I’m brand new to this, but find this website very helpful. I need advice.
Background:
My daughter is currently 7 years old (almost 8) and significantly behind in reading in second grade. In kindergarten, she struggled with basic letter recognition, etc. We were told by the school, “Don’t worry, it’ll happen. She’s just not ready.” By the end of first grade, the school was beginning to worry. Thinking she just needed extra help, we enrolled our daughter in Sylvan. It’s been good, but she’s still way behind in reading. (Had I only known - Sylvan does not diagnose learning disabilities or anything, they’re strictly a tutoring program.) So, here we are mid-way through second grade, plus doing Sylvan four hours per week, and my daughter is still struggling with reading. It became clear that something else is going on here. We’re not getting at the core of the issue.
We recently ook her to a learning therapist we found in the phone book, who tested her on the Gibson Cognitive Test Battery, which is apparently used with the PACE Skills program — does anyone know anything about this program and have any thoughts about it? My daughter tested above age level on everything (processing speed, working memory, visual processing, word attack, logic and reasoning, selective attention, and spelling). But, in Auditory Analysis, she tested 2 years and 8 months behind where she should be (!). The therapist recommended her 20 week PACE program to us.
Today we saw our pediatrician who is referring us out for neurodevelopmental testing.
I have not approached the school yet for testing, but am planning to. I wanted to make sure I did some research on my own too. I want to make sure we consider all of the options available to us before we proceed. Clearly, we need to do something now though, before she goes to third grade. I’m just trying to get some direction and figure out what’s best for my daughter. Suggestions?
Re: 1st timer - Daughter w/ "auditory awareness" issues
My dd was in 2nd grade and took my dd through the program. If your dd scored above grade level in all the catorgories except the auditory processing, then chances are you are in for an easier ride and she can be caught up in reading much easier.
I think PACE is probably overkill for you if she just needs auditory processing skill help. You will end up paying $4000-$5000 on PACE and most likely your dd will still need the reading portion of the program (Master the Code) which will be another $4000-$5000. It’s also a very intense program, lots of work and your dd is on the young side.
You may want to consider finding a good reading tutor trained in something like Lindamood Bell, Barton, O-G which may be a ‘better bang for your buck’. There’s lots of different reading programs out there and many that you can get trained in yourself. I think there is alot of benefit for the parents to also be able to practice what is being taught when they read with their kids.
Re: 1st timer - Daughter w/ "auditory awareness" issues
Thank you so much for the input and the feeback on PACE. While the PACE program does sound good, it is expensive. It will cost us around $5700 to do it all, and that includes “Master the Code.” We’ve already spent $8,000 on Sylvan. While you can’t put a price on getting her to the point where she’s reading well and feeling comfortable, I’d really like to find a cheaper solution. Plus, the “drills” they use sound really intense.
What’s the best way to find out about instructors/tutors in my area for the different programs you mentioned (Lindamood Bell, etc.)?
Getting the neurodevelopmental testing should give you some more information. From that you can have a better idea of what her specific needs are. You can also request that the school do their own set of testing.