Signs of a Reading Problem
Do you suspect that your child has a reading problem? If so, you’re not alone.
Lots of parents come to us looking for answers to their children’s reading problems. My own son had struggles with reading when he was young, so not only do I have the help you need, I also understand firsthand what you’re going through.
Let’s get some answers for you!
As you read through this article, trust your instincts. If you think your child is struggling with reading, it is likely that he is. This list can help you be sure.
What Are the Signs of a Reading Problem?
A child with a reading problem may display some of the issues listed below.
- Sounds out every word on the page, even if he has already read them.
- Doesn’t know the sounds of the letters.
- Oral reading is choppy rather than fluent and smooth.
- Reads words in the wrong order.
- May recognize a word on one page, but not on the next page.
- Substitutes similar-looking words, such as house for horse.
- Guesses at words instead of sounding them out.
- Lacks the skill to sound out unfamiliar words.
- Ignores punctuation when reading.
- Loses place on the page, skips lines, or rereads lines.
- Inserts extra letters in a word when reading. For example, may read tail as trail. The misread word often has the same beginning and ending letter.
- Makes up part of the story based on the illustrations or context clues instead of reading the actual words on the page.
- Substitutes words with similar meanings when reading stories. For example, may read said instead of shouted.
- Skips small words such as a, the, to, of, were, and from.
- Displays poor reading comprehension.
- Has a difficult time reading single words on a flashcard.
- Resists reading. It’s a natural tendency for children to avoid what they aren’t skilled at.
What Causes Reading Problems?
If you recognize your child in any of the signs listed above, don’t despair! Reading problems can stem from a number of different causes, and most of these can be overcome.
Kids with auditory processing disorder often have problems learning to read. Though a child with APD faces many academic challenges, you can help him learn to read. All About Reading uses an instructional approach that is exactly what a child with APD needs!
Dyslexia is a common reading and spelling disability. Approximately 10% of students are affected by dyslexia. Symptoms vary from person to person. If you suspect dyslexia, download our Symptoms of Dyslexia checklist.
Vision problems can cause reading issues. Work with your pediatric ophthalmologist to rule out vision problems such as far-sightedness or convergence insufficiency disorder.
Other causes of reading problems include autism and poor working memory. Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can also cause reading problems because it is difficult for the child to stay focused on the task at hand.
Is It Possible that My Child Doesn’t Have a Reading Problem?
Yes, it is! Sometimes a child is labeled with a reading problem, but the real issue is that he hasn’t been taught in the way he can learn. We can’t expect a child to read if he has gaps in his reading instruction or limited experience. While some kids seem to naturally pick up reading with very little instruction, for many kids, reading success requires direct systematic instruction such as that found in All About Reading.
Other times, too much is expected from very young children. Some children just aren’t ready to read yet, and in those cases, it’s helpful to do pre-reading activities to prepare them, such as those found in our Pre-reading program.
Learning to read takes time—and in many cases, repetition and review—before a child begins to experience success. A child might need to see a word 30 times before he can automatically recognize it by sight. If your child hasn’t met a word that many times yet, don’t be alarmed if he needs to sound it out.
Learning to read can be hard work for kids. If your child has a low frustration tolerance, it can appear that he may have a reading problem even if he doesn’t.
How Can I Help My Child?
If your child has a reading problem, the most important thing to remember is that you CAN help him. And we can help you! The resources below are all designed to provide parents with the tools they need to teach their children to read and spell, even children with special needs.
Resources for Children with Reading Problems
All About Reading is a fun and engaging program that starts with essential pre-reading skills and continues on to teach all five key components of reading. This Orton-Gillingham program contains everything your student needs to become a fluent reader for life!
The Power of the Orton-Gillingham Approach: Discover the foundational elements of this powerful approach and how it forms the backbone of the All About Reading and All About Spelling programs.
10 Tips for Reaching Your Struggling Learner: There are very specific teaching methods that you can use to help your struggling learner succeed. One of the most important things you will want to do is to use curricula and teaching strategies that can be tailored to his needs.
