Teaching reading to a dyslexic can be frustrating at best. There is no one right way to teach reading and when you ask for opinions you get so many different answers. It has taken us a while, but I think we have found the perfect combination for Rosalynn.
A Little Background
First let’s start with a little background. Rosalynn was not ready for any type of formal lesson until she was closer to 6 years old. Prior to that we did some basic letter and number recognition but no sit down type of school work. As we progressed through her first formal year of learning I was noticing some reversals when it came to her letters but chalked it up to being age appropriate.
She was also having a very hard time as we started introducing her to reading. She didn’t enjoy it, she wasn’t retaining what we were learning, and I didn’t know what to do. Then one day she showed me a page in her art journal where she had written her name in rainbow. She had written her name left to right on one side, and completely mirrored and reversed it on the other side. This is when I knew something was going on.
We were finally able to get into get some testing done and she was diagnosed with dyslexia along with some other learning differences.
Rooted In Language
For her main lesson, we have been using Pinwheels from Rooted in Language. This has been a great choice for her because it has a multi-sensory approach. We are taking it very slow right now but she is grasping many of the concepts as we are going through the lessons. Pinwheels not only teaches phonics but also covers handwriting as well as spelling and grammar rules. Her favorite part are the Pinwheel Parties. My friend Niki from Homeschool-ology has a great flip through on her YouTube.
Explode the Code
Another resource we are using is Explode the Code. Explode the Code is a phonics-based program with no bells and whistles but is so good. It is spiral-based in its approach in the sense that it does come back and review what you’ve learned in each lesson every so often. She was so proud when she finished book 1. I like Explode the Code because it’s not grade based, but level based so book 1 isn’t necessarily 1st grade. There are half steps in the series and we do use the half-step books just to reinforce the lessons she has learned but if your child is picking up the concepts quickly you could move through the books without the half steps. Since we have started using Explode the Code they have added an online component, which I am thinking I might add into our rotation for the new school year.
Charlotte Mason Inspired Reading Lessons
The last resource we are using are the Free and Treadwell Readers. The stories in the readers have a high repetition rate which is good to reinforce new words. One thing I am going to be adding to our repertoire with the Free and Treadwell Readers is a notebook of the words she already knows. That way we can review them each time we go to read a new story out of her reader and she will have that much more confidence when reading a new story. One thing I’ve learned about Rosalynn is that she is likely to give up on new things if they are “too hard”. This is the reason we are going to build a book of words she knows.
Tutoring
Our wonderful friends over at Hang Tough Foundation has partnered with Tutors for Tally and have given scholarships out to some Heroes. This has given us the chance to get some much needed one on one reading tutoring. I am excited to see how much she grows with this help.
As with all learning differences what works for one child may not work for every child. This just happens to be the best combination we have going. At the same time, I am always evaluating and tweaking what needs to be changed for the next term or school year.
I would love to know if you have any resources you have used that has made a difference.
Thanks for all the info. Very helpful blog!
Thank you!