I am an advocate for a student in the 3rd grade who has sever spelling difficulties because of his impaired visual and auditory memories, and processing speeds. The school wants to start him on the Wilson Reading Program in an attempt to remediate his spelling skills. The question we have is that this is primarily a reading program and his reading skills (decoding, fluency and comprehension) are well above grade level, and his ability level. Because of his memory weakness he currently is unable to transfer his phonoligical awareness from decoding to encoding, especially when there is a time limit placed on him (processing speed weakness). The parents have had him enrolled in private educational therapy to remediate his perceptual weaknesses for the past 2 years. One of the techniques the therapist uses is a keyword associative phoenics based program that actually reduces the memory load by using only one word for each sound, and not incorporating nonsense words like Wilson does. There has been tremendous growth for him in his achievement in all areas. So my question is how can the school and the private theripist compliment each other? Can the Wilson Reading Program be adapted to something the private therapist is using. Also, how appropriate is it to even think of using the WRP when the students’ main area of weakness isn’t even in reading? Some feedback would be very helpful. Thanks, Cyndi
Re: You might want to try
Sequential Spelling by Avko (http://www.avko.org). This would be an easy program for you to do at home with your son. My 11yo has/had severe spelling problems, and this approach seems to be doing more for her than anything else we have tried. It takes us about 10 minutes a day.
Mary
Re: Wilson for Reading?
My son is dyslexic and did the LindaMood Bell Lips Program for reading the Place he went for this did the Wilson anlong with the Lips to specifically address spelling. It teaches the rules and uses the nonsense words to reinforce those rules.
Orton-Gillingham programs do teach spelling while they are teaching reading — I don’t know *exactly* how much Wilson incorporates into it, but it would tag along with the reading program. Is he going to be with a group of kids or can thigns be tailored to his needs?
Lindamood-Bell has a spelling program that sounds like it would be a better match for this kiddo. But if they’re trying to schedule him into a class, they’re looking to make him fit the program, not to make the program fit him.