How to Solve Letter Reversal Problems: Does your child sometimes confuse certain letters, like b and d or n and u? Beginning readers and dyslexic children may struggle to differentiate between letters that have similar shapes, and issues with letter reversals can have a direct impact on reading, writing, and spelling.
Learning Ally is a non-profit organization committed to helping dyslexic, blind, and visually impaired students thrive. Audiobooks help kids experience the many benefits of consuming text, but without the struggle of reading.
Testimonies from Real Moms
Failure Is Not an Option: In this video, author Marie Rippel shares with you the very personal story of how she came to develop the All About Reading and All About Spelling programs.
All About Reading and Dyslexia: Trained Orton-Gillingham instructor and mom Marianne tells her story of teaching seven children with dyslexia.
How All About Spelling Saved My Dyslexic Son: Heather began homeschooling her dyslexic son after exhausting all other options. That’s when she discovered All About Spelling. This blog post shares how her son’s learning was transformed with AAS.
Contact Us If You Need Help
If you have questions about how to help your struggling reader, please feel free to call or email us.
Does your child show signs of a reading problem?
Catherine mokoena
says:Hey my son is struggling to read, write and he is in grade 4 ,I don’t know how to help him or teach him ,he is 9 years.
Precious
says:My child needs help for reading and writing
Cynthia
says:Please my child needs help
Chaitra
says:My student is not able to read and not able to keep memory any words he is 13 years boy how to help him
Merry
says: Customer ServiceHi Chaitra,
I’m sorry your student is struggling so much with reading! I hope some of the above articles can help and give you some insight into his struggles. If you want to talk more in depth or hear more about how AAR might be able to help, please feel free to email me at [email protected].
Nadia Blair
says:My daughter struggles Reading
Nadia Blair
says:My daughter is 9 year
Shruggles Reading
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI’m sorry your daughter is struggling, Nadia. I hope this blog post is helpful. You may find our 10 Tips for Reaching Your Struggling Learner blog post and The “No Gaps” Approach to Reading and Spelling article helpful as well.
Please let me know if you have specific concerns or questions.
Crystal Mercado
says:My 7 year old son reads (small words) well some days and not others. How do I know if there’s an issue vs just not ready or just tired?
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceCrystal,
You may be able to tell by how often your son has trouble. If you work on reading at around the same time each day and do it consistently four or five days a week, then you would expect problems with reading to only show up when there is an obvious explanation (like he is sick) or maybe on the first day of the week. If you are working consistently at more or less the same time daily, I would expect how he does to be more or less the same or from day to day. (He will be improving but as you move forward in lessons it gets more difficult, so it will feel like he is doing more or less the same.)
I hope this helps some, but please let me know if you have questions or need more help. I’m happy to aid you as much as you need!
Fawzia
says:My son is 10 and still sounds words
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceFawzia,
I think you may find our How to Develop Reading Fluency article helpful to transition your son from sounding out words to reading smoothly.
The biggest need for developing smooth, fluent reading is to practice reading every day.
Thembakazi
says:Need help she can right but not read them but she speel them correct when righting them
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI’m sorry your child is having this difficulty, Thembakazi. I hope you find the suggestions in this blog post and in our 10 Tips for Reaching Your Struggling Learner blog post helpful.
Check out our Helping Kids Sound Out Words article. I think it may help.
JoAnn
says:Please send me information on how I can assist my grandchild with his reading
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceJoAnn,
Often a child struggles with reading because they are missing the foundational skills and knowledge necessary for reading success. Our “No Gaps” Approach to Reading and Spelling can address this.
Here are some blog posts that include activities to help students with reading:
How to Teach Phonograms
Helping Kids Sound Out Words
Break the “Word Guessing” Habit
Reading Readiness: The Top 5 Skills
You may also found our 10 Tips for Reaching Your Struggling Learner article helpful as well.
