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I have a 10-11 year old son who is severely dyslexic. I'm trying to decide what guide to place him in. I'm thinking Bigger. Before this we only really have done the Bible and the 3Rs because it was such a struggle. But now with therapy I think he's ready for something more. Does anyone have a suggestion other than Bigger with extensions?

Does he have trouble with writing=I mean the physical aspect of it? Is it mostly his reading that is slow or "behind"? Spelling?

Are you planning on reading to him most things or having him do it? Are you still doing any OG remediation or is his finished with that?

Some of those answers will help with figuring out which guide.

He's still doing OG remediation for another year. He is behind in his reading. He reads at a 2nd/3rd grade reading level. He can write but his handwriting is sometimes not legible. We switched to Getty-Dubai and it's getting better. He's definitely behind in spelling.

I'm planning on reading a lot to him but my reason for choosing Heart if Dakota was for him to learn how to do some of these independently with aids. (Audio books, typing, etc.)

I forgot to mention in the original post that I will teaching his little brother in Little Hearts as well.

Gwenny wrote:Does he have trouble with writing=I mean the physical aspect of it? Is it mostly his reading that is slow or "behind"? Spelling?

Are you planning on reading to him most things or having him do it? Are you still doing any OG remediation or is his finished with that?

Some of those answers will help with figuring out which guide.

HOD is a good place! I love it, and there are several of us on here that have the challenge of dyslexia, dysgraphia and other learning issues. We have all had to figure out ways to make it work and I have been encouraged by different ideas and testimonies.

With the age of your son, I would do Preparing. While the guides are meant to be skill based, they are also written for a certain age group and the books and activities are geared toward a certain range of ages. Preparing gives a great introduction to them doing things independently. The books chosen are very interesting and are a great level for his age. You can always start 1/2 speed, it's highly recommended. You will then be able to tweak things to either teacher led, semi or independent based on where your son is struggling or excelling.

One thing that we have all figured out, we don't want to hold our children back in content just because they can't read or write it the way others do. Also, we don't want to spend time on ways that won't work for them---them listening to audio, typing, and other accommodations are great. They take time to learn, but it's worth the time.

I have a 10 1/2 yr old dyslexic/dysgraphic that just started Preparing 2 weeks ago. We are going at a slower speed (taking 6 days per unit) and we are not aiming for the independence as written in the guide right now. So far it is going very well. He is doing two vocab words for each unit and completing notebooking assignments. We are copying words he can't spell on a whiteboard for him to copy since his spelling is not that great yet. He is doing better than I expected with dictation. I type the sections from "Draw through History" for him to copy because he hasn't done cursive yet (still trying to get printing to a readable level). I also type the scripture text for him to copy right now. My plan is to add independence and type less for him as he is ready, but if we have to do the whole guide like this I feel it is quality education for him. I think given your son's age I would do Preparing at a slower speed. Like the other poster said, HOD is great for learning challenged children. We have been so blessed to be in HOD through this journey.
Edited to add we are reading science to him (guide indicates child will read science). We do our own reading program and that is his reading time. We read the core books to him so he can gain the content.

Thank you both for your response. So when you do a slower speed is it always 6 days a week. Can you tell me a sample schedule? What boxes you do on what days? Right now we only do 4 days a week and he has to read aloud and listen to an audio book on the weekends.

Also I am thinking about starting this in May, when he's done with the first year of his dyslexia lab class. For reading should I start with the Emerging readers? I know they range from the 2.0 -3.4 reading level. Or should I just go into Drawn into Reading. I just want him to enjoy the reading aloud so I want to do what's best. Right now we are reading the Magic Treehouse series aloud. I just want him to read a wide variety of books.

Welcome to the HOD Board! The ladies are doing a good job of talking through your options with you. One thing you will discover with HOD is that there is not a one-size fits all placement for kiddos, so we spend a lot of time trying to learn more about your specific child and situation in order to help you find the best placement for your family.

In thinking through what you've shared thus far, and weighing the fact that your son hasn't had a chance yet to do more than Bible and the 3R's due to his struggles, I would lean toward doing Bigger Hearts with your son to give him a good solid introduction to American History and to give him some overall science exposure too. I think that Bigger will actually be quite challenging in many ways, as it is a guide with many skills woven into it. You would still be reading aloud the science and the history to your son in Bigger, which will give him another year to continue making gains as a reader before tackling some of those subjects himself when he gets to Preparing Hearts the following year.

There is also a lot of writing practice in Bigger including copywork which will good for your son as well. The spelling lists in Bigger sound like another needed area where your son can utilize what is scheduled within Bigger before moving into the dictation passages that are found within Preparing Hearts.

It also sounds like your son would be well placed in the Emerging Reader's Set which is also scheduled for you daily in the Appendix of Bigger.

If you jumped ahead to Preparing right now, your son would miss out on the needed spelling lists and Emerging Reader schedule that he will need. He would also miss many of the needed skills that are introduced and honed in Bigger that help a child successfully navigate into a bit more independence in Preparing. In weighing that you are currently reading aloud and enjoying The Magic Treehouse books, I think a placement in Bigger fits well in expanding upon that listening level to challenge him even more without losing the enjoyment.

I am thinking that both of the previous posters have had their kiddos go through Bigger Hearts first, which is a great aid in moving successfully into Preparing. It is true that not all kiddos need to go through Bigger first, but for most kiddos it is an added help. Especially with your son's past struggles in mind, we want to give him every chance to succeed.

If you have other questions, feel free to ask. We will be glad to help!

Blessings,
Carrie

Thank you Carrie, Gwenny and country mom! Carrie that's exactly what I was thinking when I chose Bigger at first. Here's my final question. Should I do it with the extensions?

Carrie wrote:Welcome to the HOD Board! The ladies are doing a good job of talking through your options with you. One thing you will discover with HOD is that there is not a one-size fits all placement for kiddos, so we spend a lot of time trying to learn more about your specific child and situation in order to help you find the best placement for your family.

In thinking through what you've shared thus far, and weighing the fact that your son hasn't had a chance yet to do more than Bible and the 3R's due to his struggles, I would lean toward doing Bigger Hearts with your son to give him a good solid introduction to American History and to give him some overall science exposure too. I think that Bigger will actually be quite challenging in many ways, as it is a guide with many skills woven into it. You would still be reading aloud the science and the history to your son in Bigger, which will give him another year to continue making gains as a reader before tackling some of those subjects himself when he gets to Preparing Hearts the following year.

There is also a lot of writing practice in Bigger including copywork which will good for your son as well. The spelling lists in Bigger sound like another needed area where your son can utilize what is scheduled within Bigger before moving into the dictation passages that are found within Preparing Hearts.

It also sounds like your son would be well placed in the Emerging Reader's Set which is also scheduled for you daily in the Appendix of Bigger.

If you jumped ahead to Preparing right now, your son would miss out on the needed spelling lists and Emerging Reader schedule that he will need. He would also miss many of the needed skills that are introduced and honed in Bigger that help a child successfully navigate into a bit more independence in Preparing. In weighing that you are currently reading aloud and enjoying The Magic Treehouse books, I think a placement in Bigger fits well in expanding upon that listening level to challenge him even more without losing the enjoyment.

I am thinking that both of the previous posters have had their kiddos go through Bigger Hearts first, which is a great aid in moving successfully into Preparing. It is true that not all kiddos need to go through Bigger first, but for most kiddos it is an added help. Especially with your son's past struggles in mind, we want to give him every chance to succeed.

If you have other questions, feel free to ask. We will be glad to help!

Blessings,
Carrie