cross posting..sorry if some of you see this from other list I'm on. My 5th grade, 11 yr old, son has some reading struggles that I don't understand. So I thought I would post and see if anyone shares similar experiences. He does not enjoy reading, I have to REQUIRE him to read a mere 15 min a day. I had his reading level tested at the beginning of the year, he can read at his grade level...supposedly. To me, it doesn't seem so. He can read the words, but when he reads aloud it sounds choppy, broken, he skips over small words, he invents nonsense words if he doesn't know a word and breezes over it. He reads too fast or too slow...He does not enjoy reading at all which causes struggles in many subject areas. His teacher last year (this is his first year homeschooling), said it was a comprehension problem. But I have bought the reading comp workbooks which he does fine. He can explain what a chapter has been about to me, sometimes...he isn't very great with verbal skills. Sorry if this is rambling...I don't know what to do to help this problem or even what is causing the problem. Maybe he needs tutoring and testing of some sort? Could it be medical? Thanks...
I would get his eyes checked asap! It might be something that can be fixed with vision therapy. Reading choppy, skipping small words, etc. are all huge red flags of a vision problem, especially if comprehension isn't an issue in general. Use this site to look for an eye doctor. They specialize in vision therapy and would be trained to look for issues like that in poor or inefficient readers.
Hi fulhandsfulhart~ First, take a deep breath and don't worry too much. Maybe you should find some learning method to help your son get intrested in reading. Does he like computer? My daughter has been learning reading on this site beestar. It's teacher recommended, cute and challenging. DD rather does 9 hours of the worksheets than watch 1 minute of t.v... Lisa
I agree with getting his eyes checked. My youngest tends to read like that when she neglects to wear her glasses. Another idea for you is to check his reading at www.letsgolearn.com It costs about 20.00 for a diagnostic test and they will give you a very detailed report as to how he did and what you can do to help him improve. You might want to check www.homeschoolbuyerscoop.com for a discount. If it turns out his eyes are fine and he scores reasonably well on the Let'sGoLearn test, then I would have him read aloud TO YOU daily for 30 min minimum. I wrote recently on this forum myself that I wasn't happy with the way my dd8 was reading. It seemed not to be a problem so much with her comprehension (of course if she stumbles a lot then, yes) but rather her pronunciation. She knew her letter sounds but stumbles on a few of the blends. Well, for a few weeks now I've been having her read aloud to me daily for a minimum of 30 minutes on top of whatever she's reading for school. We use a book that's slightly above level from where she's at, and guess what? She has made amazing progress with her reading! I am very pleased with the results from simply adding more time reading aloud. Hope that helps!
Yes... the LetsGoLearn tests are only $15 if you go through Homeschool Buyer's Co-op. DORA is for reading and DOMA is for math. The test starts out crazy-easy, but it will keep going until you mess up. It can be short or long, so give yourself an hour out of your schedule for each one.
I agree with the developmental vision testing. My son has normal vision, but has tracking difficulties. He will skip lines and not think anything of it. He also used to skip small words often and like to invent a word that has no meaning if he doesn't read a word easily.