Thuli
says:Hi, I have my casiens Child he was doing grade 4 last year he pass to grade 5,but the is something missing he can’t read, and write my problem how come he alway pass, the is something wrong pls advice
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI’m sorry your child is having such difficulties, Thuli. Have you seen our 10 Tips for Reaching Your Struggling Learner blog post? It may be helpful.
Les
says:I have a learning disability I’m sixty eight years old and had to pretty much teach myself ! I have 4 grown children 3 out of the 4 were diagnosed with ADHD and one with a learning disability. thanks to my husband who paid for all their tutors they are doing well one has her own design company my son is a salesman doing great and my third daughter with a learning disability is a social worker at a school ! I have ten grandchildren! 2 so far with learning problems.one is going to be ok there parents have money! the social workers little girl is the one I worry about she is going to be 6 and doesn’t know her letters and her colors! I told my daughter two years ago that I think she has a problem but her teachers then and now say kids learn at there own pace. my Granddaughter came home crying that she is not smart! my kids took Orton Gillingham classes for years but that is reading what can we do now ? we have the letter factor go fish cards in the alphabet and colors cards is there anything else? I’m not sure she can afford Orton Gillingham classes it’s over $100 dollars a class where we and she lives .if there is any material out there that you could recommend we would be grateful thanks, Les
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceLes,
I’m so sorry your grandchild is struggling! I agree it is time to do something to help her as her self-esteem is being affected. Her mother can request assessments be done even despite the teachers’ feeling of “everyone learns at their own pace”.
All About Reading and All About Spelling are based on the Orton-Gillingham approach and are designed to be easy to teach at home with no prior training or experience.
Marie Rippel, author and creator of the programs, is a member of the International Dyslexia Association and has instructed graduate-level courses in Orton-Gillingham Literacy Training offered through Nicolet College in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. She has previously served on the Board of Directors of the Literacy Task Force in Wisconsin and tutored students for more than 20 years. Marie’s son is severely dyslexic, and being told by experts that he would never learn to read led directly to her creating All About Reading and All About Spelling. You can see a short video about her son’s story, Failure is Not an Option.
As for learning colors, first are you sure she is not color blind? While more rare with females, it can happen. There are online color blind tests available that are quick and easy to do at home.
Assuming she is not color blind, then the difficulty probably lies with trouble remembering which name belongs to which color. You can help her master colors by working with her in ways that help her memory rather than stress it. We have a free Help Your Child’s Memory ebook that I think you will find helpful.
First, respect her funnel (the funnel concept of memory is covered in the ebook) by working on just one color until it is mastered. Pick one color, say green, and work on it every day. Show green flashcards, make a collage of green things, have lunches or snacks of only green foods, go on “green walks” pointing out every green object, wear green shirts, and otherwise saturate her with green and the concept of green. Several times a day point to a green object and ask her what color it is.
After a couple of days of exploring green, ask her what green feels like. Whatever she replies, help her to make a green square of that texture/feeling. It doesn’t have to make sense to you; just to her. Maybe green is smooth like a leaf, or bumpy like a frog, or feels like grass, or whatever. Help her to make a tactile sheet that feels like green in her mind as well as being the green color. This, along with exploring green in conversation and with clothing, food, neighborhood walks, and such, is the making connections and SMI portions of the memory ebook.
Once you have spent at least a few days on green and she has mastered it (can easily say “green” when asked what color a green object is and can point to a green object when asked to point to something green), then introduce the next color. Choose a color that is quite different than green (orange or purple would be good), and work on it for a week, give or take, as you did green.
However, you must also continue to review the concept of green at least a few times a day even as she is learning the new color. This is the “making learning stick” point in the ebook. Keep the green collage and the green tactile sheet you together made displayed prominently even as you make a collage and tactile sheet for orange (or purple or whatever). Then, when you move on to the third color, you will review the first two colors daily as well.
