I am a parent of a 4th grade boy who recently qualified as having an SLD. He has a diagnosis of ASD since preschool. He has both visual and auditory processing problems. His processing speed is very slow. IQ is average. His recent reevaluation shows that he is not making progress in reading and writing and remains significantly behind. Math scores are on grade level.
I have asked that a different reading program be used to help him. His special ed. teacher had been using the Edmark Reading Program with him. He has had little to no phonics instruction.
I believe he is in need of an explicit systematic phonics program with a multisensory approach. The only alternative reading programs the school has offered are the SRA programs called Horizons or Reading Mastery.
Has anyone had experience with these programs? What are the pros and cons? Are their better options? How do parents approach the school with other options which will cost them money?
Any advice would be most appreciated.
Just some recommendations for you to explore and see what is available to you. It is critical that programs be provided by a well trained teacher in a sequential and intensive manner. Therefore, I think it is better to look for an experienced teacher and be flexible about the program rather than a good program but an inexperienced teacher. That said, my primary experience is with the Lindamood Bell LiPS program. But you might locate Wilson or Phonographix. I am both a special ed teacher and the parent of a son with significant reading difficulties. Fast ForWord by Scientific Learning might help with processing speed and with auditory discrimination. The public school district where I work provides Fast ForWord and then we follow with LiPS (Lindamood Intensive Phoneme Sequencing). This is very effective in teaching many children using a multisensory approach. I have a little experience with Wilson and Phonographix (PG - Read America). At an older age when my son was still struggling we used Read Right’s one on one tutoring program. They pretty much bypass phonics and use repeated readings to an excellent level. Our son, then in high school, made tremendous growth with Read Right. At your son’s age, though, I would want to try a good phonics based program first and see how he does. See if you can find an experienced LiPS teacher. Best of luck!