OT: Anyone have a dyslexic child?

[ebtbmom]

My 11yr DS was diagnosed with dyslexia when he was 9. He went to tutoring for 2 years, but this year we took him out because we chose to use the money to put him in private school. I am nervous if he'll be OK without tutoring.

How do you deal with your child's dyslexia? His main problem is with spelling. We have to drill his words each week for him to take the test. He usually gets an A on the test, so I don't want it not graded, I just wish I knew how to help him spell the words. Traditional "breaking it down" doesn't work well for him. He also has problems with handwriting. Other than simple practice what has worked for you?

He also sometimes can't pronounce certain words. For example the Vinylmations that we're collecting now, he can't remember their name so he just calls them "Vindys". I want to correct him and have him practice until he can say it, but I don't want him to feel harrassed.

I wish the tutor had worked with me and my husband on techniques. They did a good job I guess but when I'd ask for instruction they would just tell me some vague not really helpful advice. Either it required a lot more training to deal with than I was thinking, or they wanted to keep their trade secrets!

 

[DonaldsDaisy]

I don't have a child with dyslexic but I was diagnosed with it at the same age as your son. So I will give you my experiences.

I had the same difficulties as your son. Spelling was always an issue and still is at the age of 35. What I found worked best for me is flash cards. I remember in middle school that I wrote everything on 3x5 cards. This really helped me with spelling as a younger child. For me if I saw, read and spelled the word enough I would finally get it. As I got older I would use the cards for definitions for my medical courses.

As far as his pronunciation I still have trouble with this. There are a handful of words that I just really need to think about before saying. I still cannot say Hallellujah.

I would not put too much pressure on him as far as how he pronounces words. It will only make him self conscious. I would suggest writing down a list of words that he seems to have trouble with and go over them with him a few times a week. That way he doesn't feel like he is being harrassed about them all the time.

I would also recommend helping him find something that he excels at and praising him about it. My parents alway did that with math and science! I guess that is why I ended up in the medical field! Also, most people who are dyslexic are very creative. Help him find something where he can feel relaxed at.

And lastly, the one thing my parents always did was make sure I understood that having dyslexia doesn't make you stupid. They always pointed out that Albert Einstein and Tom Cruise(it was the 80's)are both dyslexic.

You might want to show him this website: http://www.dyslexia.com/famous.htm

Hope it helps!

 

[lastminutemom]

While I certainly understand your desire for private schooling, I am sorry that it had to be an either or situation. Learning the coping mechanisms for dsylexia really can make a difference in the outcome. Did you look for private schools that specialize in children with dyslexia or other learning disabilities?

 

[Familycircus]

Subbing
because we are starting the process of having our 11yr old tested for dyslexia. Same deal, spelling, reading, pronunciation and I believe resulting in some of his frustration.

My wife has dyslexia. She attended and graduated from a college with a specialized program for learning disabilities. They actually re-taught her the alphabet and how to read.

 

[ebtbmom]

I don't have a child with dyslexic but I was diagnosed with it at the same age as your son. So I will give you my experiences.

I had the same difficulties as your son. Spelling was always an issue and still is at the age of 35. What I found worked best for me is flash cards. I remember in middle school that I wrote everything on 3x5 cards. This really helped me with spelling as a younger child. For me if I saw, read and spelled the word enough I would finally get it. As I got older I would use the cards for definitions for my medical courses.

As far as his pronunciation I still have trouble with this. There are a handful of words that I just really need to think about before saying. I still cannot say Hallellujah.

I would not put too much pressure on him as far as how he pronounces words. It will only make him self conscious. I would suggest writing down a list of words that he seems to have trouble with and go over them with him a few times a week. That way he doesn't feel like he is being harrassed about them all the time.

I would also recommend helping him find something that he excels at and praising him about it. My parents alway did that with math and science! I guess that is why I ended up in the medical field! Also, most people who are dyslexic are very creative. Help him find something where he can feel relaxed at.

And lastly, the one thing my parents always did was make sure I understood that having dyslexia doesn't make you stupid. They always pointed out that Albert Einstein and Tom Cruise(it was the 80's)are both dyslexic.

You might want to show him this website: http://www.dyslexia.com/famous.htm

Hope it helps!

Thanks for the advice. I like the flash card idea. Maybe I could write them on there broken down into easy to spell segments. He usually does pretty well if he can figure out how to spell words in small sections.
He's actually pretty good a piano, he'd probably be great if I could just get him to practice! He's also a whiz with social studies, that kid loves learning facts about the presidents.
What do you do in the medical field? I have a cousin that has dyslexia (far more severe than my son's) and he is in Pharmacy school, doing really well too!

 

[ebtbmom]

While I certainly understand your desire for private schooling, I am sorry that it had to be an either or situation. Learning the coping mechanisms for dsylexia really can make a difference in the outcome. Did you look for private schools that specialize in children with dyslexia or other learning disabilities?

I did check into this, unfortunately we live in a rural and impoverished area of NC. The closest one away is 3.5 hours and cost between 20-30000 a year. Of course, if my son's grades start falling we'll have to eliminate the vacation money and put him back in tutoring. He's still an A B student though and really likes his new private school.

 

[ebtbmom]

Subbing
because we are starting the process of having our 11yr old tested for dyslexia. Same deal, spelling, reading, pronunciation and I believe resulting in some of his frustration.