Work through red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black, white, brown, and gray (in whatever order interests your grandchild). Once those are mastered, you can start expanding into more complex colors like cream, teal, lavender, and so on. Honestly, learning colors never really ends! I was in my thirties before I learned that cyan is a very specific shade that is really neither blue nor green but somehow between. It can be very fun to learn a new color every week or month continuously, plus it’s a great vocabulary-building exercise! Learning where the name “olive” for a particular shade of green came from leads to learning about olive trees which could lead, if you are interested, into Mediterranean geography studies.
I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have additional questions or need more help or suggestions. I’m happy to help as much as you and her mother need!
Concerned Mother
says:I need help. Both of my children have had the same reading teacher in school , in first grade. I MYSELF had the same reading teacher when I was there in first grade. They have both struggled once they got to first grade and I seriously don’t think its them with the issue. If we go a week without studying much at home, they fail. But if we study every night , they pass. It seems to me like this teacher is just not teaching them in school. I feel like I am having to teach them at home. They don’t struggle in any other subject. they have other teachers for all their other subjects.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI’m sorry your children are struggling! I can maybe offer tips and suggestions for your teaching if you have specific concerns or questions. Let me know.
I do recommend you address your concerns with your children’s school.
Mary Bedel
says:I have noticed SO MUCH improvement with my daughter through this program. Over summer break, she lost a lot of her fluency skills, but didn’t forget how to decode, which has eliminated a huge portion of her frustration. Thank you for creating this program and making it beautiful, effective, and engaging. We’re very grateful!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceGreat to hear, Mary. Many children lose some skills over long breaks, but it’s wonderful your daughter retained her decoding skills!
Mary Bedel
says:In the future, I hope to not have such a typical summer break. Is that what will stop the setbacks? Is there a typical time period that you shouldn’t go over, say, no more than two weeks off at a time?
Thanks!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceGreat question, Mary.
It really depends on the child. A couple of my own kids needed about one day’s worth of reviewing for every week or two they were off school, but a couple of my other kids could go a month without forgetting a thing. And some forget more in some subjects than others (one of my kids needs a bit of reviewing every Monday for Algebra).
One way to enjoy a long summer break but still minimize any forgetting is to include activities during your break that use the skills. We discuss this in our How to Beat the Summer Slide blog post.
Another option that many do is to plan to do a bit of school two or three days a week throughout the break. Even just 30 minutes of school (split into reviewing reading, spelling, and math) can help a child to retain everything from the previous school year.
When I take a long break, I plan to spend a day reviewing for every week we took off. Reviewing when we restart allows for a gentle beginning that helps us get back into the swing of things anyway. Sometimes, for some children, they may need more or less review, but a day for every week off has been a good starting place for us.
Bianca Adlem
says:My son is 11 and he cant read or spell we do homeschool but somedays its a struggle please help me
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI’m sorry your son is having such difficulties, Bianca.
Often older students like your son struggle because they are missing foundational knowledge and skills that are necessary for reading and spelling success. We offer a “No Gaps” Approach to Reading and Spelling.
Please let me know if you have specific concerns I may be able to help with.
Asiedu Joseph
says:Hi Marrie,
Thanks for sharing this rather informative guide.
I am shocked to know that “Approximately 10% of students are affected by dyslexia”.
That is very alarming.
Meaning 1 in every 10 children.
Anyway, thanks for sharing the resources.
I will dig deeper into the “Orton-Gillingham Approach”.
Once again, thanks for the guide.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Asiedu. Yes, it can be very surprising to learn how common specific learning disabilities are.
Viya
says:May recognize a word on one page, but not on the next page.
Substitutes similar-looking words, such as house for horse.
My child has these problems…
Thembi
says:Thanks guys .but I’m woride . At school they anly tels me that she won’t write or read but she sleeps that want to send her to the school for the skitso .even if I try she won’t consintreit I wish I could take her somewhere. She is 10years
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceIt is understandable to be worried, Thembi. I hope you can find help for her where you are at. Have you spoken with a doctor about it?
