Should I do DITHOR with my dyslexic ds?

[lmercon]

This is my fourth year using HOD. We are enjoying CTC so much. My ds was diagnosed with severe dyslexia 1 1/2 years ago. At the time, he had no independent reading level. Now, I would guess him to be at about an ending first or beginning second grade level. I read everything to him. We use the story time titles. I have never used DITHOR with him. He is not able to read the books for the first level of DITHOR. I would have to read them for him. As you can imagine, my time spent with him is already sizable. Should I hold off on DITHOR until he is able to read independently at that level or should I start now by reading the books to him?
Thanks,
Laura

[Tracee]

Hi Laura, I remember Carrie commenting on this awhile back, but I can't find the thread. I believe she said you could let them listen to audio books, but you would be nearby listening in while you do laundry or something like that. I'm interested in this also. Hopefully, somebody else will chime in.


Tracy

[Carrie]

Laura,

I'm thinking from what you've shared about your son so far, and weighing the fact that your time commitment in reading material aloud to him right now is substancial due to his dyslexia, I would hold off on the DITHR books until he is closer to where the Emerging Reader Set ends reading level-wise. In that way, he can read the books himself. I'm not sure if he is still in a specialized reading program, but if he is not you could begin using the Emerging Reader books. If he is still in a specialized reading program, then it's likely the program will recommend not using outside reading material, so then you'd forego the Emerging Reader's Set in that case. This is a good question, and one that has a unique answer in this case.

Blessings,
Carrie

[Cherylanne]

I sympathize with you. We are in the same situation with my ds10. He's reading level is really low. I decided to wait on using DITHOR for the time being. The problem I have is getting books he can read on his own but not seem too "babyish" for his age/interests.

[Carrie]

One other option is to use books on CD or on audio for your son to listen to along with DITHR so that you can engage in the great literature discussions in DITHR while still working to raise your son's reading level gradually. Using audios would help so that you do not have another thing to read, but I would definitely keep the listening amount short, as often a full chapter of a book read on audio can take quite a bit of listening time.

If you do choose to go this route, I would also encourage you to do at least some of the writing for your child so that he doesn't bog down in the written work that goes with DITHR. Of course, if writing is not a barrier, then your son could do the written work in Level 2/3 as planned.

Blessings,
Carrie

[Kristen]

My son who is 10 was just recently diagnosed with dyslexia as well. I have never done DITHOR with him for those same reasons. He was having such a hard time with the emerging readers. Anyway, my suggestion, which works well for him is to sign up for Learning Ally (http://www.learningally.org). It is the old Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic. You will need a professional to sign-off on it for you, but if he has been formally diagnosed that shouldn't be a problem. You download the books right onto your computer and listen from there or you can put them on an ipod if he has one. That way he can listen and even follow along with the book in front of him. There is also one called Book Share, but I don't find as many titles on that one.
Of course, we continue to work on his decoding and fluency, but it really boosts my ds confidence to be able to "read" a book this way and as a pp said, he can get beyond books that are "too babyish" for his age.
Hope that helps!
Kristen