Language-based Disability, Dyslexia and Learning Disability

When my son was 4 years old, his teacher in school said that he wasn't reading well at all for his age level.  He couldn't hear the differences of rhymes, writes letters b and d in reverse, or even hear syllables.  But, what bothered me most was that he never learned to talk in his mother tongue but talked in English (and even UK English) more. Also, we have noticed that his memory is way toooo short (he stumbles to what date his birthday is until now, that he is 8).

We all waited it up thinking that he would just get it someday.  So I decided to homeschool him for a year using Sonlight (a Literature-based rich curriculum), Handwriting without Tears for handwriting, copy work (which he hated doing back then), and Singapore Math.

Homeschooling was the best choice I've made for him because I get to focus on the root cause of what is affecting his reading.  We would do all sorts of Phonemic Awareness exercises, and let him read short stories  like Bob Books which all helped us.

I was so eager to help him that I bought and tried all sorts of reading intervention when he was 5 years old with the following: ClickN'Kids (which bore him but I felt made good results for phonemic awareness), Hooked on Phonics (Didn't used so much but he did looove the music and helped him remember some letter sounds), Reading Eggs (which he loved!), Leap Frog Letter Factory DVD (didn't work well much on him but worked wonders with my 3 year old), RockN'Learn (didn't like it - bore him).

Years went by and he went back to a Montessori based school which actually was perfect fit for his learning style - he is a kinesthetic learner.  His grades in school weren't so bad (ranging from 85% - 95%).

But the problem came up more vividly during the course of his 1st grade. They are reading 2nd to 3rd grade reading and spelling.  They also started writing Montessori style Calligraphy which made his handwriting horrifying to say the least.  What is worse is having Botany and Geography subjects which involves a whole lot of memorization which he was greatly struggling with. As well as a Filipino language class which he would fail almost every quiz he took.

 It was a tough year for him and he would cry and tell me why he couldn't read well and he hated being placed with the students who was obviously he knew was the-not-so-smart-kids table when he was once was with the "smart" kids.

2 days ago, we had a Developmental Pedia assess him.  It took us 3 months to get a slot and finally she had an assessment of my son.  I didn't want to do this at first, because I didn't want to brand him or make him feel that there is something wrong with him. His self-esteem is more important to me than anything else but I also knew we just needed to know so we can on from there.

The Dev. Ped did some series of tests which my son aced when it comes to patterns, blocks, and everything else except for Reading, Writing and Spelling.  His listening comprehension was excellent as well as per his doctor.  The Pedia even commended how articulate he is when he answers some of her questions.  As he answers them more descriptively and intelligently.

The Dev. Pedia said that he has a Language-Based Learning Disability specifically in Reading (phonemic awareness, some reversals of letters), Spelling and Writing.  He had no ADHD symptoms so it would just be a lot easier to give intervention for him in just the areas that he is struggling with.  What was great is that we did it early because he is still at level unlike other kids as to whom it would take so much years for the child to cope just because they delayed early intervention.  I just couldn't imagine how hard it will be for kids to struggle in school for the years that they should have been worked up early on.

So, my son has Dyslexia or LD. Now, our quest has just begun and there are just so much to look at. They don't come at a cheap price so I am hoping to find the best fit for my son.  The DEV Pedia also recommended to assess him for IQ which we will be doing by June 2013 at KidPsych. I would like something we could do at home or over the internet so, I am looking at different products. Some recommendations given were:

• Orton-Gillingham (Ed-Link offers them but only for Math)
• Slingerland (Ed-Link Center in Muntinlupa provides this instruction)
• Lindamood (LIPs) (Ed-Link Center in Muntinlupa provides this instruction)
• Fast Forwords (Provided by i-thinkers in Wack Wack, Mandaluyong, Philippines)
• Reading Specialist (Uses Barton Reading)

I am also looking for reading remediation like All About Reading and All About Spelling or even Davis Dyslexia Correction or even Barton Reading and the most expensive but sounds equally great Easy Read System.

We plan to take on Fast Forwords and still continue on Reading Eggs (as he really loves this system).  Let me update you to his progress once they assess him this week.

I just want to encourage parents who have children that are struggling in learning or are called Dyslexics.  Here is a quote that I found and has given me a great motivation in helping out my learning-challenged kiddo.

"Dyslexia is not a result of brain damage or nerve damage.  Nor is it caused by a malformation of the brain, inner ear or eyeballs.  Dyslexia is a product of thought and a special way of reacting to the feeling of confusion" - Ronald Davis (Founded Davis Dyslexia Correction, also a Dyslexic)

There are also a lot of genius dyslexic! So, it is both a challenge and a cause to feel good about.

If you have a Dyslexic child, have you tried any program that worked best for you? Do share!