Sharon Nell
says:My 6 year old seems to show no interest in reading sometimes he reads the sentences he gets from school and then I point at words then he does not no them any suggestion
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceSharon,
It sounds like your child has not developed any skills for decoding or Sounding Out Words. When students have learned Phonograms and the sounds letters can make, they can learn to sound out the vast majority of words. If you help him learn to sound out words, instead of just memorizing them and knowing them on sight, he may do better.
I hope this helps some.
Lauren S
says:At what point will my son stop sounding out every single word on the page and actually remember the words? We’re on Lesson 11 of All about Reading 1 (which we just started because I could see in our old program him doing this exact same thing and getting frustrated)… he is enjoying this program much more and not getting frustrated, but I am wondering at what point he will actually remember the words! He only has 2 or 3 “mastered” words and EVERY other word on the flash cards must be sounded out every time. My daughter (2 years younger and just starting Kindergarten this upcoming year) hasn’t even began a reading program, but recognizes words before he does sometimes from just sitting with me while we do his lessons.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceLauren,
What you described is very common for many new readers! Reaching the goal of fluent reading will be a gradual process over many lessons. Some kids really need a lot of extra practice in the decoding stage, so spend as much time as needed and try not to worry if your student isn’t reading fluently just yet.
The important thing at this point is that he can sound out the words without difficulty or help. Here’s an article with more information on Helping Kids Sound Out Words that also explains the blending procedure and challenges that students face with learning this new skill.
Students may need to read a word thirty times or more before reading it fluently without sounding it out! So, just know that some beginning readers do need a lot of practice and review. Here’s an article on How to Develop Reading Fluency that can help you understand the overall scope of achieving fluency.
Here are some ideas that can help build fluency:
The Change-the-Word activities are especially helpful for working on blending and paying attention to ALL sounds in a word. Change one letter at a time, starting with simple 3-sound words like: bat-sat-sit-sip-tip-top…and so on. You can do this activity for a couple of minutes each day and not just when scheduled in the Teacher’s Manual. It is also really helpful for working on consonant blends when you get to those lessons (lessons 24-27).
The Word Cards allow you to track what has been mastered and what still needs work. Keep word cards in daily review until your student can read them easily without sounding them out. Here are some fun review ideas for word cards. The word cards will stack up as you go, so just rotate through a portion for 2-3 minutes each day and then pick up in the book wherever you left off previously. And here’s a fun little video explaining what to do when the cards stack up.
The fluency practice pages can be re-used as well. You might enjoy our 16 Ways to Make Practice Sheets Fun. (And check out the comments as well–lots of fun suggestions in there!)
Students who struggle with fluency will also benefit from rereading the same story two or three days in a row to gain fluency and confidence. Buddy Reading can be very powerful in helping students who are in this stage of struggling with fluency.
Rereading the stories will help accomplish these goals:
– Increase word rate
– Improve prosody. Prosody is “expressive reading.” It involves phrasing (grouping words into meaningful phrases), emphasis, and intonation (raising pitch at the end of questions, lowering pitch at the end of sentences)
– Improve automaticity (be able to recognize most words automatically without having to sound them out each time)
Here’s more help with Overcoming Obstacles when Reading AAR Stories.
You can also do a variation of buddy reading called “echo reading.” You read a few sentences with full expression, and then your child reads the same sentences, matching your expression as close as possible. Do this for three to five minutes a day, or whatever is a comfortable length of time for your child. Add in lots of praise when your child shows even a bit of improvement.
The “Fun with Emojis” article gives an enjoyable way to work on reading with expression too. This can be a great way to make reading fun that also sneaks in some extra practice from the fluency pages or readers. Check out Reading with Expression for this activity and others.
This should hopefully give you many ideas for helping him start to develop fluent reading, but overall it is normal for a child in the first quarter of All About Reading level 1 to still need to sound out most words.
