dyslexia and reading specialist

I hate to ask this, but has your son been assessed for CAPD? CAPD often presents with symptoms of ADD, SID and difficulty learning to read (dyslexia). http://pages.cthome.net/cbristol/capd-rf1.html has a search feature to find audiologists qualified in CAPD (most are not).Most dyslexics have either an auditory processing problem (CAPD) or a vision problem (usually developmental vision delays), so I’d also get an exam by a developmental optometrist (http://www.covd.org). Children who are hit the hardest often have both auditory and visual processing problems. CAPD kids are often misdiagnosed as ADD.In my opinion, the best approach is to remediate any sensory level problems first (via FastForWord, vision therapy, etc.), then work on cognitive development — which includes attention skills — (Audiblox at http://www.audiblox2000.com and/or PACE at http://www.mentalskills.com). The last step would be academic remediation via a program such as Phono-Graphix (http://www.readamerica.net), Lindamood Bell, or Orton Gillingham. You can do PG at home yourself using Reading Reflex, or hire a PG tutor (typical remediation time for PG is 12 hours at about $50 per hour).Often medical insurance covers CAPD and developmental vision exams, so that is where I would start. If you can rule out these problems, then look at the cognitive programs (Audiblox is a great home program if you can’t afford PACE). The Reading Reflex book is really excellent, and this approach usually works well with LD kids even when the parent is the “reading specialist”.Mary: Well, I’m sure many of you are familiar with the term “alphabet
: soup”. This term describes my son perfectly. We have ODD,
: SID, and, as of today, ADHD and, a real word (!) Dyslexia. My
: problem is that the Dr. thinks that the best idea would be to put
: him back in school so he can be helped by a reading specialist. In
: my state, special ed. services are no longer being offered to
: homeschoolers. I’ve taught my son for two years now and have seen
: remarkable progress in his behavior and in his love for learning
: if not for the 3 R’s. I don’t want to put him back in school. So,
: what do I do? Does anyone know of a program directed toward
: teaching dyslexic children or have any other ideas?: Thanks,: Kathy

Hi,My names Marie, My fiancee and I have been together for 6 months now, he is 29 and I am 16 and in my final year at Secondary School, He is Dyslexic and finds it hard to read, Spell and Write with correct Punctuation and Grammar. I want to help him but really I need some advice for where to start; With me still in education I can go to departments i.e. Special needs, and get a rough idea there but they can’t give out Home help packs for example.I am trying to get him to read and it seems like he is beginning to enjoy it, he never had the help before because no-one not even his parents were ever really there to help or even believe in him.My main worry is that I may think that I can help him, but really I might be doing him more harm than good ‘I’m not too sure’What I really think I need is information on where I can get information and maybe even, Home Care Starter packs or something similar to that.If anyone one knows of anywhere please reply with an e-mail to this posting and I will be VERY grateful!!!Thank - youfrom Marie…

Marie, don’t worry about doing him any harm.The book “Reading Reflex” by Carmen & Geoffrey McGuiness would likely be very useful in your situation. It provides clear explanations on how to teach decoding skills. Reading Reflex is widely available in bookstores, and supporting materials can be purchased online at the authors’ website, http://www.readamerica.net. You can start with just the book, perhaps even borrowing it from a library.I would start with Reading Reflex, working on decoding skills first. Later you may want to add Spelling Power, which is a very systematic program for the most common words in the English language. Website for this program is http://www.castlemoyle.comEasy Grammar (actually, I think it’s Easy Grammar Plus that is specifically designed for older students — check the website) would likely be easy to use for grammar and punctuation. Website is http://www.easygrammar.comAll of the above programs are inexpensive and specifically designed for homeschooling.Most dyslexics have either an auditory processing problem or a visual processing problem (sometimes both). It would be very smart to get your fiancee checked out for these conditions, as there are specific therapies that often can reduce the problem. Vision needs to be assessed by a developmental (sometimes called behavioral) optometrist, and auditory processing by an audiologist who specializes in CAPD. Regular vision and hearing exams do not test for processing problems, which is why you have to seek specialists. Two websites that have search engines for specialists by geographic area are http://www.covd.org and http://pages.cthome.net/cbristol/capd-rf1.html (the latter address sometimes needs to be entered manually to work — don’t know why). These exams are often covered by medical insurance.Mary: My names Marie, My fiancee and I have been together for 6 months now,
: he is 29 and I am 16 and in my final year at Secondary School, He
: is Dyslexic and finds it hard to read, Spell and Write with
: correct Punctuation and Grammar. I want to help him but really I
: need some advice for where to start; With me still in education I
: can go to departments i.e. Special needs, and get a rough idea
: there but they can’t give out Home help packs for example.: I am trying to get him to read and it seems like he is beginning to
: enjoy it, he never had the help before because no-one not even his
: parents were ever really there to help or even believe in him.: My main worry is that I may think that I can help him, but really I
: might be doing him more harm than good ‘I’m not too sure’: What I really think I need is information on where I can get
: information and maybe even, Home Care Starter packs or something
: similar to that.: If anyone one knows of anywhere please reply with an e-mail to this
: posting and I will be VERY grateful!!!: Thank - you: from Marie…

Mary, Do you mind telling me more about the kids that are hit with both visual and auditory processing issues? My 8yo dd is one of the lucky ones! :o) We have tried RR with minimal success. Am now using At Last A Reading Method For Every Child By Mary Pecci with some success, will be purchasing Audioblox after the holidays and am beginning a vision therapy program with appointments scheduled 2X a month with work to be done at home inbetween. I have considred, after getting the visual aspects dealt with through the VT, going back to the RR too. Any opinions, ideas, encouragment….anything. I also am a veteran home schooler, this is my 9th year. My two older kids have gone on to school now so my youngest is my only one home.

that my dd was also evaluated for CAPD at our state university and found to not have it. She passed 3 out of the 4 tests given.