Julie, Carrie, or anyone - Need guidance

[psreit]

I'll try not to get into too much detail, since most of you are familiar with our situation. This past school year we stopped Bigger to deal with problems my dd was having in reading and math. Upon the advice of an educational consultant, I started her in the Barton Reading System for dyslexia. I needed some special help because she was not moving forward and there was so much frustration. Well, after utilizing this system for 6-7 months, I believe Angie has gotten through the barrier, although I feel she still needs some phonics instruction. The Barton System is costly and I have come to a point where I am confident that for the remainder of her phonics instruction and also her spelling, we can manage without that program. I was advised to keep her reading controlled according to the Barton level she is in, but Angie wants to read books from the library. The Barton reading lessons have become monotonous for her.

I am planning to begin Preparing next fall. My original plans were to do Barton instead of the language in that guide. While we were doing Bigger, Angie was doing R&S English 2. I don't remember how far she went in it, but she was doing well when she was working in it. I am thinking about putting her back into R&S 2, but not sure if I should just keep working on phonics for this year, and then do R&S 2 with Preparing, or if I should put her in R&S 2 now, and just continue where she is when we get to Preparing. She has not completed the ER books because they had gotten too difficult for her. I want to start her in those books again. I just need some reassurance that I am moving in the right direction. This is a very serious decision for me, so I can't make it lightly. I know there are those with children with dyslexia using HOD without the special programs, so your support is much needed.

[John'smom]

I am by no means an expert as I have no child with such issues. I just thought it wouldn't hurt if you added in the English and personally I would let her read other things if she shows an interest. They could just be on top of what you're doing. Mainly wanted to say that I am praying for you to have wisdom. (((HUGS)))

[Tidbits of Learning]

My son is dyslexic and I chose to let him start picking books once he showed an interest. I will admit that for about a year that interest was only in Goosebumps readers...but it got him wanting to read again and not just getting through reading to get to another level. He was reading for enjoyment and I think that is important for a dyslexic to want to read just for fun. So I would encourage you to let her start reading what interests her.
I would probably also encourage you to start the ER's and R&S 2 this year and see how far you get. There were a lot of times that my son would hit a plateau and we would back off something and pick it back up again. It took him 2 years to get through the ER's. It was worth it though. I remember Wagon Wheels being a major turning point for no particular reason other than it just suddenly didn't seem like "work" when he was reading.
I think when you have a child that struggles to learn to read and then you find out that they have dyslexia and learn things differently that you work so hard at just the mechanics of reading for so long that you lose that love of learning to read and learning to love reading to take you to faraway places and alight the imagination. It is hard to know what is the exact right thing to do at the exact right time, but if she is showing an interest in reading just to read and enjoy reading then I would encourage it at all costs.

ETA-My son with dyslexia is my 10 year old almost 11 year old. We use MCP phonics/word study as our continuing phonics instruction. It is nice b/c it doesn't have a number grade on it. It is lettered A, B, C, D....so he doesn't get discouraged thinking he is still doing a 3rd grade book in 5th grade. He is 5th grade and doing the D level word study. He has done them since kindergarten and they have helped him a lot. They are nice in that you don't really need the teacher's books just the student books for about $10-$15 and you can do a 2 sided page in about 15-20 minutes and not add a lot to your day.

[psreit]

Edwena - Thanks! I have decided I will discontinue Barton. Earlier this year it was what we needed, but I think we now need to get back to some normalcy. I believe we are both ready for that. Since we are going to stop the Barton, I will probably put Angie in R&S 2 now. I know we have been all over the place this year, and I do regret backing off and not completing Bigger even in the midst of this, but I can say even in all that, God did work things for good. I have come to accept that there are some things (Math, especially) that are just going to take a long time to come. No more fretting.

Tidbits - Thanks for your reply. As I said above, I think I will get Angie back in R&S 2. I have Phonics Pathways, so I thought I'd probably go back to that. I just wondered if what you are using is plaid phonics. I remember seeing that a couple years ago and thought it looked good. There are certain sound/spelling patterns that we haven't covered yet that I don't want to miss. Phonics Pathways is also set up to help those with dyslexia. I am letting Angie read if she wants to. Once in a while, if she gets frustrated while trying to read something, she will get emotional and emphatically say, "I want to read!" When she can get through a book, she is so happy.

