eReadingPro and Dyslexia

I wanted to share with you some of what I've been doing with eReadingPro in Panama, Central America. In September, I was approached by a school director to assess and work with a child who was struggling immensely with reading and writing. After spending some time assessing her, I concluded that she has severe Dyslexia. I will call the student Jane.

Jane is 8 years old and when I started working with her she was essentially not reading or writing at all. When asked to spell her first and last name, she spelled her first name (almost) but was unable to spell her last name at all. So we began there.

I started by making large flashcards, 8 1/2" x 11" with her first name and last name, along with her family members' names. I flashed them to her three times a day for a few days in a row, saying each word as I showed her the flashcard. She mastered them VERY quickly. Then I cut out individual letters that made up her first and last name. I showed her how to match them up underneath her name flashcards, and then had her try. The next day I had her try them without referencing the flashcards. She struggled a bit in the beginning, but eventually mastered them to the point where she could spell the names aloud without any textile material to assist.

The next step was to introduce the phonetic components for her names. I wrote out the phonemes and had her match these underneath the appropriate flashcards. We moved some of the phonetic components around and created new names - which she found quite humorous!

The next step was to begin with the vocabulary from eReadingPro. Rather than following the schedule as it is in the program, we 'skipped' every other day, thus moving through the program at twice the speed. She has thrived on it! She learned each word very quickly, occasionally 'guessing' incorrectly at words which looked similar to each other. We have now completed the first third of the program, and will begin the next third in January when school reconvenes.

In addition to using the reading program with her, there are some other activities that I've integrated which really helped her:

1. I wrote the names of the week on flashcards. Weekly I have her put these in order on the floor, saying each one aloud, and using the song "Days of the Week" to assist her. The song reinforces things for her every, single time we do it. We look for and discuss similarities in the words, and discuss the sounds that are different as well as the letters.

2. I wrote the names of the months on flashcards and did similar exercises as above with these words. We discuss what events take place in each month such as weather, special holidays, etc. which will help her to remember the months.

3. We have added in a workbook that focuses solely on phonics and sounds. Initially she would reverse the small ones, such as 'up' she would identify as 'pu', 'at' as 'ta', etc. She is improving with practice, although she finds these exercises very difficult and does not enjoy them as a result.

4. I have cut out letters and we 'build' small words by replacing one letter. For example, I will lay out the letters 'p' _ 't', and place the different vowels in the middle, saying the new words aloud with her.

5. Her teacher printed off sheets for learning to print letters, which show the arrows where to start, and the correct formation for each one (starting at the top, etc.). When a child understands how letters are to be formed, it helps to build a better foundation for writing and spelling These worksheets can be found here: http://www.handwritingworksheets.com/. You can choose the vocabulary words that your child is working on for school, and writing them out will help them to remember how to spell them.

6. At the end of our sessions, I often let Jane use my iPad and 'play' eReadingToGo! She learns each word quickly and loves to look at the colorful pictures.

The idea of starting off with the whole words first was simply to train her brain that the words represent something. After she started identifying the words with the images of the 'things' they represented, it was easier for her to recall the words. After this step we can then show the child how to break down the word into letters and sounds, and then put it back together again.

I am thrilled with Jane's progress, as are her teachers and parents! Jane has begun to write words spontaneously in class, and is using her word attack skills to steadily increase her reading vocabulary. Bravo!

These techniques can be used with ANY child learning to read, and I guarantee you that they will make a difference.

University of Pittsburgh and eReadingPro

I just returned from a driving tour presenting workshops in Pennsylvania and Ohio - 5 workshops in total. During my trip I met with Dr. Chris Lemmons of the University of Pittsburgh. I had met Chris in the lunch line at the World Down Syndrome Congress in Dublin in August, 2009, and was anxious to meet with him regarding his current studies involving children with Down syndrome and reading.

Dr. Lemmons has been studying the use of phonetics with children with Down syndrome, and his general outcome on all studies confirms previous studies that children with Down syndrome are better able to understand how to decode text after they have learned how to read a bank of words by sight (Stanovich, 1986; Lemmons & Fuch, 2010).

During our meeting, we discussed the possibility of him conducting a study using eReadingPro's system for teaching reading using the whole word approach, which takes the learner from reading single (whole) words to couplets, phrases and sentences in a progressive and systematic manner. He is very excited about setting such a study up and we will be working towards this in the very near future!

I look forward to working with Dr. Lemmons on this endeavor!

Dyslexia and eReadingPro

I often get asked about how children with Dyslexia learn to read, and why it can be so difficult for them.

