I have a daughter that is 15 and Dyslexic. She went through the public schools until 5th grade at 1st grade reading level. After trying everything I took her out to teach her at home. Mainly because her self esteem was nothing and peer pressures were getting the best of her. We have been through 2 different systems and they would have worked but did not for various reasons. The Davis system and Audi Bloxs. I have her in a program once a week at a university and it ends up to be a total of 12 weeks. Then summer. Even if we do this program next year it isn’t intense as I would expect. I feel like time is running out for her. So I keep searching. After looking at the Barton method I see that it would take years and years to finish because she has some other issues that are not as common. We struggle working together because she is so strong willed and gives me grief about everything. Her education has amounted to very little.
I have started teaching her using the Charlotte Mason method. I read living books to her and her sister. True stories from history and science. So that she will get personally involved in the stories and love to learn. Then when she has gotten past all the struggles she will choose to succeed in whatever she puts her mind to. My husband has Dyslexia and is getting his doctorate. So I know that it is possible for her to get an education. I just am so afraid that I am missing a particular way of teaching her. Is it alright to just let things run it’s course? I feel like I have failed. I brought her reading level up to 3rd grade in one semester. But I can’t handle the stress of what we went through again.
Just needing to know that I have tried what I can.
Re: What to do??????
Hi momooteaches!
I don’t have any advice to offer. I just wanted to say that I really admire your will to give your daughter the best education she can have. Clearly you want her to meet her full potential in life. I feel the same way about my son.
Good luck! I hope you get some useful responses to your post.
Michelle
What to do??????
We used Barton and I was suprised by the success achieved even after the first four books. Might it be worth a second look?
Best wishes.
What to do??????
Hi, Momooteaches - i hear your agony - its so tough when its our kids that are going through this!! I don’t have any good advice, i am just starting my journey. but i send you best wishes.
I have just gone through the diagnosing process and discovered that my boy has a severe mixed receptive expressive language disorder. I feel like i have been kicked in the gut. I have realized for a long time that my boy was struggling, but to hear it from the psychologist, and to hear all that is ahead for the both of us in order to acheive success has got me in a tailspin. i was just reading this thread, and i wanted to ask, what is “text to speech for reading”?
clear mud
What to do??????
Text to Speech is a computer program that reads aloud text on the computer. Many of the TTS programs have a setting for speed and how much of the text you want highlighted at a time (word, phrase or paragraph). This can really be helpful for people who have difficulty visually tracking the words.
Re: What to do??????
[quote=momooteaches] My husband has Dyslexia and is getting his doctorate. So I know that it is possible for her to get an education. I just am so afraid that I am missing a particular way of teaching her. Is it alright to just let things run it’s course?
Just needing to know that I have tried what I can. [/quote]
Hi,
One of the posters already briefly mentioned vision therapy; I agree that is one aspect you need to check out before you go much further. Essentially, you need to locate a developmental optometrist and take your daughter in for a vision evaluation. He will do a more extensive evaluation than your regular eye doctor, so even though you’ve been told that your daughter’s eyes are just fine, that’s quite likely not the case.
You can find a developmental optometrist at the [url=htt://covd.org]COVD website[/url]. Just put your zip code into the Locate a Doctor search box.
Also, I would really encourage you to read the page titled [url=http://ontrackreading.com/the-dyslexia-puzzle/my-take-on-dyslexia]My Take on Dyslexia[/url] on my website, as it should ring a lot of bells regarding your family’s situation.
Your daughter’s situation is anything but hopeless; you’ve done a good job thus far, but you need to learn more about vision therapy and the problems it addresses.
Hope this helps,
Rod Everson
[url=http://ontrackreading.com]OnTrack Reading[/url]
Re: What to do??????
http://www.dys-add.com/ I think this is an incredibly informative website-we did not use the Barton system, but we did use an OG tutor and have had great success-Good Luck!!
Have you tried visual therapy? Or checked into Irlen Syndrome? What about using a Text to Speech program?
Don’t get “stuck” in just using reading programs. Sometimes there is more going on than just Dyslexia and you may have to take some novel approaches. My daughter has several issues going on that the Dyslexic programs and various phonics programs didn’t help at all. What ended up working for her was a combination of therapy for her Irlen Syndrome and using Text to Speech for reading. Once we were able to get her reading level higher she could pursue the books that more interested her and she is now reading at grade level in a GenEd English class. (In sixth grade her reading level was 2nd/3rd, now 10th grade her level is 10th grade.)
It might also be worth getting her retested to see if there is more going on that you don’t know about.