My wife has dyslexia. She attended and graduated from a college with a specialized program for learning disabilities. They actually re-taught her the alphabet and how to read.

My son's 3rd grade year was an absolute nightmare. We hadn't realized what was going on then. I had an epiphany during the summer b/w 3rd and 4th, had him tested, and life has been a lot better since. He still has to work harder than you would think he should, but just knowing what we're dealing with makes life so much better.
What college did your wife go to if you don't mind me asking?

 

[Jasperann]

I had/have dyslexia... I was diagnosed with it when I was about 9/10. I used flash cards like one of the previous posters. They really helped. I also wrote the words out about 20 times each. The only problem with that is that now I have to be able to write a word to know how to spell it. I have issues saying some words... like hospital... just can not say that one. But it's something I've grown up with so, it isn't really an issue for me. I would read a lot in high school for pleasure, which really helped me out. I do have issues with numbers still though, I'll see something and just read it wrong or write it wrong...and I know it's wrong as I'm doing it. So frustrating! Like others have said, focus on the positive things that he does... and praise them! It will enable him to grow more in those areas. Good Luck!

 

[disneycruising]

I have a 9 year old DD (4th grade) that is dyslexic. We had her tested in 1 grade. She attended public school, where she went to resource 2x a week and to speech 1X a week. The rest of the time she was in a regular classroom. After school, she worked with an educational therapist (2X a week) that was not trained in dyslexia.

Currently, her penmenship & spelling is horrible, about a 1st grade level. She still makes her B & D backwards. She has been learning sight word since K and is only at 1.5 grade level. Her reading is finally... at 4th grade level. Her math at a 6th grade level.


Last spring, she asked us to find her a school for dyslexic children. We finally found one an hour way. Which means driving 4 hours a day to take her to and from school!!! But has been so worth it! She started her 4th grade this year. She is so in love with the school. She loves that EVERYONE is like her!! In just a few short weeks she has been happier and more self confident. She comes out of school everyday with a huge smile on her face. I truly wish I had done it sooner.

If your child can not attend a school for dyslexic children. You should look for a tutor that specializes in dyslexia. If you can't afford to do this, you might want to get trained to be a tutor yourself... Susan Barton has a great program.

In her new school they do this really cool thing. Where they have them say a work, chant the work, spell the word in the air, before they write it on paper. It seems to work really great. You might want to try it.

 

[K and K's Mommy]

Do you happen to know if his tutoring was in Orton Gillingham? I was trained in it about eleven years ago, but then I had my first child and never really tutored anyone with it. It is very successful with dyslexic children.

Dyslexics can't chunk words like we can. They do better if they have a phonics based program because they can memorize the phonics rules. For example, with the word "day", younger students are going to need to know the d sound and that ay says the long a sound. Of course, they may see the d as a p or b and say "pay or bay." With these mistakes it sometimes helps to trace the letter so they get the sensory.

When the kids get older, they need to learn syllable rules. When I took the training, I learned so much because I never needed these rules. I just naturally chunked words into smaller parts, but dyslexics don't do that. An example, might be the word " refreshment." Many of us see the three syllables naturally, but a dyslexic student needs the tools how to break it down.

The best advice I can give you is practice, practice, and more. Repetition works well. In the training I received the child always had to go through all her sounds, we learned one new sound, and then practiced blending. I worked with a second grader so I never did syllables. Hopefully his teacher is using phonics rules, but if not, you may need to. If the word is a nonphonetic word, he just has to memorize it.

Good luck!

 

[NJtoATL]

I was not diagnosed until I was a sophomore in college. I always had trouble with spelling and I still do. But my personality type for having to be "right" compensated for my learning disability. I graduated from college, graduated from grad school 2x. We just have to work harder. Hard work never killed anyone. My thing is to proofread my work at least 2 or 3 times before turning it end. I never wait until the last minute to complete an assignment. I would have the assignment complete 3 or 4 days ahead of time. Less stressful that way.

Now I teach in an elementary school. Having a blast teaching youngster how to read.

 

[disneycruising]

Do you happen to know if his tutoring was in Orton Gillingham? I was trained in it about eleven years ago, but then I had my first child and never really tutored anyone with it. It is very successful with dyslexic children.

Dyslexics can't chunk words like we can. They do better if they have a phonics based program because they can memorize the phonics rules. For example, with the word "day", younger students are going to need to know the d sound and that ay says the long a sound. Of course, they may see the d as a p or b and say "pay or bay." With these mistakes it sometimes helps to trace the letter so they get the sensory.

When the kids get older, they need to learn syllable rules. When I took the training, I learned so much because I never needed these rules. I just naturally chunked words into smaller parts, but dyslexics don't do that. An example, might be the word " refreshment." Many of us see the three syllables naturally, but a dyslexic student needs the tools how to break it down.

The best advice I can give you is practice, practice, and more. Repetition works well. In the training I received the child always had to go through all her sounds, we learned one new sound, and then practiced blending. I worked with a second grader so I never did syllables. Hopefully his teacher is using phonics rules, but if not, you may need to. If the word is a nonphonetic word, he just has to memorize it.

Good luck!

Great Explanation of dyslexia!

 

[Familycircus]

What college did your wife go to if you don't mind me asking?

Sure, its Graceland University in Iowa. The "Chance Program" is the name and is tailored to the individuals needs.

Anyone can PM me for more info.