PACE again

I’d skip it for a child that young. My son was 8 and in retrospect he was too young. It was basically a waste of a summer.

Beth

Beth, where do you see the problem at this age? The provider keeps emphasizing the flexibility of the brain at this age. Is it the attention? I keep pushing LMB which she says she can do with him but that it is much slower. She’s given me the name of several parents whose children are about my son’s age and who have successfully gone through the program there.

Well, the issue is the floor of the program is 6 so that is what they expect a normal child to be able to do at that age. It goes up by levels—each level representing an age level. So your child would be expected to master, to be age level, two levels. If your child has difficulty with certain skills, there just aren’t may level in between the floor and what she might be able to do. We found that our son made little progress after the first 6 weeks.

Now we also discovered that he had undiagnosed sensory issues which played into his difficulties too. These were the reason why he didn’t make as much progress.

I just think it is a better program for kids 10 years old and up. I know DEA who posts here did it with her daughter who was 7 or 8 successfully. Her daughter had done many therapy programs already—and did sound therapy just before doing it (we did not do this which was another big mistake). She then did the Master the Code program but found that it was too complex after a point for her daughter. I think they stopped for awhile. Now her daughter has done very well with it so clearly age is not the only factor.

A clinic that she talked to said they were getting similar results with MTC and Lindamood Bell. The clinic where I was trained with PACE told me that they use PG with 6-8 year olds and use MTC with the older ones.

Beth

Thanks. I’m going nuts figuring out what to do for him. I spoke to some parents who went through PACE at 7 - 8 with a positive experience, but their kids don’t seem to have both ADHD and LD. All confirmed the intensity. I don’t know where else to find a recommended LMB provider except at Kelter where it’s $95/hr and the person in charge insists on a $750 assessment with report before she decides on a program.

Have you tried PG? It works with most kids and tutors are usually about $50/hour.

What are the issues that concern you?

Beth

I bought the book months ago and gave it to my son’s resource teacher who never opened it, even though I told her she might want to learn it and get formal training and become a tutor (every program or ed center I tell her about she wants to know the $$possibilities; she’s an ed therapist by credential, but knows nothing of the research based programs out there, nor is she especially interested - she’s going back to gen ed). My child won’t work with me. This website is really the only place I hear about PG. I don’t know where to find a tutor nerarby.

You can go to http://www.readamerica.net and either email them or call them to find out if there is a tutor in your area. They have a lot more tutors on file than are listed in the search engine at their website.

An advantage of trying PG first is that if it works it will save you a ton of money — which will then be available for PACE/MTC when your son is older (and maybe you can even hire someone to do the homework with him at that time). You would know by the end of the 6 tutoring hours or so whether PG is working. It goes a little slower when the parents can’t provide daily reinforcement, but is still a lot less expensive than LMB.

Nancy

What about taking him to either Cal State LA or cal State Northridgeand have him assessed at the speech and language clinic there and see if he can get treatment there too. Both LA and Northridge have strong audiological programs and I know Northridge has done research on CAPD and ADD. Both of these facilities are closer to you.

Wish I could help you more…:-(

What is PG? What is PACE and what exactly do they do? Can this benefit a 12 year old with math skills as well?

Amy,

Just wanted to say I am pretty wary of people pushing programs when they stand to gain $100 an hour. I’d listen to Beth’s advice if I were you.

Janis

PG stands for Phono-Graphix. PG is a very fast, very effective way to remediate reading in most children. It focuses exclusively on teaching decoding skills. Company’s website is http://www.readamerica.net

PACE stands for Processing and Cognitive Enhancement. This is a cognitive skills training program that works on multiple areas — visual and auditory sequencing, visualization, visual and auditory memory, directionality, and other processing skills. It often has quite a dramatic impact on the ability to learn academics. It does not directly teach math or reading. Instead, it works on developing the underlying skills that make learning academics easier. MTC is the follow-on reading program of PACE. MTC is sometimes a better choice than PG for an older child, especially one who has an established guessing habit. A child needs to go through PACE before starting MTC. PACE is a 12-week program with the child meeting with a trainer for three hours a week, and doing homework with parents for three hours a week also. Website is http://www.learninginfo.com

Both PG and PACE/MTC would be appropriate for a 12yo. PACE/MTC is a much more comprehensive, intensive program than PG. It is also considerably more expensive because of all the one-on-one training hours.

Nancy

Turns out there’s no one in my area - at least that Read America knows about!

I am concerned bcause she had me watch the PACE video after I filled out a questionnaire while she did a brief assessment of my son. This was before she reviewed any of the materials I brought from earlier testing. I really thought we came to see about LMB. She says she can do 3 1 hr LMB sessions per week with him at $90/hr but it will end up being more expensive in the long run since it goes much slower than PACE if not done at a 5days week, several hours per day.

She gave me the names of 4 parents to speak to who’s kids have done the program through her. I’ve spoken to 3 so far, and their kids’ profiles don’t really match mine. You pay up front but can get a refund minus the $250 licensing fee after 5 sessions (out of 36). I think that’s too soon to tell if they’re going to hit a wall.

I truly thought I was going to have the summer resolved by new since I started on this is March. Help!

Believe me you’re helping by listening so empathetically!

Okay, there is no PG tutor in your area, LMB is $90 per hour, and your other option is PACE with a 7-1/2yo who doesn’t want to work with parents. None of these is a really good option, in my opinion. I think your provider is being honest in her comparison of LMB and PACE, but she probably does not realize that your son will not be willing to do the homework with you (and I agree that 7-1/2yo is on the young side for PACE).

Have you considered flying somewhere for a one-week PG intensive? The Orlando clinic is probably booked for the summer by now, but there must be trainers and tutors around the country who do this. Try posting on the ReadNOW list at http://groups.yahoo.com. A lot of PG people post there, and some of them run clinics. It would likely be considerably less expensive than LMB or PACE, even with airfare and hotel room.

Nancy

THANKS for the suggestion. It wouldn’t work for us, but it is a possibility for some people. I called the 1st center I spoke to which turned me off with hundreds of dollars in fees for minimal testing and report before setting goals, and knowing if it was feasible. They’ll get back to me if there are ways to cut that up front work a little. They’re LMB is $95/hr. I do think this is the way to go, 3x/week and whatever I can get him to do at home. They do a combo of LIPS and Seeing Stars, getting some spelling and writing in there too. I think this exposure is critical throughout the summer and for however long I can pay during school - or get a good advocate who can tell me exactly what I need to present to get this funded through the district.

I think, given your situation, you are making the right decision. Several people have had great success with LIPS in a tutoring situation as you describe.

Beth