JENNIE GRONNIGER
says:9 years old and reading at2nd grade level
Hilary Harris
says:My grandson in year 9 has just been diagnosed with dyslexia and dysgraphia and it is difficult to find engaging material to help. As a retired music teacher I am passionate about realising the full potential of each child and do feel that the system has let him down.
My grandson fits the profile of a 2E child who appears very intelligent but is very behind in school.
If I could only get him through the reading and writing and interpretation problems I am sure he would excel. Please advise many thanks
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceHilary,
I am so sorry this was missed until now.
Both All About Reading and All About Spelling are Orton-Gillingham based. This is a proven approach for helping students with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and other learning disabilities. Marie Rippel, author and creator of the programs, is a member of the International Dyslexia Association and has instructed graduate-level courses in Orton-Gillingham Literacy Training offered through Nicolet College in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. She has previously served on the Board of Directors of the Literacy Task Force in Wisconsin and tutored students for more than 20 years. Marie’s son is severely dyslexic, and being told by experts that he would never learn to read led directly to her creating All About Reading and All About Spelling. You can see a short video about her son’s story, Failure is Not an Option.
Here are some ways that AAR and AAS can help kids with dyslexia and other learning disabilities:
–AAR and AAS are explicit and tell students exactly what they need to know to read or spell. We don’t make them guess. The lessons are laid out in an orderly form for the teacher too so that each day you can simply open and go. The programs are easy to do at home without special training or previous experience.
-The programs are incremental and mastery-based. They provide the structure, organization, and clear guidance that kids who struggle need to learn. Our sequence was very carefully tested to reduce confusion for the child. A student will master one concept at a time before adding in others.
– AAR and AAS are multisensory. They approach learning through sight, sound, and touch. This helps kids who struggle with memory issues because they take in information in various ways and interact with it in various ways.
– They use specially color-coded letter tiles or Letter Tile app. Working with the letter tiles can make the difference between understanding or not understanding a concept.
– AAS and AAR are scripted, so you can concentrate on your student. The script is very clear, without excess verbiage. Marie also spent a lot of time researching how to word the rules. Our rules are worded so they are as easy for children to remember as possible.
– Both have built-in review in every lesson. Children with learning disabilities generally need lots of review to retain concepts. After a concept has been taught, don’t assume that the child knows it. Quickly revisit that concept again in the next lesson. With AAR and AAS, your child will have a Review Box so you can customize the review. This way, you can concentrate on just the things your child needs help with, with no time wasted on reviewing things that your child already knows. Customized review is important because you want every minute of your lesson to count.
Marie noticed when she was researching reading programs that few programs have enough review built in for kids who struggle to gain fluency, which is why AAR includes lots of reading practice with every lesson.
– AAS includes dictation that starts out very short. Level 1 starts out with just words and then progresses to 2-word phrases. Level 2 includes phrases and shorter sentences, while Level 3 moves up to slightly longer sentences and additional writing exercises. This gradual progression helps to build writing stamina and to strengthen working memory. The dictation is meant to be spread over several days, so you can take as much or as little time on that part as your child needs.
If you’d like to see some samples:
All About Reading samples and scope and sequence links
All About Spelling samples and scope and sequence links
You might like to visit our Dyslexia Resources Page as well.
Here’s a comment thread from our Facebook Support group that has tons of responses from moms of kids with dyslexia, autism, ADHD, and other diagnoses.
Lastly, All About Reading and All About Spelling have a one-year “Go Ahead and Use It” guarantee. You can try it, and if for any reason you feel that it isn’t the right match for your grandson, return it for a full refund, excluding shipping.
I hope this helps, but please let me know if you have questions, need help with placement, or anything else.
Jeff
says:My 8 years old daughter dislike reading and have problems with studies. We as parents started pushing her a lot. I feel she is trying her best and there’s unknown foundational issue. Please help as I feel she has started loosing her self esteem.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceJeff,
I’m so sorry to hear about your daughter’s self-esteem. Poor child.
Often students struggle because they have gaps in the foundational skills and knowledge necessary for success. Our The “No Gaps” Approach to Reading and Spelling can make a difference.
