Reading

[Anna]

Well my 9 year old has been in Summer School for the last week. She goes for Math and Reading, even though she really only needs the reading part. (they bus to and from school if the kids go to both session). Anyways, I have a feeling fourth grade is going to be VERY difficult for us. (Yes I was the one looking forward to it earlier this week *sigh*)

Jenna's reading is just AWFUL!!! She's at the lower end of her reading level. We've tried reading with her at home and she was in tutoring in the second grade to help her read better...and she'll be in tutoring this year to help her as well. (They only offer tutoring through her school every other year). But I didn't realize HOW awful her reading was until this morning.

Jenna got sick at school yesterday and had to leave school before reading started..so her teacher sent home FOUR papers that she was to read to me and have me sign off on. So we didn't have time to do them yesterday, and she didn't feel well...so we did them this morning. She couldn't even SOUND OUT the words...she just looked at the first letter or two and guessed at what she THOUGHT the word said. I was getting SO SO frustrated with her!!

We were told when we went for her developmental testing that she does NOT have a reading learning disability, that the believe it is all related to her ADD... and that once she gets on her target dose that we should see her reading grade improve dramatically... I sure hope they are right. We have two more weeks at 25 mg of Strattera before they will even consider putting her on 36 mg... and I KNOW she's below her target dose...but the doctor doesn't agree. *sigh*

Oh well... here's hoping the drugs can help her work a miracle and actually be able to focus long enough to retain information...

Anna

[rosyred45]

Mikey is actually a very good reader :DWhich is good, but he didn't start out that way, he would try and try, and then one day it just clicked. He does get ahead of himself so I make him reread things correctly....doing the assuming thing, and being in such a rush he would just guess words.

Is there any way to put a picture somehow with the words? I kinow simple words like a, and, the, would be hard, but with verbs you can find pictures of the actual activity and with objects, just that what ever it is. Just with the association aspect she can start to recognize the words.

Misunderstood Minds website might have something that you can look to for help. I haven't been there for a while, but it helped me out with understanding Mikey's writing.

Good Luck.

[catseye]

WHOA DOGGIE!!! Your 9 year old is in 4th Grade? HOLY MACKINOLE! LOL I knew sd was behind, but cripes... Sd is 8, but will be nine during this next school year, and only in the second grade...

Have you considered putting her back in third? Sd repeating first grade was the best thing that happened to her... The teacher really played it up that sd was the helper for all the new kids, her self esteem just soared during the second year of first grade...

My sd makes no attempts to sound out the words, even though I know (even hearing impaired) she knows the sounds of each letter of the alphabet... I find her looking at the pictures, and random guessing constantly... Never anywhere CLOSE to the freaking word...

Obviously I will be no help to you, since this is a daily struggle for us as well... Just wanted you to know you are not alone in educational struggles!! (((ANNA)))

cat

[eaccae]

Anna -

I don't know if I have any helpful suggestions or not. A couple of questions first - Who did the developmental testing the dr or the school? And what tests were they - do you know? I can't help but wonder if there might be a processing problem. When DS was tested again last year - there were a whole set of processing tests. He did well in all of them but the dr. mentioned that a couple of them had been shown to have a link to problems learning to read. I'll see if I can dig it up and fiture out which tests they were.

Alexander had a really hard time learning to read. He started 1st grade reading only his name. He is in 4th grade now is now reading at a 6th grade level. (He finished The Hobbit last year and is Book 2 of The Lord of the Rings). One thing we discovered was that he could only learn pheonetically. Which was interesting because in all the testing he came out "superior" with both short-term and long-term memory. But he couldn't memorize one sight word - not even "the". His cousin, on the other hand, could only learn using sight words and found it almost impossible to sound out any word. It was very difficult listening to Alexander read in the beginning (he had to read aloud because of his attention - reading silently and he wouldn't get through a chapter). It sounded broken and was soooooo slow - but he eventually sounded out every word and was able to read even the complex. It just was very difficult as a parent to have to listent to it. On the other hand, his cousin would read very smoothly and quickly - but she would skip half of the words in the sentences. I am not quite sure how they solved her problem - maybe it just came with age. For Alexander - we purchased the Read with Phonics system and it worked wonders! Again - because he was strictly a pheonetic learner (most children are both). I am excited because the kindergarten DD is going to teaches with this program as well.

There has to be something else that is causing her problems - not just the medication dosage. I have a feeling that once you all figure it ou and she starts getting help - she'll just explode and blossom - that is what DS did. It is finding out what is going on that is the tricky part! I wish I could be of more help.

[rosyred45]

I've noticed that the schools aren't teaching the phonics anymore Thast might be part of the problem too. Tara could remember sight words just like that, but Mikey had to sound them out. Now he can't get enough of reading

[catseye]

I found this on another site, and thought it would fit well here!

Why the english language is so hard to learn

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.

2) The farm was used to produce produce.

3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

4) We must polish the Polish furniture.

5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.

6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time
to present the present.

8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

10) I did not object to the object.

11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.

13) They were too close to the door to close it.

14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.

15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

18) After a number of injections my jaw got number.

19) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.

20) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

21) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

[rosyred45]

I HEARD THAT

I don't get the last one though

[catseye]

rosyred45 said:

I HEARD THAT

I don't get the last one though

Me either, but I wasnt going to admit it!! LOL

cat

[rosyred45]

The thesaurus says intimation means hint, so maybe he or she doesn't want to be blunt-like me

[finnmom]

Cat

That was good, I think I´ve seen it here before...

I think the most difficult part of learning english is that you pronounce the word different as you write them But I dont agree that english is a hard language to learn, I think finish, japanese and chinese were selected as the most hardest languages to learn

As for learning to read, my ds9 had a struggle first, seemed impossible that he could ever learn how to read, but now he has got it very nicely, and he like´s to read alot So there is hope

[rosyred45]

Marja will now be teaching us our Finnish lesson today ;D

[finnmom]

rosyred45 said:

Marja will now be teaching us our Finnish lesson today ;D

Kaiti ;D
I think I´ll spare you this time, but in case some one want´s to... I´am always ready to spread some knowledge around ;D

[LaurieL]

Anna- Have you tried Speech Therapy? My son had a horrible time and then someone reccomeded speech and it has done a world of good-- not only for his reading but his spelling. He is not the greatest speller in the world but at least he is getting some of them right now. He will be in the 5th grade this year and we did speech outside of school as it is not offered in his school. If you go to a public school they should have some type of speech otherwise check with your insurance and see if they will allow it. Ours covered it at 100% and it has been a huge help.

[lllex]

Anna,

Have you had her tested for vision problems? Not just the standard 20/20 vision test, but a comprehensive test with a developmental optometrist or a vision therapist. My 9 year old son has started vision therapy, it's to soon to see if it'll help yet. Anyway it's something to consider.

Laura