One of the best books I've ever read about Dyslexia is called "Overcoming Dyslexia" by Sally Shaywitz. She explains that individuals with Dyslexia are very 'right-brain learners', and see words as a pictures. This is why the whole-word approach works so much better in these cases, and phonics is so painful.

Like any visual learner, it is much easier to learn how to phonetically decode a word AFTER the whole word is mastered. It's like assembling the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle - it's much easier when you can refer to the entire picture, and know what the final outcome is supposed to look like!

eReadingPro was created using the whole-word approach, FOR the visual learner, and therefore works very well with individuals with Dyslexia. Once the child has mastered the whole word, I recommend sitting down with the flashcard and discussing the letters and sounds that make up the whole word. Have them match letters up underneath the word as they reassemble it. Once they understand what letters make up the word, do the same exercise with phonetic components. You should find that your child begins to recognize words easier, AND understand how the pieces fit together to make up each word.

eReadingPro and teachers

As the founder and creator of a reading program, people always ask me whether I've approached all of the various school boards to get the program used in the schools. My response is that it would be like a little mouse knocking on an elephant's door and saying "look at what I've got!"

So instead, we have marketed our program to the parents of children with special needs - particularly Down syndrome. Why Down syndrome? Well, first of all it is because all of the studies out there confirm that children with Down syndrome are very visual learners and learn best using the whole-word approach to reading, and that was who we originally created our program for. But particularly because kids with Down syndrome tend to be the most overlooked and under-taught group in the school system. Many people still have the sad misconception that children with Down syndrome will never be able to learn to read, and therefore don't spend the necessary time trying to teach them. Others want to teach them, but do not have the knowledge or resources available.

The great news is that we are seeing an emerging trend at eReadingPro, in that the schools are now contacting us! The parents are trying the program and seeing amazing results. The teachers are asking the parents what they've been doing to teach their children, as the results are shining through at school! So as a result, the teachers are pondering over just how many other children they are working with who aren't catching on to reading, and if this child with Down syndrome is learning to read at home with eReadingPro, think of all the other children that can benefit from this system as well!

As a way of opening up the avenues even wider with teachers and schools, eReadingPro has decided to offer a FREE 30-Day Trial of our CD with Printable Flashcards. It is inexpensive to ship, and therefore inexpensive to try! If the school or teacher is not impressed after 30 days, they can simply return it to us and it doesn't cost them anything other than return postage. If they like it however, then obviously they will pay us for the product ($109.90USD).

If you think any of the teachers who are working with your children would be interested in trying eReadingPro, just let me know and I would be happy to contact them myself - or you can give them our website: www.ereadingpro.com.

eReadingPro goes to Knoxville, TN

eReadingPro is going to Knoxville, TN on Sunday, November 9th
from 1 - 4 pm at:
Tennessee School for the Deaf - Middle School Bldg.
2725 Island Home Blvd, Knoxville, 37920
(Directions at www.tsdeaf.org)

To REGISTER, click here.

You will learn to teach your child to read using the whole word approach, to teach your child to progress from reading single words to reading
sentences and books, and to implement a fun reading program that works for you and your child. Admission is free.

Each DSAG family (families that have an individual with Ds and are on DSAG’s mailing list) that registers and attends will receive a $40 voucher to use on take-home materials available at the workshop. (Be sure to check out www.ereadingpro.com for more information on the workshop and products for sale. Materials are for sale in complete kits or downloadable do-it-yourself programs.)

Childcare will be available – but must be reserved. Registration forms for workshop and childcare MUST be received by Wednesday, November 5.

Call or e-mail with any questions: 865.905.2968 or events@dsagtn.org.

Teaching Reading Early

Many of the blogs and social networks that I read and/or participate in online center around Down syndrome or Autism due to my own interests. Whether children are typical or have differing abiliites, it is important to teach reading as early as possible.

Here are some important points to keep in mind with regards to teaching reading:

1. If a child can learn sign language, they are ready to read! A sign is simply a visual representation of a word - which is exactly what reading using the whole-word approach is.
2. Just because a child is not ready to speak does not mean they are not ready to read. Remember that input and output are two different processes!
3. Teaching reading early increases brainpower!
4. Teaching reading increases your child's ability to communicate.
5. Teaching reading can teach talking and/or improve speech and language development. (Speech Pathologists and Therapists tend to love eReadingPro!)
6. Teaching reading is an important intervention for helping children overcome learning difficulties.
7. You can easily begin teaching children to read at 2 years of age.

It is so important for parents to understand that teaching reading can be easier than they may otherwise think. My next blog will provide pointers on how to teach reading - for ALL ages!