Please let me know if you have specific concerns I can possibly help with.
Dipti Gupta
says:My son Bhavya is now 7 years old and he is having reading difficulty and he is lacking behind in the class. He is not able to connect when ma’am is reading a chapter in the class and easily get distracted.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI’m sorry your son Bhavya is having such difficulties, Dipti. Have you spoken with his teacher about your concerns and his struggles?
Puna
says:This programme sounds good. My son does have the signs of dysgraphia and dyslexia and not so much sdequencing….currently I cannota afford the programme but reading you r emails encourages me. I find beind positive and givign him rewards for what he knows and what he gets corrent helps a lot! He is 9 now and get mostly Bs in class….
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI am pleased to hear that the emails and blog posts are helping your son, Puna.
Lisa Toleno
says:Recent research indicates up to 20% of people are dyslexic.
Also, dyslexia is an auditory discrimination deficit. Perhaps future versions of AAR and AAS can incorporate more phonemic awareness and orthographic mapping exercises to fill the deficit 20% of all kids have. It’s a great Orton-Gillingham program for neurotypical children, but orthographic mapping is necessary for dyslexics to register words in their long term memory and achieve automaticity. The word building activities are fun, but dyslexics need more.
Merry
says: Customer ServiceThanks for your comments, Lisa, I’ll be sure to pass these on!
Carolyn
says:This is a really excellent comment. Right now I’m supplementing with Kilpatrick’s one-minute drills for the PA, but I don’t have a good resource for the orthographic mapping. I am just mapping to align with the tiles when I introduce new words, esp. “irregular” ones.
Merry
says: Customer ServiceHi Carolyn,
I’d be happy to help! A lot of dyslexic students (even those with severe dyslexia like Marie’s son) have used All About Reading and All About Spelling successfully. You can email me at [email protected] to talk more in-depth about any struggles your child is having and for help with teaching strategies. There actually are a lot of activities woven into AAR and AAS that support and encourage the development of orthographic mapping skills, and I’d be happy to help you with using those strategies more fully.
Lynne
says:We have been through All About Reading levels 2 and 3 and are now in level 4. My dyslexic daughter is reading so well!!!! We couldn’t be more excited and pleased with this program! Her confidence has improved by leaps and bounds! I am a certified reading specialist and can’t say enough positive about the results of this program! We are also about to finish Allowing About Spelling level 3. We did level 2, as well. . She has made 2 1/2 years growth in one year! Lynne
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceWow, Lynne, your daughter is doing so well! Such amazing progress in just a year too! Thank you for sharing her success with All About Reading and All About Spelling.
Veronica mauldin
says:He is in 8 th grade, ADHD, always struggled and sone speech issues, some stuttering. What can we do- he
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceVeronica,
I’m sorry your son is struggling. It is important to seek out speech therapy for his speech issues, as speech difficulties can affect a student’s ability to spell and may even affect reading.
However, if you would like more information on how to directly address reading or spelling with him, please let me know.
