Drawings on Words - Teaching the Dyslexic Child Sight Words

4 year ago, my Apple Macbook Pro just died on me.  It was a really great laptop I've had, sadly, he has to go.  It had that NVidia problem and was supposed to be covered by an Apple recall but when I brought it in one of the distributor's of Apple, they said that it was a logic board problem. Bummer! If I brought it earlier before it had the same symptoms of the NVidia issue it showed prior to completely dying out, it would have been replaced.  Fast forward to 2016, I got my old Macbook Pro's files and the 2GB memory to run my son's Macbook 1! Yeah!

As I checked with all my files, I saw several videos of the twins, our old house, our beloved dog and just way too many memories that I didn't know existed.  Then, I came upon this video of my then, 5 year old son. I recorded it using my Nokia E63 (which is btw, still alive and kicking today - I use it as my wireless landline).  So, it's one of those videos on how I taught my Dyslexic son how to read sight words.

The twins can easily process using a whole word approach (meaning, no extra visual aids needed to know a word).  The difference with a normal reader is that they can recall a word even by just looking at it in a glance - but not my Dyslexic son.  So, I've tried making up simple drawings (I am not even good with drawing) on the word, give it a sentence with the actual word on it and have my son read it. Here is the video and I hope you get ideas on how to make for yourself.

I'll be posting a blog on my DIY sight word cards which you can also do for personal use.  I made it thick enough so you can also make some drawings on it if you need to.  This also works for spelling, btw.

I am happy to say that my son was extremely Dyslexic when he was assessed at age 6. He is now 11 and is 2 grade levels up in reading. Woohoo! Indeed, early intervention is best. So, don't be in denial and delay assessment or intervention when you see that your child shows some signs of being different than his peers.  I have embraced the fact that these uniqueness are what makes my child - my own.  There is nothing wrong with being unique, they just think differently.  Some family members may or may not be supportive, but then, who cares? Only you can. Look beyond the child and remind yourself that you are the only person who can help him propel his uniqueness for his future.

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!

What made things easier for my 6 year old to start reading

This made my entire homeschooling adventure days the most memorable of all - My 6 year old boy can now read! Hurrahhh!

There really is no such thing as a slow-learner or even the Big Moose (Archie Comics Character) guy if only learning blocks were identified early on.  Some kids, learn and memorize fast but are having a hard time in gross-motor.  Some can read early and read well but have problems with comprehension. While some, have auditory processing problems and could not even comprehend Rhymes, or letter sounds on words - which my son had.  So, you see not all minds are the same.  Some have learning blocks that needed to be trained.  My son, had it too but I see it as my challenge instead of his.  I want him to learn one thing - to love learning!  But to love it, he must unblock his reading challenge.

Isn't the worst thing any parent could experience is when a teacher or a principal calls on you just to tell you:

• "You're child is a slow-learner"
• "She is not reading (or catching up) at her grade-level"
• "He is Regressing!"
• "All of his classmates are doing well, but I'm sorry to say but your child seems to be having a hard time."
• "He can't even finish copy work and everyone else are already done!"

So you wonder, why my kid is acting this way? He looks fine to me when he's at home or with his peers. But, honestly, there is nothing wrong with your child so stop thinking that you have a slow or dyslexic child!  It's you! He simply needs you to teach him and focus off your problem-focused life to cope with whatever he is having a hard time on.  Parents who wonder, wonder too much about the problem instead of a solution that is readily available.  The teachers are not your child's problem solver - you are!  A simple 30 minutes a day on what your child is struggling on makes a lot of difference!

Honestly, it took me almost 6 months of direct teaching (with a proper homeschool curriculum) of at least 3 hours/day just to identify what is keeping my smart and amazing 6 year old from reading!

We did the usual phonics, alphabetic style of learning sounds then blending them.  Which we did for about 4-5 months but all he could do are sound out C-V-Cs (Bat and Sat... etc) but no blending at all which is really frustrating.

Then, upon doing a workbook Developing the Early Learner Series (Books 1-4) by Simone Bibeau, MA. Sp. Ed.  I found out that my 6 year old is struggling with an Auditory Processing which makes him harder to remember phonics and worse blending those sounds together.

He couldn't even figure out what sounds are heard when I say a word (ex. Bat = Baaaatt).  He knows all of the sounds of the alphabet because of the great stuff on Hooked on Phonics, Click N' Read, Starfall.com songs. But, all of these are left-brained focus.  My child is a right-brained learner with an auditory glitch. He was even having a hard time identifying rhymes (ex. Pail - Nail).

But, now what a lovely day! I have found the way to teach my challenged kiddo to process these sounds into words.  Training his brain to process info and store and retrieve data in a way that is easier for him!

My son is used to guess words from pictures.  So, first, I totally scrap all visual aids.  No words/pictures to look at.  Just listening, and listening to my voice which must be clear as crystal for him to hear.  I even would blindfold him at times just to make his focus on the hearing and not on anything else. He had a hard time on this activity.

We did this simple activity after he practiced the phonics, to relate the sound to writing and so we can also improve and touch a lot on spelling.  At first, he spelled B-O-L as Ball, but that is okay.  It means, he can start chopping off those sounds to form words.  I was delighted.

We did Rhymes for 1 week and started introducing the Jelly Bean Reading! Which I personally conceptualized based on different research I've read.  After 3-4 days, he can now read and blend those sounds very well!

