working on reading

[SeekingSimplicity]

My dd has some visual perception problems. As a general rule we work on phonics everyday, because if we don't she forgets everything. Right now she can sound out small words, recognizes a few sight words, but has no fluency at all. She has to sound out each and every sound, and then figure out the word. And no comprehension of what she has read.I know that she needs practice to help with this, but she can only read for a minute or two, then she gets dizzy, gets a headache, feels sick at her stomach. So we read a couple minutes then stop so she doesn't get sick from her headache.I've given her a couple weeks off, to take a break before we start our new school year. Monday we'll start back. I'm just feeling a little frustrated, and wish I could somehow magically fix it. ykwim?

[Dobela]

Have you had her vision checked? My son was doing this and while he had near perfect vision, his tracking was so poor that he fell way behind in reading and had the same physical symptoms. We began vision therapy in April and it has been a wonderful, wonderful thing. We have been fortunate to find a very dedicated and very serious Vision therapist. I know some don't like www.covd.org (http://www.covd.org) , but the Signs and Symptoms page is a great place to begin. My son had every one.

[Ottakee]

I would first make sure to get a full vision exam.

After that, try using a notched card to help with tracking. You move the card along uncovering the words sound by sound which really helps with tracking.

The I See Sam books are very good for using this method and for kids with reading issues. www.3rsplus.com

[SeekingSimplicity]

Yes, we've had a full eye exam. She has some problems and needs vision therapy, but we're not able to get it. I'm working on getting her some cards that have a color filter and then a strip at the top and bottom for line tracking. But we'll try a notched card and see how she does with that :)

I'm just getting my whining out of the way now so I can put on a smiley face Monday morning and act excited about reading :P

[Ottakee]

Another hint I learned--when using a book mark, etc. to keep their place on the page put it ABOVE the line they are reading. This way they can easily track to the next line while moving the marker down. Otherwise they have to move the marker to see the next word when they get to the end of a line.

[SeekingSimplicity]

Great idea! Thanks!

[AngieW in Texas]

Dr. Kenneth Lane has a book with some vision therapy type exercises.
http://www.amazon.com/Developing-Ocular-Visual-Perceptual-Skills/dp/1556425953/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249141324&sr=8-1
It isn't cheap, but it isn't super-expensive either. You may be able to find it at your library. It doesn't replace vision therapy, but it may help until you can do VT.

Headsprout also has some visual processing activities. It's fairly expensive at $180 for the program. It was a tremendous help in getting my dd over the hump of sounding out every word, which she was still doing after VT. The difference was that before VT, my dd would sound out a word correctly and then still not know what it was half the time. After VT, she would sound it out and know it. Her comprehension was extremely low until after Headsprout because her reading speed was so excruciatingly slow that she forgot what she'd already read.