My son, 9yr, has trouble reading.

Ashley - posted on 01/24/2009

I'm not sure about the auditory disorder, but it sounds like perhaps reading aloud or hearing others read aloud (which is one way we learn to read) is not working well for her.  I spent 2 years helping below grade readers catching up and there are a few pointers I can give you.  First find something she is INTERESTED In reading - if it's a magazine about animals, of the american girl books, whatever it is, invest the money or time at the library to keep her stocked up.  Second, have her read at home, and write about what she reads - as the first poster stated.  Reading is like anything else, if you don't practice, you don't get better.  I used to say to these kids that you can't get big muscles without exercising, and the brain is a muscle.  Reading is it's exercise.  Third, make it fun.  If reading out loud is a problem for her, have her read in her head, and tell you in her own words what she just read - even if it's a sentance at a time.  Make sure she knows the little tricks, like ou and ow are the ouchy brothers - they sound like ouch, ew and oe are the yucky twins - they say eww, etc.  Good luck.

Ronise - posted on 01/24/2009

I was a clinician at Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes which helps children and adults with dyslexia, auditory processing and phonemic awareness disorders. The programs for reading, spelling, comprehension and math are very effective and I highly recommend their services. You can find them online at:

http://www.lindamoodbell.com/

Good luck and keep up the fight for what your son needs!

Christina - posted on 01/24/2009

My daughter is  going to be 8 in 2 weeks, she is in the second grade..    she is now doing home vision therapy , she has a tracking problem as well  with her eyes,  and she is going through the testing to see if she has an auditory processing problem as well..   Its frustrating ..she struggles so badly in school..        it seems like she knows it ..  but it doesnt all click for her ...      expecially when her little sister who is 5 can do her work faster  than she can ..  any tips ,,  suggestions   would be greatly appreciated .. 

Beth - posted on 01/10/2009

My son is now 21 and doing well in the Paramedicine program at the community college. He struggled with reading and math when he was in elementary school. He had an IEP, but was soon behind in two subjects due to time in special reading class. He was finally diagnosed with a short-term memory problem as well as a tracking problem with his eye. I found I got the best help after having him tested by a neuropsychologist. They did an elaborate set of tests and were able to pin point where the problems were. He was able to have extra time on tests, tape records in class, note takers and other special help, but you have to have documentation to back up the need for it. Start with the hearing and vision tests, then look into the way your son processes information. Don't give up on it, as the school system will just shuffle him from one thing to another and he will get lost in the cracks along the way!

Julie - posted on 01/10/2009

My daughter is 10 and is the very same way. All we can do as parents is try to help our children the best way we can. I read to my daughter daily and we read 2gether....me a page then her a page...She has done a whole lot better this year because I stoped stressing it. Just pray about it and give it all the way up to God. Once it clicks he will read.

Wendy - posted on 01/09/2009

It's hard not knowing your son, but I had a terrible problem reading when I was young. Entered high school with a 4th grade reading level as I had "slipped through the system". A teacher took me under his wing and we back tracked. He helped me find stories I WANTED to read that were my level. Then we gradually moved up. Is it possible he missed some key reading essentials from a poor teacher. This was my case, and I never had gotten the chance to catch up until this teacher noticed the problem. Once I started reading what I wanted, I couldn't stop. If you have a problem reading the LAST thing you want to do is read what is offered in the classroom. You always feel you're competing with the other students. Ask him what HE would like to read. See what he says. He might suprise you.

Shawn - posted on 01/09/2009

Hi-I teach third grade. I have seen very few children diagnosed as dyslexic and I've been teaching 10 years. Does your school district have an audiologist that sees your son? We have students in our school with hearing deficiencies and the audiologist works with these children as part of their IEPs. If he has hearing issues it is going to delat his speech. A friend of mine went through that with her preschooler. He received tubes and speech therapy and he is fine now. Hopefully this helped.

Dawn - posted on 01/09/2009

Hi Tricia,  my neighbor has a daughter with Auditory Processing Disorder.  She uses a hearing device in school to help her hear only what the teacher is saying rather than the background noise.  She also has an IEP set up for her.  She has an aid at school and her mother also hires a tutor to come into their home to help her organize her homework 1 or 2 times a week.  Her aid says that there is a noticeable difference in having the hearing device.

Tricia - posted on 01/09/2009

Joelle,

He has been tested for hearing at school and they have not said there was anything wrong, but I will talk to my pediatrician and see about further testing. His teacher has moved him next to the blackboard, but just recently. Thanks

Tricia - posted on 01/09/2009

April-Lee,

What is Earobics? I have not heard of that. We are working with phonics and placement of his tongue, but I will try anything to feel like I am making a difference. Iam so glad that he had a teacher in the 2nd grade decide that it wasn't a developmental problem but something bigger. Thanks for the help.