I got an idea on how to do this from Candy Math Program - wherein Candies and treats which are kids favorites are used as actual manipulatives to teach kids about Math!  Click the link to download the free PDF.

Here's how we played the Jelly Bean Reading Game! I didn't plan on this game, it just came right out of my mind - for the love I have to make my son read!

Our Jelly Bean Reading Game!

I didn't do much effort on how it would look like. :P

1. Take out plain white sheets of paper (bond paper would do, just cut them into pieces)
2. Line up 3 or 4 blocks as the numbered block sheet for the phoneme sounds of each word you will be saying. *If your child is a non-reader but knows letter sounds but have a hard time blending them, you can start with 3. Progress to 4 or more when he is ready.  Putting 1,2,3,4 teaches your child to read from Left (1) to Right (3 or 4)
   
   
   
3. Draw a buzzer or find any buzzer that your child can use to ring when he's done. Make it fun!
4. Jelly Beans or any healthy treats/candies/crackers! Do this before a major meal.  They will eat them as an award!
5. For the game do a sample first, sound out the word "Tap, Taaaaapp"
6. Tell them to listen and place in candies to every sound they hear from the word said.  Ask them to place those sounds in order starting on the beginning sound to the last sound.  My kid, had a hard time at the middle sound, but later found out a way to figure it out more.
7. After they have lined up the sounds on the numbered block sheets, ask them to write those sounds to spell out on the lined-out blank (no numbers) sheet.
8. When they're done... ask them to press the buzzer!
9. When they did it correctly, praise them but before they eat it.  Ask them this, Can you eat the /B/ sound, eat the Last Sound, then eat the /A/ sound.  This way, they can recognize which sound is first, last, and middle as well as the phonemes.
10. Do 4-5 of this game and just add on tricks to challenge them.

The rice puffs are not too sweet, so it was for the consonants and the jelly beans for the vowels.

I had 3 and 4 phoneme game that we played just for  the day.  I got the words from the book we will later on read.
We read Fun Tales, tomorrow... Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss!

Since we finish school right before Lunch, I needed to get some of my twin girls' super flavorful Gerber Rice Puffs!
They are light and not too sweet for my little reader bunny!  Of course, he loves Jelly Beans.
Crackers would do great as well!

The resources below were very helpful for my struggling-reader-no-more little guy, which you can check out:

• Dianne Kraft, MA, CNHP - I love her research.  It's very up-to-date and very kid and mom friendly.  Learned about how to teach a right brain child and even how to teach these kids in a way that they will have fun.
• Earobics - A great tool for focus and auditory processing.  Try their online games for kids! They are awesome
• Phonemes - You will have to master this.
• Phonemic Awareness Activites - Download them and check it out! Great resource!

My struggling reader

I am frustrated and so is my 6 year old when we do Alphabetic Reading.  When he attended a multiple intelligence school during his nursery and kindergarten, his teacher's comment was "he is probably regressing".  I cannot accept it, I was worried.  I know he was doing well at 2 years old, knows all the letters, shapes and was very smart.

Just suddenly, when I heard those words and also saw his progress in school.  I knew there has got to be a way for him to catch up.  I don't care if he's not yet reading at his age, or if if I put his level a year down.  What is important is that he would love to learn and discover.

That started my Homeschooling with him.  I pulled him off school and started research on the best homeschool curriculum for him.  I don't like the structured, or pacing series.  He is only 5 that time, I just wanted him to have fun.  That's where I found out about a literature-based curriculum called Sonlight.  No pressure, 1 letter sound per week and he did very well.

All subjects of Science, Math, Read-alouds, Social Studies were all great.  But, handwriting and reading was a dreaded subject for the both of us.

I bought and researched on the best phonics system available.  Looking for a very good reading teacher.  But, really nothing helps.  At 6, he is having a hard time with rhymes.  He just doesn't seem to understand anything at all.  He was looking at patterns as if words are mazes or patterns in math which he's very good at.

So, I crossed path at Phonological Awareness and Phonemic Awareness.  Finally, it has a pattern to follow.  Practicing only different phonemes and no alphabetic way (sight) to understand.  It is being used also by Orto-Gillingham approach.

I love the results and will be blogging on his progress.  We started to read Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss which is full of simple rhymes.  As well as lots of Sesame Street Videos of his favorite Kermit the Frog and Cookie Monster.  This is a break for us.  He's catching on.

I was about to believe that he is Dyslexic.  He has lots of reversed letters and often reverses B to D, P and T, W and M.  But, when I cross upon a site, it said Dyslexia isn't a disease it could be corrected.  I'm seeing it already and I'm happy now and so is my son.

Today, there are no crying bouts and we ended school with a big reward - a big, giant, hug!

If you have a struggling reader, you can try these links:

• http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/322045/lesson_plan_phonemic_awareness_say.html?cat=4
• http://www.lessonsense.com/general/phonemic-awareness.html
• http://www.childrenlearningreading.com/
• http://www.remediationplus.com/
• http://www.orton-gillingham.com/

There is no such thing as slow learner, what these kids need is you - their parent! They need you to help them and understand that we have a great big deal of job to teach them cope in life.

I thank the Lord for giving me the best children in the world and I love them.  I would do everything to help them achieve and see their potential for I know the Lord have great plans for them.