The Reading lesson and struggling reader

[yayadaisy]

I am doing TRL with my six year old and he is not doing well at all! He has autism and is verbal only to me, dad and siblings. Even grandparents don't get words out of him very often, it is very rare. Anyways he is doing lesson one and we are one page 13/14 and he has said the sounds just fine but blending is not going to well for him and now he is forgetting the sounds!!! I am not sure what to do here? Start over again or just keep working on these two pages until he learns it? We waited a year to start K with him because he was just not ready and now I hate to wait longer with the reading but I don't know what to do here? I love TRL and have two older ones just about the finish it. But I just don't know what to do with him. Anyone have any thoughts here? I think we should do someting with reading each day but wonder if TRL is the right way for him? I don't know any suggestions I would love!

Sheila mom to six blessings and one angel waiting in heaven.

[water2wine]

Just one thought. Do you use the CD with the reading lesson. I found that really helps. I have no experience with autism though so no real help. Just wanted to say that the CD really helps with getting things to sink in well. I will say this though that my daughter with CP I found learns best when I have her write some of the words. Copywork really helped her a lot. She has auditory processing issues and I have found adding some writing helps her. I made up silly sentences with the words we were learning and wrote them on the board them had her write them on a card and then gave ehr a week to practice the sentences and tested her on them dictation style. We started with just having her know the word and be able to read the sentence then moved to spelling just the word then moved to spelling the sentence. Just something that worked well for her. I think key thing is to figure out how they learn. Is it best by written, seeing or saying and major on the one that works best but incorporate the other ways as well.

Praying for you. I have walked down this path and I know how frustrating it can be.

[my3sons]

Blending is tough all around. I remember this skill took longer for my ds to understand. For example, for the word "mat", my ds would say:
mmmm
aaaaaa
tttttttt

And then blend it as TAN. He seemed to remember the last sound and make it the first. This went on for awhile, and it is actually quite common with beginning readers. Both of my dc did this (for quite awhile), and both are now excellent readers, so I just want to encourage you that this is not really all that out of the ordinary. I realize your ds may have some different concerns being autistic, but I think what you're describing here is quite typical of most beginning readers. I did work with autistic students while teaching ps, and once they got to know me and were comfortable speaking with me, the reading seemed to go quite well and fairly typically after that.

For ds, it helped me to write the word he was working on in black marker on a whiteboard, very big, one sound at a time. I'd say each sound after I wrote it. Then, I'd draw a big underline under it and blend it. I'd erase it and rewrite it one sound at a time as he did it then, and when I underlined it, he'd put it altogether. We did this for quite a awhile. It really helped him get over the hump of blending. It also helped to stress the first sound in the word by saying it loudly. One other thing that helped was to get a rubberband. I'd say each sound slowly while stretching the rubberband out, and then snap it back in as I blended it. After my ds got better at blending (which honestly took months), we got the BOB books, Level 1 Set A, and started having him read through those. The BOB books are cheap and fun, but shouldn't probably be added until later.

Maybe you'd like to start back at the beginning adding some of these strategies, and slow down the pace a bit, spending longer on each lesson but then still moving along. I think I'd go back to the beginning, do a couple of pages, and then the next day, review at least half of what was done the day before, and then move on a bit. Those are just a few ideas, but you'll know best what you'd like to do. HTH!

In Christ,
Julie

[kissesmomof4]

I am having these same troubles with my 6yo. He knows all the sounds but is having a hard time blending them. Once he starts to struggle he is shutting down and he will not focus on it. I would consider backing off for a couple weeks because I know he will learn to read in his own time but I have a father and grandparents breathing down my neck.

No suggestions for you just understanding since I am struggling with the same thing somewhat.

[yayadaisy]

Thanks for the thoughts and encouraging words! I have the CD and used it today and it really helped him. He was more interested at least! I think starting over is probably a good idea and just letting him take his time I guess. My oldest has a disabilitiy in reading so I am used to a struggling reader, but he was able to tell me more and ask questions. My 6 year old doesn't ask questions really. He talks but not much and just will sit there confused instead of asking a question so I don't always know what he is getting and not getting. But even so I am still excited about HOD this year and know I can always come here for some advice. I really do love how TRL is set up. I have tired two other programs and they were to busy for my kids. TRL is simple and to the point! THat's what I like!

Sheila mom to six blessing and one waiting in heaven

[rni'smommy]

My ds had this same problem at the begining if TRL also (in fact he still has trouble sometimes not as often though). What I finally ended up doing was practicing blending other words on my own with him for a week. Then we started back up and he did better. Also when we got to lesson 3 and the words started to get a little harder (sight words, silent "e") he had trouble again so I went back and let him redo the word and sentence parts of the previous lessons to let him build some confidence, since those lessons he was already familiar with. Also you might want to make a blend ladder (blend b with each vowel, ba, be, bi, bo, bu) and just practice blending two letter sounds or even three (bat, bet, bit, bot, but). I know with ds though it just took some time to get the idea.

[mariaw]

OK, first my disclaimer, I don't have a source to support this and I'm not an expert. But after years of reading articles about teaching reading, it seems I remember that blending is a skill that has to do with a certain "connection" being made in the brain. Like walking... you can have a baby practice and practice and practice walking, or not practice much at all, and then suddenly one day, that part of the brain develops and they walk. I've found that to be the case with my first 2 kids (the ones I've taught to read so far). We just kept at it practicing, but mostly me modeling, and then one day it "clicked."

I also don't know much about the special considerations for autistic children, but my first thought is just to keep modeling and having your child repeat after you. Keep things upbeat and positive, so you don't make it a negative experience. Then when you start to see blending happen (my son was 6-1/2 before he could do this--very recently), just go back and review and let him do the words without you modeling. We review the words on the last page of every unit each day before we start the new material.

My mother-in-law is a retired K teacher and said that in her experience, many boys especially aren't ready to read until age 7. Then they catch up just fine to the ones who read early.

[Tansy]

My DD1 has auditory processing and I have been approached many times about her being Autistic tho she has some signs she doesn't have enough of the symptoms. I had a terrible time teaching her to read. My friend who had worked with an Autistic child took over for a month. She was extremely patient. (not my greatest strength). And when I took over she walked me though how to do a lesson. I did much of the work the first day, modeling the words for her first. Then the next day it was half and half. I would start and then she would do the word. the 3rd day I would immediately correct a mis-sounded out word then she would have to look and say. IF she didn't get it right back to the beginning and we would start again. Also we often reviewed the sounds she knew other wise she would forget them.


With my dd2 brought from china with no english at age 5 I did sight reading for her in the begiining and added phonics on the side. Thus giving her "Dick and Jane" books she "could" read to build confidence and it worked lovely as a bridge to phonics the day she had "see" as a word to sound out it just clicked. ssss eeeeeee seeeee see! wait mom the word is see!!! see!! once it clicked it was much easier.