1. When taking classes or attending seminars for work, record the class lesson. It’s easy today with a Smartphone or laptop or handheld digital recorder. Later, listen to the tape a number of times until you understand it completely. While listening, write down the important points for additional reinforcement.

2. Use a voice-recording device to create messages that will help you to remember important things or your daily schedule. This can enhance your communication and organization skills.

3. Organize materials needed for the next day the night before. Then, place it in an obvious place so you will see it when leaving the house. This is important because dyslexics are prone to forget items that they can not see. Incorporating this habit into your routine will help cope with short term memory problems.

4. It’s never too late to improve your reading skills, even if you are severely dyslexic. Consider trying out the Reading Horizons software, especially for adults with dyslexia. There is a FREE 7 day trial so what do you have to lose?

Proven Adult Reading Program – Improve your reading skills today!

Keep checking back with us to stay up to date with the latest developments in research being done on dyslexia. Important for parents, teachers, adults with dyslexia and researchers.

Latest Dyslexia Developments in November Continue Reading

Orton Gillingham Reading Program is Most Effective for Dyslexia

The Orton-Gillingham approach to reading instruction is language-based, multisensory, structured, sequential, cumulative, cognitive, and flexible. Many mistakenly think it is a newly developed methodology for teaching reading when actually, the Orton-Gillingham approach has been in use since the 1930s. Orton-Gillingham programs are used only in special education classes and not as part of the public school reading curriculum.

Homeschooling parents also incorporate Orton-Gillingham instruction methods and programs . An intensive, phonics-based system teaches the basics of word formation before whole meanings. The method accommodates and utilizes the three learning modalities — visual, auditory and kinesthetic.

What Orton-Gillingham Reading Programs can I Buy for Home Instruction?

One of the leading Orton-Gillingham phonics programs available today is Reading Horizons . Cpnsidered as one of the most effective reading programs for treating dyslexia, a range of phonics programs and workbooks are offered for supplementing or creating an Orton-Gillingham reading curriculum.

What is “Multisensory” teaching?
When a teacher or parent uses Orton-Gillingham techniques, lessons are interactive, involving constant interaction between the teacher and the student and the simultaneous use of multiple sensory teaching. The student is required to listen, speak, read and write and this helps reinforce each reading skill.

Structured, Sequential, and Cumulative
An Orton-Gillingham based reading curriculum teaches language systematically. Students begin by reading and writing sounds in isolation. Then they blend the sounds into syllables and words. Students learn the elements of language–consonants, vowels, digraphs, blends, and diphthongs—in order. They then proceed to advanced elements such as syllable types, roots, and affixes. As students learn new material, they continue to review old material to the level of reading fluency and automatically.

TIP!

Reading is a big struggle for a dyslexic child. Supplement reading instruction at home with a program designed to help dyslexic children learn to read!

What Are Learning Disabilities?         I am dislexia

Dyslexia                                      Dyslexia–the Signs to Look For

Ron Davis - on Dyslexia                    Dyslexia- The Struggle Through School

Reading does not come naturally to people – it is an activity that must be taught. Dyslexia is a neurological condition  that affects a child’s ability to learn how to read.
Auditory dyslexics have difficulty associating sounds with letters and thus have trouble expressing words of text.

By contrast, visual dyslexics have trouble developing a site word vocabulary, meaning they must laboriously decode words.

Nevertheless, dyslexics of either type can achieve success with the proper tools and training.

Dyslexic students require special instruction to overcome reading barriers.

Since phonics awareness is essential for reading, an intensive multi-sensory program is recommended for the Dyslexic child. A reading program for dyslexic learners should be systematic, cumulative and provide for plenty of practice.

Dyslexia Test

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Dyslexia warning signes

What to look for as early warning signs of a reading difficulty
The earliest signs that indicate possible reading difficulty in a child can be observed during preschool and kindergarten years. Be aware of signs that indicate there may be a problem with learning to read:
• Difficulty manipulating sounds in words
• Struggles with rhyming, word games, or recognizing words that start with the same sound.
• Has not learned the alphabet, despite making efforts, by kindergarten.
• Is not speaking at the level of his peers.
• Trouble making associations between sounds and letters.
• Problems in detecting differences in speech sounds and performing tasks that require this skill, such as:
• Pronouncing new words and remembering them
• Breaking words apart into sounds
• Blending sounds together to make words
• Remembering the names and sounds of the letters