Kandria
says:P.S. Some small words she can say.. But she sounds every letter out ,So the word ends up wrong.. She Also will fake read if it’s a picture in the book.. But if you didn’t know any better you would honestly think she could read… When she’s picture reading ,It Flows very well , But if she’s trying to read it’s real slow , and she started at your mouth to see what sound you’re fine to make so she can say it… It’s a few big words she knows by sight … But sorry for this long story .I just forgot to add this in before I got off the other letter I wrote.. once again Thank You Again.😔
Kandria
says:Hi ,My Child is in the 2nd grade. She Doesn’t know how to read..I’ve tried everything I could to help. She was Born at 26ws 1lb 5oz. She had left side brain bleeding…The Doctors said the wouldn’t Know the instinct of damage it cause until she got in first grade..I Got All types of learning things since she was born … I read to her constantly , Sounds of the alphabets , Shapes ,Polygons ,Rhombas & Diamonds ( She knew the difference) she was picking things up fast..When she started ECE at the age of 4yrs old ..She was good at reciting what you said..that was her strong point.. Then her Teacher started putting her at a desk off to the side because she would move around Alot. When I would ask why she was futher off by herself and not with the other kids She would say she was doing learning games etc etc.. Til one of her classmates said that was the bad station when you’re not paying attention…Until one day the teacher said she realized that’s how she learns ,Because she answered all her questions when she asked the class…Then she went to kindergarten..Well it was a private Christian School ,But the funding wasn’t right…So She kept alot of different teachers in and out… It was supposed to be Montessori Learning ,So Basically she missed out on the basic part of learning how to read with the sounds , Phonics etc etc…Then She went to 1st grade.. Explained to the teacher that she didn’t know how to read ..And evidently I couldn’t help her..So Please Don’t Put Her In The Front Of Class Telling Her To Read Because She didn’t know how..I Told her everything I mentioned in this message so far…Well she put her in front of the class to read ..Now here comes the Sad Part…The kids started calling her dumb ,she don’t know anything , etc etc. So I had a first grader that her spirit was crushed ,now don’t want to go to school at all… I’ve tried to have her evaluate to see if anything was wrong because of her medical Problems..I had this done at 4yrs old .. Because she had a broad vocabulary ..When the took her in the back and she started playing with the kitchen set she asked them would they like a beverage..She named water ,soda water, tea ,coffee ,juice or milk they said nothing was wrong , because she asked did the want tea…What 4yr old ask that…I replied ,The ones that drinks tea ,go to restaurant and the waitress ask them ,And I order tea…. Basically I need help.. They’re trying to send her to the 3rd grade…I’ve asked for a IEP.. They said she misses to many days out of school… My baby has a low immune system…she get sick real easy …but I know she needs a teacher.. Now with this Covid situation if she’s sick I keep her home, I have the Chronic Illness Form on File at the School… To excuse her days … But I’ve asked for a IEP every since 1st grade… I’m fighting for my baby ,But I keep getting doors closed left and right…. I just don’t know what to do… I’m trying to get the help to help her… But I do know that she needs the basics of learning how to read first… If they don’t know what the problem is how can the help… The majority of what I read on this page with the signs up above.. She’s having trouble with it… So please help me help her… Thank you in Advance.😔🤦🏾♀️🙏🏾
Cheryl
says:Hi Kandria! Look up Wright’s Law. The website will have info to help w IEP. I believe they have 60 days to respond and evaluate. She should have IEP for her illness. They must even work in summer to meet deadline, and meetings/evaluations should be in person even during COVID. Put Everything in writing. Join special education groups for your district on FaceBook to ask for help. Sadly, most of us end up having to provide curriculum on our own because it is cheaper than attorneys. Best wishes for you and your child!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceKandria,
I was shocked by what her first-grade teacher did! Poor child!
First, it is required by law for public schools to evaluate students for IEPs if requested by the parent or guardian in writing. Most of the time the process will be initiated with verbal requests, but if not, write a short letter requesting evaluation for an IEP. You can find sample letters that you can use, just making changes for your daughter’s unique case, online. Those sites also have great tips for how to proceed to ensure that the request is followed up on in a timely manner.
However, you can also help your daughter at home. You are correct that she needs the basics of reading first and foremost. Start with the Reading Readiness Skills. This blog post will help you evaluate if she has the foundational skills necessary to be successful with learning to read. If she has difficulties with any of these skills, start there. The blog post includes links for downloadable activities and games for working on these concepts, and our Pre-reading level of All About Reading focuses on the reading readiness skills in depth.
If she is well established in the readiness skills, then I recommend beginning with All About Reading level 1. It is a “No Gaps” Approach to Reading that is easy to teach at home with no prior teaching experience. It is also multisensory and mastery-based, allowing for the best progress possible.
I hope this helps some, but let me know if you have further questions or need more information. It makes me sad that a lack of solid teaching in her previous schools has lead to what she is experiencing!