Looking for a program to help my child with dyslexia

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Forum -> Parenting our children -> Our Challenging Children (gifted, ADHD, sensitive, defiant)

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amother

Orchid

Mon, Jun 05 2017, 10:16 pm

it was so hard to get a diagnosis. I don't think anyone is 100% sure. My child has been evaluated so many times (educational, psychological). We have just met with a developmental pediatrician who believes that since it seems that my child has the tendencies of dyslexia (with no other issues) we should begin a reading program designed for dyslexic children. Has anyone tried anything that they really believe in? My child is 9 yrs old.

amother

Cerise

Mon, Jun 05 2017, 10:37 pm

YES! We found an excellent Wilson-certified tutor. She worked with him twice a week; once at school, and once at home, for an entire school year. At school she was able to touch base with his teacher and see how he's progressing in class, and at home I was able to see what was going on. That was third grade.

A year later and b"H his reading and comprehension are on grade level, but more importantly, he loves reading! He recently finished the third Harry Potter book. I find books and a flashlight under his pillow, and I have to pretend to be mad Very Happy

The book Overcoming Dyslexia, by Sally Shaywitz, helped me tremendously as far as understanding what he was going through and what he needed.

Hth.

amother

Orchid

Mon, Jun 05 2017, 10:42 pm

Thank you for your response. Who did you contact for a Wilson tutor? That's really amazing that your son is reading Harry Potter books!! Does (did) your son also have poor handwriting?

amother

Babyblue

Mon, Jun 05 2017, 10:48 pm

Firstly, Hugs!
To start with, I would recommend getting a top quality reading specialist that will work with your child one on one and offer him/her a customized program. My DS has dyslexia and was first diagnosed as severely dyslexic at age 7, he worked really hard and had lots of one on one instruction over the years. The Gillingham and Wilson methods worked well for him. But the bottom line is that his success was due to his determination, motivation and effort. When he was about 6 years old one doctor told me, "there's no quick fix for dyslexia, it's blood sweat and tears!" Now 6 years later, he still has tutors to maintain (much less than he used too), he is BH at the top of his class, he loves to read (he has been reading adult books since he's 9, like Lord of the Rings, etc.) and is KAH very bright!
I'm sure it is very daunting, but all I can say is that your child has a real chance of sucess.
Much Hatzlacha!

amother

Orchid

Mon, Jun 05 2017, 10:50 pm

my child already has tutors and is in a self contained class for Enlish studies. Where do I find a special reading tutor who has experience teaching children with dyslexia?

amother

Cerise

Mon, Jun 05 2017, 11:03 pm

amother wrote:

Thank you for your response. Who did you contact for a Wilson tutor? That's really amazing that your son is reading Harry Potter books!! Does (did) your son also have poor handwriting?

Horrendous handwriting (though improving). He's been getting OT since age 3, with a strong focus on handwriting specifically for the last few years.

If you call Wilson, they'll give you a list of certified tutors in your area. If your son gets services, maybe a provider at school can recommend someone specifically. Otherwise, I'd ask potential tutors how many years since they earned their certification, etc. Ds's tutor is a public school teacher, first and second grade, and implements Wilson in her classroom.

ITA with poster above. Wilson isn't magic, but basically teaches grammar and phonics rules step by step, and in ways that are meant to create lasting memory.

My son has a very competitive nature. He knew he was behind his classmates and didn't like it, so he was self-motivated.

But OP if your ds needs something more to motivate him, I'd say to bribe him with absolutely whatever works. Cash, ice cream, later bedtime, anything, and I'm generally not that type of parent. Because Wilson can really work.

amother

Cerise

Mon, Jun 05 2017, 11:09 pm

amother wrote:

my child already has tutors and is in a self contained class for Enlish studies. Where do I find a special reading tutor who has experience teaching children with dyslexia?

We had tutors and ds was getting setts several times a week, but that's all off the mark.

Call Wilson, number in the link below, give them your zip code, and they'll email you a list of certified tutors in your area. If your son is getting services now, one of the therapists may be able to make a recommendation.

http://www.wilsonlanguage.com/.....ctor/

seeker

Tue, Jun 06 2017, 12:58 am

Can you please PM me? I have an idea but depends on what your child needs and I don't know if you want to get that detailed here.

amother

Amber

Tue, Jun 06 2017, 1:06 am

I have no personal experience but found this article: http://avivahwerner.com/2017/0.....read/

She recommended some fun looking workbooks that maybe someone here has tried and can give feedback about.