During First Grade
A child with weak phonological skills often prefers to guess at unknown words while reading because he is not very good at figuring out the sounds or blending them together. Your first grader resists when you suggest that he read aloud to you.
By the middle of first grade your child should be able to read at least 100 common words, such as the, and, and is, and know the letter-sound associations well enough to read words in simple books. Watch for these warning signs as you listen to your child read aloud:
• Doesn’t know the sounds associated with all of the letters
• Skips words in a sentence and doesn’t stop to self-correct
• Can’t remember words; sounds out the same word every time it occurs on the page
• Frequently guesses at unknown words rather than sounding them out

You can also look at your child’s writing for clues about reading difficulty.
By the end of kindergarten a child should be writing words that contain most of the consonant sounds in a word, even though the vowels will often be missing or inaccurate until later.
But always keep in mind, if your child is struggling it does not necessarily mean there is a problem. Learning to read is a complex process. For most children, it takes time and effort; and for anyone for whom it does not come easy, plenty of direct, systematic instruction. But everyone can read, if taught according to their needs.

While  you can do quite a bit to help your children become better readers, most parents do not have the expertise, skills, or resources to be your own child’s reading tutor. So in cases where a child is truly struggling with learning to read, consider getting a good reading tutor to help out. It can make a world of difference in your child’s school experience. Avoiding frustration early on, will help avoid years of potential frustration and struggle. Finding the right tutor can be a challenge. You can start by asking at your child’s school if they recommend any tutors or commercial learning centers. Also, ask other parents if they have experience with any tutors.

What to ask the tutor:
If it is a commercial tutoring program, check the credentials of the tutors they employ and how they will work with your child.
Will the same tutor be working with your child each time?
Is the entire session one-on-one with the tutor?
Is software used during the session?
Do you need to purchase materials that the center offers?

A tutor should be a certified teacher with experience or at least a graduate student working towards a related degree. Ask about the tutor’s teaching methods and curriculum and check online whether these are recommended by experts. If your child has any special circumstances or needs, discuss this with the tuor and try to discern if they are capable of handling your child’s needs.

To save on the expense of hiring a tutor, it is worthwhile asking about purchasing a package of sessions and/or considering the option of sharing sessions with another student. You should also ask the tutor or center to evaluate how much time they expect your child needs to improve his/her reading skills. Some children catch up to their peers within weeks. Others may take months. An experienced tutor should be abloe to provide a good estimate after the first few sessions.

If your child has dyslexia, ADD or any other learning disability, check that the tutor you hire has been specially trained to work with learning disabled students. Some of the characteristics of a good tutor include:Trained in established instructional approaches.
Lots of experience tutoring children in reading, particularly LD students if your child has been diagnosed with a learning disability.
Good at working with children — if your child wants to go back, this is the best indication.

How tutoring a student with a learning disability differs
Kids with learning disability learn the same skill set as their peers. However, the language structure is taught more explicitly, they require more guided feedback, and multisensory techniques are used to help reinforce what they are learning through simultaneous use of learning pathways.

There are many “brands” of reading programs out there that some reading tutors may use. You may not know if a particular method is right for your child until you try it. Popular methods include Orton-Gillingham, Wilson Language Training® and Lindamood-Bell® Also, a tutor may use or suggest buying a phonics software program for supplementary work, such as Hooked on Phonics Essentials , ClickN’Read Phonics or Frontline Phonics .

Parents who have not had their child tested and don’t have a formal confirmation of a reading disability, may hesitate to hire a specially trained tutor. But keep in mind that it can’t hurt to hire someone who is specially trained, even if your child is not reading disabled. If he will make quick progress, he won’t need the tutor for long. And if he does have a reading disability, hiring the right teacher from the start will be a far better decision than having to change.

Lastly, consider that some tutors may be willing to schedule a one-hour free consultation. This can be the best opportunity to learn more and to find the right tutor for your child.

Reading does not come naturally to people – it is an activity that must be taught. Dyslexia is a neurological condition  that affects a child’s ability to learn how to read.
Auditory dyslexics have difficulty associating sounds with letters and thus have trouble expressing words of text.

By contrast, visual dyslexics have trouble developing a site word vocabulary, meaning they must laboriously decode words.

Nevertheless, dyslexics of either type can achieve success with the proper tools and training.

Dyslexic students require special instruction to overcome reading barriers.

Since phonics awareness is essential for reading, an intensive multi-sensory program is recommended for the Dyslexic child. A reading program for dyslexic learners should be systematic, cumulative and provide for plenty of practice.