What would you suggest for remediation 15yo

[wenn]

I have a 15yo who had 90+ hours of vision therapy from age 9-13(with a 2 year break in the middle), he also did PACE at age 10. He finally started reading after the third round of therapy however he was taught to use the context of the sentence to figure out unfamiliar words. He was taught to use visualization for spelling.

He is having a difficult time reading larger words, he can't break them into syllables to figure out the sounds. He can only spell simple words unless he has memorized them as sight words.

Do you have any recommendations for remediation?
Thanks.

[LizzyBee]

I would look at this program:
The Barton Reading & Spelling System is a one-on-one tutoring system that will greatly improve the spelling, reading, and writing skills of children, teenagers or adults who struggle due to dyslexia or a learning disability.

http://www.bartonreading.com/

Barton Reading is an Orton-Gillingham program, but the parent/tutor/teacher training is part of the program, unlike other OG programs. Susan Barton will email or talk on the phone with you to help you with your questions both before and after you purchase the program.

[Laurie4b]

If he reads at a 4th grade level and can reliably decode regular short-vowel words, I would recommend REWARDS for the decoding of multisyllabic words. It is scripted, so the teacher just reads what it says and you're doing it right. There is a TM (about $70, but with good resell value) and a student workbook ($10). You need both. It takes about 3 months to go through the program. Most kids average a gain of a couple years with the program. My oldest actually moved up 4 grade levels.

I'd get REWARDS secondary and if he does well with it, you might want to get REWARDS plus either in social studies or science.

If the REWARDS doesn't work, I'd look for a good reading tutor at his age.

[wenn]

Thank you both for the recommendations.

Does Rewards address spelling along with reading?

[Rod Everson]

He is having a difficult time reading larger words, he can't break them into syllables to figure out the sounds. He can only spell simple words unless he has memorized them as sight words.

Do you have any recommendations for remediation?
Thanks.

Hi,

I have worked with over 200 kids over the past several years and have developed a method for teaching them to decode multisyllable words that is extremely effective and works quickly. You just have to get over the fact that kids don't need to learn formal syllable boundaries in order to decode.

There are three avenues you can go to use it, all available on my website at OnTrack Reading (http://ontrackreadin.com). The first two are free and the third involves purchasing an inexpensive workbook that will turn you into a competent reading instructor if you follow all of the directions faithfully.

First, the Junior High Phonics Course (http://ontrackreading.com/junior-high-phonics-course) is aimed at exactly the sort of reader you describe, that is, one with no idea how to decode longer words. It would be the simplest way to go and it also covers some of the basic prerequisites.

Second, the Multisyllable Decoding (http://ontrackreading.com/the-phonics-piece/multisyllable-decoding-1)section lays out in detail the method I use along with giving you access to the word lists I use with my clients. However, this assumes some prior knowledge, which is taught using the workbook described in the third alternative.

Third, the Advanced Code Workbook (http://ontrackreading.com/ontrack-advanced-code-workbook), along with the instructions available on the site, lays out the entire curriculum including the mulitsyllable method and all of the prerequisite material, including extensive training in the various vowel sounds and their spellings.

If you try to go this route, I would suggest first looking at the Junior High Phonics Course and see if you think he'd understand the material. That is, does he already know enough about one-syllable words to be able to start at the level you find there.

Also, read the Multisyllable Decoding section to understand what you're trying to accomplish. You might want to add material from this section to the Junior High Phonics Course also.

Finally, if general code knowledge is an issue yet, consider getting the workbook and instructions and going through it with your son so that he thoroughly learns the code. Then hit the multisyllable sections when the instructions indicate he is ready to start at that level. Given the way he was taught to read, this might be the way you have to go, as he might be very confused about how it all fits together.

If he has a fairly decent grasp of code knowledge (he can tell you the sound of the digraph "ow" is either /ow/ in cow or /oe/ in grow, for instance,) then you should be able to run him through the Junior High Phonics Course in a matter of five to ten hours, spread over several days, so this is not a long-term commitment. If it doesn't work, you'll have spent no money and little time and can move on to something else. If it shows promise, but code knowledge is an obvious issue, consider backing up and adding in the workbook to address that issue.

In any case, good luck with whatever you decide.

Rod Everson
OnTrack Reading (http://ontrackreading.com)

[Laurie4b]

Yes, but minimally. You could increase the number of words presented, though, and make it a decent spelling intervention as well. But it's A++++ rating is for decoding multisyllabic words.

[wenn]

Rod, thanks for all the info, I'll be readng through it this weekend.

Laurie, thanks for answering my questions:)

[ElizabethB]

He can try my free online phonics lessons and Webster's Speller. They're both free, and both focus on multi-syllable words. (links below) If you watch the lessons with him, you should be easily able to teach Webster's Speller to him on your own afterwards.

I also like M. K. Henry's Words, it looks at multi-syllable words by language pattern: Anglo-Saxon, Greek, and Latin. Each has different spelling and syllabification patterns. It's usually cheaper at Pro-Ed than at Amazon.

[cillakat]

Anything that teaches syllabification will be helpful (ie all of the dyslexia remediation programs with a few additions)

All About Spelling
Barton Reading
Wilson Reading
REWARDS!
HEC Reading Horizons
Recipe for Reading

I'd start from the bottom up to make sure the decoding is sound on every level.

:)
Katherine

[wenn]

Thanks Katherine!