Barton has way too many spelling rules. I know Angie would be overwhelmed and frustrated having to remember them all, so I am just going to focus on certain ones that we haven't covered yet, like the different ways to spell long vowel sounds. We spent a lot of time just on knowing when to use k or c at the beginning of a word or when to use k or ck at the end of the word. She can read them, but when she goes to spell them, she has to stop and think about the rules. She kept getting the rules mixed up. I was advised to keep practicing until she knew which rule to use when. So, then I felt like we couldn't move forward. Am I putting too much emphasis on the rules? It has helped her spelling, but there is no way she is going to remember them all. If there is too much information at one time, she will shut down. Looking ahead, I see the potential for that later on if we would stay in that program. Even with dyslexia, should I be putting so much emphasis on spelling rules? Yes, she needs to know these things to help her read, but even after reading the words over and over, when she goes to spell them , she doesn't remember, unless I have the rule card in front of her. The information is good, but I feel like I can't teach her something new until she gets this one thing.

We are making some changes in math as well. We were advised to use a mastery program. We hit a lesson recently that has been giving Angie some trouble. We spent weeks on this one concept. I was told not to move on until she knew it. I know there are other areas of math that I could have been teaching her that she would have understood. Yes, beginning with this program helped, but now we are in the same situation as with the reading. I know I have made things complicated, but this is what I believed at the time is what she needed. Because of the severity of her math LD, I know I just need to focus on the basics and those real life skills that she will desperately need later in life. Any guidance in this area is appreciated. I just want to move forward in a way that Angie can learn all that she is able, not keeping her back because she isn't getting one thing. These programs helped when we needed them, but now I believe we need to move on.

I will not be offended if you tell me I messed up somewhere. Back in the spring, I didn't know where to turn. As I said, I really believe God worked things for the good in leading us to the people/resources we used. Now, I really believe He has given me peace about making these changes, but I want to make sure I do it right.

[abrightmom]

Dear Pam,

I am writing a reply to simply say that you are doing an amazing job with your daughter. As I read your posts what stands out to me are these few things. First, you love the Lord and are continually seeking Him. Since He is faithful to guide us as we trust and seek Him then you are on the right path even though it is murky at times. Second, you know your Angie! Though there is uncertainty along the way it is obvious you have a good handle on your daughter. Mom Instinct is not to be messed with so if you think it's time to move on and do this or that you should. You know that saying that "Hindsight is always 20/20?" Well, we can always look back and think we should have done something differently. But, we don't really know what the outcome would've been had we chosen that path. We can only guess! And, if we're trusting the Lord to guide then we KNOW that He is guiding because He is a faithful God.

[psreit]

Katrina - Thanks for the encouragement. It helps to be reassured that I haven't lost my mind. I do get impulsive sometimes, so I often question my decisions, because I have made some that I have regretted. But, as far as getting the help and using these programs was not a waste. I just believe in my heart that Angie is ready to make this transition. I have that same peace that I had when I first found HOD, and I know THAT was the Lord's leading. We talk about different seasons in our lives, and this is like entering a new season for me.....going from winter to spring.

[Tidbits of Learning]

Yes, it is also called plaid phonics. Normally has animals on the front with plaid fur/skin. It has been really good for my son and helped with spelling. What has truly helped with spelling more than anything is Click N Spell on the computer. It seems to just work for my son and was recommended for him. It goes from 1st-5th grade level and we started at 1st grade level when he was in 4th.
I don't think there is a right or wrong way to help your child with learning issues such as dyslexia or in our case dyslexia and dysgraphia. We just take it day by day and if we get to a point where something isn't working for my son or I don't think something is going to help us any more...then I start researching and looking for things to help him adapt to his issues. There is no ultimate right or wrong way that works for all dyslexics...there are only ways to adapt and modify your learning.

[psreit]

Tidbits-Taking the detour we did this year has helped me understand better how I need to teach and adjust things for Angie, but I now have the confidence that I can do it without the special programs. It helps so much to hear how others are working through similar situations without them. God provided what we needed at the time and I am confident that He is showing me what we need now. Thanks for your help and encouragement.

[my3sons]

Hi presit! Just reading this now - and so glad to read all the sage advice shared here! It looks like you are starting R & S English 2 now, and I remember from your other post that Angie started back with the ERS at "Animal Adventures," with great success. HOORAY! I think you have a good plan moving forward here, and if Angie hits a bump in the ERS, remember you can always have her read the supplemental books suggested. Likewise, if she hits a bump in R & S English 2, you can always spread 1 lesson over 2 days. HTH, and great job of transitioning your dd back into her LA and guide!

In Christ,
Julie