Reading Reflex” by McGuiness, $20 in most bookstores. I would have her read the first three chapters, then give her son the assessment tests in the book. The book is written specifically for parents who want to tutor a child in reading. I would recommend that she get a copy of the company’s $39 “parent support guide”, which provides a systematic approach to working through advanced code, and work with her son using this approach.

(2) Once her son is reading on a beginning 4th grade level or better, I would recommend that she get a copy of the teacher’s manual and a workbook for the “Rewards” program from Sopris West, http://www.sopriswest.com/rewards/ . This is a very easy to use, scripted program that develops multi-syllable word attack skills and reading fluency. Cost is about $70.

(3) Whichever of the two programs above she tries, I would recommend that she get an Audiblox kit (http://www.audiblox2000.com ) and work with her son on that. Dyslexics tend to have very poor sequencing skills, and Audiblox works on these and many other skills that contribute to academic learning. This program requires commitment (1/2-hour or 1 hour per day 5 days a week of one-on-one work), because it usually takes 40 to 60 hours of training before you start seeing gains in everyday life. Cost is about $150.

These programs won’t solve every dyslexic’s problems, but they usually help. If this is a very severe case that is unresponsive to all of the above, then there is probably an underlying visual processing or auditory processing problem that needs to be addressed. Alternatives to the above would be a Phono-Graphix tutor (same method as in “Reading Reflex”) and PACE (http://www.processingskills.com ) if the mother can afford them.

Nancy

I’d say helping him with homework every night for as long as it takes is what she can do and should do if she wants to keep him out of spec. ed. Read out loud to him those things he can’t read himself or rent or borrow books on tape so he can keep up with his assigned readings. If he spells or types poorly, I’d let him dictate his assignments to her if she’s a good typist. Help him prepare for tests, read the chapters to him or with him, quiz him before tests….