Seven year old son has dyslexia. Need suggestions on teaching.?

Question

HI,

I have a 7 year old who was diagnosed with mild dyslexia. I am in India and here the awareness isn't all that great and nor are there very good training programs or schools. I was wondering about a few things. I hope someone out there can answer my questions soon....

1. What are the tests that are done to diagnose dyslexia (as in are there actual tests conducted by doctors?)

2. I am really interested in tools that my son can use to help him. (i am NOT LOOKING for books with info on dyslexia. I have plenty of that. I am looking for tools/books etc that my son can use by himself or with my help to help him)

3. Are there any special toys etc designed for dyslexics?

4. I have relatives in US. SO if there is some numbers I can call in US to ask more info on the topic is there one available?

Thank you. I hope to get an answer really soon. I'll really appreciate it.

Thanks.

Answer 1

The problem is that the development of literacy is not a natural developmental process, it must be learned! In order to learn how to be literate, children need certain sub-skills to be in place.

The first of these is the exposure to and development of as wide a spoken vocabulary as possible. This has been proven to be one of the most important determinants of later reading and writing ability.

Secondly, the development of appropriate attentional and memory processes is vital. Someone who cannot pay attention to the text is not going to be successful at reading. Similarly, someone who cannot retain word and letter information in the phonological store (short term memory), is going to lose the cohesion and coherence of text and is simply not going to undestand what they are reading.

The next determinant of reading ability is the child's sensitivity to rhyme and alliteration in addition to his / her overall phonological awareness. This kind of fine discrimination of the sound system of spoken language is necessary if the child is going to be able to 'map' the sounds of the language onto the symbols (letters), which represent those sounds.

The next important points are sensitivity to the onset and rime of words, in addition to sensitivity to syllable stucture. This has been shown in many studies to be an important factor in the development of reading ability.

Last but not least is the importance that the child is given time to develop 'inner speech.' You will notice with a younger child that they verbalise everything they do. - It is like a running commentary and is used to exert a measure of control over what they are doing. When children reach the age of seven to eight years of age, they internalise this commentary and it becomes inner speech.

When you read, notice how you use this inner speech in order to control your own reading. This inner speech enables the reader to keep the information being read in the phonological store, which enables you to control your own reading and to understand what is being read.

If you are worried, there is a really good developmental stimulation programme, which you can carry out at home at http://www.snowdrop.cc

Answer 2

Direct Instruction Reading by Douglas Carnine.  It is the bible for teaching reading.  Intense direct instruction is the way to go and if taught correctly, outcomes will be very successful.  This book will give you step by step instructions to teach your child to read.  It is researched based and considered THE best method.  I highly recommend it.  I am a special education teacher.  Carnine also has a book for teaching math.   Good luck, but if you use this book, all will be well.

If you would like further info, drop me a email and I can give you more specific examples and techniques for success.

http://www.amazon.com/Direct-Instruction...

Answer 3

My son was diagnosed w/ dyslexia many years ago. One of the best learning tools for us was  after each chapter of a book we would read, we would draw out a picture story of that chapter and then review it again before we would continue the book the next time we would pick it up. Eventually this became a habit for him, and a great learning tool! Also, listening to tapes while reading the book along with that tape always earned him a higher grade!

Answer 4

My son is dyslexic and I, too, sought out a reading program for him when he was in third grade. I went to the learning disabilities conference in my state. I heard Dr. Lucia Karnes speak about a methodology that had proved successful for those with reading differences.

She advocated the Orton-Gillingham method. It is a multidisciplinary approach to reading which over-simplified would be "see it, say it, write it, read it". The student learns letter sounds and later the variations. The rules of how letters are strung together to make words are introduced. Students write in cursive to reinforce the letters strung into words.

My son was tutored for four years by a person trained by Dr. Karnes. (3 times per week for one hour) He is a college senior majoring in economics. Reading is still not easy for him, but the strategies he learned make it better.

Additionally, I participated in an intensive two-week training session with her. My special ed students have benefited ever since.

My son used a Franklin speaking dictionary for young students through middle school and now uses a college version which reads words and definitions.

Another thing I did was enroll him in dance classes while he was too young to complain. It helped with spatial concepts of left and right which are difficult. It helps to know where words begin and read to the end. This gross motor excercise transfers to fine motor and visual tracking over time.

You can find some information about this method online.

(Dr. Karnes was a personal friend of June Orton, Dr. Samuel Orton's second wife. June Orton developed a alphabetic sequence of introducing the sounds in English.)