So a parent wrote on an attachment parenting board that I'm part of wrote that her first grader was struggling to read and had anyone been through that and what should she do. It sounded a lot like dyslexia to me and the following were the things I told her:
Not only have I been through this process (twice now), I love to talk about this subject.
It can be so difficult to see your bright child struggle with reading. Parents all over the country are wondering what is going on with their kid, blaming themselves, dealing with tears (their own and their child's) and generally not knowing which way to turn.
The big warning flags start in first grade. The alert parent notices something is wrong and not getting better.
I'm not sure if I should tell you 1. Our personal story. 2. What is going on with this subject from a historic standpoint or 3. Just have you call me if you want to talk about it.
Let's try the historic standpoint for now:
In the late 1980's a new way to teach reading began in CA and quickly spread throughout the country. It is generally called the Whole Language Method (but it also goes by other names). Phonics (the old sound-it-out) method was declared by many to be obsolete and Universities everywhere jumped on board.
For 40% of the population the Whole Language method does not work well at all (half of this 40%-20% of the population is dyslexic - per NIH).
So the old phonics method took longer but worked better for many more children, it also provided a more solid understanding of words. It was all about matching sounds with letters.
Yet unless a teacher graduated from college before the late 1980's they will not know how to teach phonics (generally speaking but certainly in Ohio). Side note: we cant exactly blame the teachers since they weren't taught phonics in the first place.
This Whole Language vs. Phonics is known as the Reading Wars
I have met people on both sides and I can tell you that the Whole Language folks are completely sold on their technique although many scientific studies have discounted it.
If a child is dyslexic (1 in 5 are) then there is even more need for phonics, hand holding and taking the reading process slowly with a very knowledgeable teacher/tutor. Sadly, these knowledgeable folks are hard to find.
Compound this problem with what is generally (in OH) given as remediation to struggling readers in our schools. It is called Reading Recovery and it does not work for many and especially dyslexic children (scientifically proven for 15 years).
Sadly, our OH schools (all of them: public, Catholic, private) mostly only have tutors trained in the Reading Recovery method which has only been shown to work for children who have never been exposed to literature (in other words that baby was never read to) and do not have any learning challenges. It does not work for the rest of the population.
Still, this is the applied medicine. Why is everyone still using it? It's OSU's big moneymaker. They invented it, they market it and now they have a new federal grant to re-market it which they are doing in CCS and around the state.
What a struggling reader actually needs is called Orton Gillingham (O-G) or an Orton Gillingham based method. O-G has been around since the 1930's and has been proven to work. Yet it is not licensed which gets in it's way, it's also not easy to get well trained in it (a tutor needs many supervised hours, not some weekend class).
Wilson is a classroom based O-G method being implemented in the Big Shot district this year. A homeschool O-G method is called Barton and while I have no personal experience with it I'm currently looking into it.
I would recommend a call to Our school/Academy where they will give your child a free screening with a test called the CTOPP. It can let you know quite a bit. It's a well regarded 30 year old test.
The Big Shot district has just now started screening every kindergartener with the CTOPP to see who is going to need extra help. (Don't be too impressed Big Shot district has been sued by enough parents that at this point that they know they have to make changes).
Message me and I'll send you my number I'm always glad to talk about this. I have cried many tears and wasted time but now I feel it is a personal mission to assist parent who is going through what I went through.
For now let me point you to a great book with a whole chapter on reading struggles that goes into more detail than I have (it's at the library) The Good School by Peg Tyre.
Then there was some talk that went something like, "my kids learned to read easily and with no problem in their own timeframes."
So I wrote this:
Remember that for 60% of the population Whole Language does appear to work quickly and with little effort. These 60%children do what people in the education business call "crack the code" without a lot of additional help. (Thank your lucky stars if you have one of these children because the reading struggles subject won't pertain to you).
For the rest of us (the 40% who have a bright kid who is struggling to read) we need to be well informed about this subject and as quickly as possible (for early intervention).
She has already spent a year in tutoring at her school (she was probably given Reading Recovery because it doesn't seem as though you saw any true improvement or mastery). You will see immediate improvement when the methodology is correct.
I can tell she is smart because she is trying hard to memorize words (bless her heart- mom she is giving it her all, very typical of most bright kids who struggle to read).
I do recommend testing and quickly, early intervention is a crucial time and self esteem saver. I would never "wait and see" although many people/teachers/school staff will tell you to wait. For her sake, please do not. So many bright children blame themselves for their reading struggles. As the years pass many struggling readers are put off by school and reading entirely, this is not necessary.
Testing is a personal choice but the entity you use to test can be very important. While many places claim to test there is the general consensus among those of us with experience at this that there are only 2 well regarded pediatric neuropsychologists in central Ohio. They are Dr. C. and Dr. G. They are expensive and both have waiting lists. Dr. G. is nationally recognized (6 month waiting list last time I checked). Dr. C. (2-3 month waiting list) is also very good.
As another option C. Hospital also tests and I do know people who have gone there (it may be covered by your insurance). Many places will take your testing dollars, the problem is that they are not knowledgeable enough about this subject to give an accurate reading of the results (even though the tests themselves are standard). If the absolute only concern you have is with reading difficulty then C. Hospital would hopefully be okay.
I would not go to Speech and Hearing in this case. I have used them and do not believe that they have the collective knowledge you need in the area of reading struggles. They are fine for other things but not for this.
Again, please feel free to message me and I will happily talk with you. A stranger once helped me (putting me ahead by at least 2 years) and I consider it a duty to help others.
Pat yourself on the back for being on this so quickly, first grade is a good time to start getting the help she needs.
Then there was some banter about "my district does it differently" and "my kids get phonics". From the teacher types they insisted that they had been taught phonics in college. So I wrote:
Yes, better school districts, like say, the O. District added (a sprinkle of) phonics back in and do have a "balanced" approach using both methods. (Really I was too agreeable here because they are not truly getting phonics but a very modified version of what it should be).
In other places, some teachers close the door and quietly teach phonics on their own, yet none of this is enough for a struggling reader.
There is still a lot of reliance in most places on Whole Language with many words needing to be memorized and the same expectation/pressure to read entire books while in kindergarten. Children's books are written with Whole Language in mind rather than phonics and lesson plans assume the rate that memorization vs. sounding-it-out takes. (This paragraph was so key it's not even funny but I expect it got missed.)
Children who are struggling readers are not going to respond well to the fast pace. Their brains are not wired in the same way. Language is not an area of strength. These children need a diagnostic and systematic approach which builds on itself and relies heavily on phonics. Memorizing some words which cannot be sounded out (often called site words, or red words) as only a very small part of the learning to read experience.
Testing gives the road map to know what your child needs but it wont drive the car there for you. The parent still has to do that part. Still, I encourage early intervention.
The parent then wrote that she was still going to have Speech and Hearing do the testing (mistake) and she named dropped her school (which would have been impressive had I not known families who left that school for this very reason because it's not how much one is paying for a school but how the teachers are teaching that matters).
So it's hard to not be discouraged after being so completely dismissed.
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