Thanks

Tricia - posted on 01/09/2009

Kim,

I can really feel your frustration. It is so hard for me to try and help him with his homework. It seems like it should come so easy, like the word THE. He still has trouble with that. His IEP coordinators say they has seen improvement, but I don't see it as much.

It is nice to have others out there that can understand how helpless wew can feel. Thanks for your comments.

Tricia - posted on 01/09/2009

Sue,

He is having problems with saying certain sounds. He has difficulties with F,S,TH. The district does have him working with speech therapy too. He too comprehends a lot, but has a hard time telling you what he read. Thanks for the info.

April-lee - posted on 01/09/2009

My son is now 12 yrs old. He was diagnosed with C.A.P.D. and A.D.H.D. C.A.P.D. is Censory/Central auditory processing disorder when he was in 1st grade. A teacher told him that he needed to read smoothly, he sounded like choppy onions (he got a kick out of that. My husband and I worked with phonics books, the Earobics program, sound books (flip cards with Blends), teachers, specialists and more. If I can be of any assistance please let me know. My son is still on an IEP but doing very well in school. We started my sons services in Pennsylvania and we re-located to Virginia, but I have a list of specialists throughout the United States. Don't give-up, never let anyone force you into medication as a solution, and make sure you get all the answers from physicians and specialists. Advocate, Advocate, Advocate......

Kim - posted on 01/09/2009

I have a 9-year old daughter. She has struggled with reading and spelling from day one. She repeated the 1st grade. We got her an IEP through the school. She has a low I.Q., ADHD, and has trouble processing verbal information (which sounds similar to your child hearing things differently than what was said). She has been in special reading programs for 3 years. We have tried tutoring. We got the school to let her have more time taking tests, etc. She gets help reading classwork (except for reading class). We were told that her grades would definitely improve with these new modifications. They have not improved. I am so frustrated. It's looking like she will not pass the state exam and will have to repeat the third grade.

Joelle - posted on 01/09/2009

My daughter has Auditory Modality Disorder (also called Central Auditory Processing Disorder). She cannot distinguish soft vowel sounds and some constanants. She can read in her head and gets the gist of a sentence but she cannot read out loud. The school has made some modification in the classroom such as making sure that she sits close to the board so that she's close to the teacher when she's giving instructions. The key is to make sure that there is no background noise and that they're as far away from noise distractions as possible.



Has your son been tested to rule out hearing loss? It was the first test that they gave my daughter to find out why she wasn't able to understand speech.



Good luck!!

Sue - posted on 01/09/2009

Can I ask did he have any early signs with Speech delay at all when he was younger? My 11 year old was diagnosed with Speech Dyspraxia at 22 months old and he has always had a problem with reading because he had a delay in manipulating the phonological sounds of each letter....thus giving him the delay in reading...He is now in 5th grade at grade level with all his subjects and his reading but I found that if you are ProActive, Your Child's Advocate they will only benefit from it. I would ask your district for extra home based help. We also benefited from having him read out loud to himself and hearing me read to him since he was in 2 grade,,,he currently has trouble with creative writing..his a slow starter as far a gathering his thoughts,,,but its all due to his auditory delay....I hope my advice helps,,,and good luck,,it may seem overwhelming but I've encountered that with educational delays the progress is slow day to day but when you get that break through its a HIGH you don't come down from....so hang in there..be strong. be positive and foremost ADVOCATE for your son.....

Good Luck

Sue - posted on 01/09/2009

Can I ask did he have any early signs with Speech delay at all when he was younger? My 11 year old was diagnosed with Speech Dyspraxia at 22 months old and he has always had a problem with reading because he had a delay in manipulating the phonological sounds of each letter....thus giving him the delay in reading...He is now in 5th grade at grade level with all his subjects and his reading but I found that if you are ProActive, Your Child's Advocate they will only benefit from it. I would ask your district for extra home based help. We also benefited from having him read out loud to himself and hearing me read to him since he was in 2 grade,,,he currently has trouble with creative writing..his a slow starter as far a gathering his thoughts,,,but its all due to his auditory delay....I hope my advice helps,,,and good luck,,it may seem overwhelming but I've encountered that with educational delays the progress is slow day to day but when you get that break through its a HIGH you don't come down from....so hang in there..be strong. be positive and foremost ADVOCATE for your son.....

Good Luck

Carolyn - posted on 01/09/2009

My 13 year old went through something like this.  We have her read for a half hour every day and journal what she read, has to be a complete page.  You'd be amazed at the difference today.    She went from being a poor ready to a great reader.  When she started 7th grade she tested at a 4th grade level, now she is at her own grade level and still improving. 8th grade now.  It also helps with spelling, sentence stucture, comprehension and it helps get the to see things how they should be thereby stimulating them to hear what is actually being said.  Hope this helps, good luck.