Good luck!

amother

Orchid

Wed, Jun 07 2017, 11:46 pm

seeker wrote:

Can you please PM me? I have an idea but depends on what your child needs and I don't know if you want to get that detailed here.

can you please share your idea here? I am looking into the Wilson reading program and the Fast Forword reading program. I am not sure how they differ. At this point we are pretty sure that it is not a processing issue, rather dyslexia and dysgraphia. I am also wondering if I can get the Board of Ed (NJ) to help with the tutoring. Has anyone received help through the BOE specifically for dyslexia (not an OT)?

seeker

Thu, Jun 08 2017, 12:18 am

Fast ForWord and Wilson come from two TOTALLY different angles. Both are very solid and can be used to complement each other if needed.

1 - Fast ForWord is what I was going to PM about, because I'm a provider of the program and don't want to be seen as trying to spam the board with personal marketing. But FYI I do have an amazing summer special deal going on right now.
FFW is a computer program that targets a number of skills that are needed to combat dyslexia, but the really unique component is that it uses modified sounds to train the brain to hear the sounds in words accurately. A big part of dyslexia is an inability to perceive the individual sounds making up a word.
In addition to this it also has extremely helpful computerized exercises working on language, reading comprehension, phonics, etc - but the auditory processing element is what you really won't get anywhere else.
It has a very strong research basis, including decades of third-party, peer-reviewed study showing its effectiveness.

2 - Wilson is a specific phonics teaching system. It's based on Orton-Gillingham, which is the gold standard in dyslexia theory. It consists of a series of very structured lessons going through every phonics situation. It also has a solid research base supporting its effectiveness. Note that because you need human teacher hours for each lesson it will end up costing a whole lot. But worth it as compared to a non-specialized tutor.

3 - DOE certainly needs to provide special education for kids with dyslexia. You need to have the diagnosis, and some evidence that the child needs specialized help to keep up in school. You would need to first get them to approve as many special ed (SETSS) hours as they're willing. Then you would need to argue that because your child has dyslexia they need a SETSS provider who specializes in dyslexia. Then you need to argue that you can't find one at the regular rate, so they need to provide an enhanced rate. THEN you will be able to get your reading specialist, who you will almost certainly need to track down on your own but the DOE will pay them. It would be worth getting a special ed advocate to push you through this process, it will greatly raise your chances of success.

amother

Orchid

Thu, Jun 08 2017, 8:59 am

seeker wrote:

Thank you for this info. - it is really helpful. I am still not sure which program would be best to treat dyslexia with no other learning issues. People swear by the Wilson program and I have friends who bought the fast forward program and it really helped their children (using mentors). My child has an IEP and is in a self contained class but we were not aware until recently that the problem was dyslexia. I have a meeting with them and will ask if they can help advocate for a tutor for dyslexia. Would I contact you or a rabbi kester for Fast Forward? Who do I contact for Wilson - the toll free number? Thanks for your help!

seeker

Thu, Jun 08 2017, 10:30 am

I can set you up with Fast ForWord directly.
If you don't have a recommendation for a Wilson tutor, then the official Wilson company is a good resource to find one.

amother

Orchid

Sat, Jun 17 2017, 11:40 pm

SEEKER, please explain your summer special. I was under the impression that FFW was something that would only be effective if done consistently for a yr or two. How are you offering something just for the summer?

seeker

Sat, Jun 17 2017, 11:59 pm

Fast ForWord has many components and levels. The provider works with the parents/teachers/children to determine which ones would be most suitable for the child. Some students really only need a couple of segments to address their issues. Some kids need a longer course. But even those who ideally need a longer course can still make significant gains with each separate level.

Thus, a summer program is suitable for the following situations:
1. The child only has mild delays and just needs a "booster."
2. The child's delays are significant but they are very young so there aren't many actual reading levels to catch up with.
3. The child should really be in a longer program but is hesitant to commit because their school-year schedule is too full.
4. The child should really be in a longer program but the parents either can't pay for a whole year or want to do a trial run before committing to the entire year.

You can't expect a kid to go from non-reading to 5th grade level over one summer, but for most people it's a great time to catch up because you're not splitting your attention between this and ten other school subjects, and the rest of the class is going nowhere.

And I definitely haven't seen anyone do it for two years. You need to consider the whole child, and most kids will need a break by then even if they still have more progress to make.

crbc

Sun, Aug 06 2017, 12:44 am

Look into Ohr Halimud , BY school for girls w/ dyslexia, they also have some services for boys.

ckk

Sun, Aug 06 2017, 7:51 am

Anyone know of any help out there with dyslexia in Hebrew reading. After much grit we seem to have basically mastered English reading, but Hebrew with its complicated nekudos doesn't seem to be moving.

happy mommy6

Sun, Aug 06 2017, 9:25 am

Where do you live? There are many kria programs based on orton Gillingham.

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