My son is an adorable 7yr old. He is very intelligent and very outgoing for his age. He has incredible verbal skills and he is good at math. He is an excellent student in school and enjoys working on all subjects especially Botany. This is our problem with him. When it comes to reading he is not confident in his ability to do so. He constantly sounds out simple words over and over again especially after he just read it! I find myself getting frustrated and he feels it and he shuts down. I think sometimes he is dyslexic because of his behavior while trying to read and he often turns words around. I need help with this matter. Where do they test for this? What good tools are available to help me "fire him up" for reading. Any help and advice I am open to it.
My daughter had the same problem. I took her to the Illinois Eye Institute, 3241 S Michigan Ave, ###-###-####. Her eyes did not work together. She had vision training and over time the problem was corrected. In the mean time try using a blank index card and let him read line by line. I daughter just received her Master Degree, in Engineering, so don't give up.
There is a great reading program you can do at home. It may be offered in your school as well: Wilson reading program. Also a good idea to rule out vision difficulties- has he had a vision test?
S. Botana PHD
School Psychologist and Childcare Coordinator with Cultural Care Au Pair
____@____.com
As a teacher my first word of advice to parents is follow your first instincts about what you know about your child. You are the expert of him. If you think that there are learning issues/differences go to your local public school and ask to speak to the counselor. Talk to them about the child's differences and learning styles and struggles. Ask to have your child evaluated. By law if a parent requests an evaluation the public schools are legally obligated to do it. Make sure you sign a consent for evaluation. At the same time to see your pediatrician and rule out any physical/health concerns/vision needs. Some universities also have educational facilities that charge on a sliding scale for having a child tested and tutored. As in any difficulty or difference in learning early intervention is key. The longer one waits for intervention the more likely the child gets further behind, and more importantly to me as a parent and teacher, is the child thinks less of him/herself and loses self esteem.
While at home do not force him to read! Read a loud to him as much as you can. He may have a different style of learning and may need to hear the words more and see them more to learn them better. Pick up predictable books at the library and while reading, and before turning the next page, have him guess what he thinks will happen next. Prediction will give you a clue as to whether or not he is understanding what he is hearing. Reading is not just about the child reading but understanding, making conclusion and maybe even drawing new conclusions. At the end of you reading a book to him have him draw a picture of what he remembers and have him retell the story. Rewrite the story in HIS OWN WORDS and have him read those back.
There are many fun things that as a teacher I work with my own students and my own children.
I wish you continued success, and sorry about the long response!
D.
Hi E. maybe you should consider getting his eyes checked. I remember having some of the same issues when I was younger and my family thought I might have a learning disability...turns out I needed glasses. Good luck to you and your little one.
B
my husband and i have 8 v kids ages 20 years old 2 14 months old , our middle daughter dislikes reading , and for us frustration is at a high , we decided to go to borders a bookstore and walmart and get the reading books that come in stages , 1,2,3 it works it lets her read at her own pace and she is 12 and still needs to sound out words and she uses her fingers still to add.
My daughter was the same way until this past year. I had her tested and it turned out it isn't. She has a little trouble focusing on what she is reading--not an eyesight issue itself. I had planned to take her to an optomologist to see if she needed help or exercises to focus her eyes--not an eyesight issue itself. I cannot remember what it is called but it is where the eyes tend to wander instead of staying on the words. This is also not an ADD/ADHD issue. She would take an hour to read a chapter in a book. It is very frustrating. If you want ot have him tested for dyslexia, you can contact the school district but you will probably have to insist it be done. One thing you will be asked though is if he tends to mix up numbers as well.
Be patient and don't blame him. I thought my d was just being lazy and it made her feel worse. She had jumped a full grade in reading level this past year where she used to be a grade level lower than she should have been. These are some tools we used: A ruler to help her follow the words. After she read a page or section, we talked about it. This helped her understand what she was reading (one of the problems she was having. Since i thought it was a focusing issue, I made cue cards with words she should know. Then I would have her read them in front of her, held at arms length and in slow motion. I don't know for sure that this all worked but she is at the right reading level now instead of a yr or more behind.
Dyslexia (decoding problems as opposed to reading comprehension problems)is not an uncommon problem in children. If your son indeed has such a problem it would be make a difference to find out sooner rather than later.
I would start by talking to his teacher and see how does she feel about his reading skills. You could request the school for an evaluation--make sure the evaluation is geared for dyslexia. If you aren't satisfied by the response of the school you could look for a private assessment. I was trained by a speech-language pathologist who specializes in reading disorders. She is Dr. Cheryl Scott and she works at Rush University Medical Center: ###-###-####. She could do a complete evaluation and provide you with effective intervention guidance.
Well, if he is 7 he is in school, either way you could contact the school counselor or even ask your doctor but i'm pretty sure you could have him evaluated for dyslexia or any other type of learning disability through the school.This would put your mind at ease if nothing is found and if they do find something now is the time to get him help before he gets discouraged and gives up. Also, have you tried books for early readers with easier words and work your way to more difficult books. You may also want to have him read with someone other than yourself it may be that he is afraid to be wrong because you will be upset.
