Of course since the state of Indiana doesn't recognize dyslexia as a learning disability I knew that we would be in for a fight if we stayed in the public school system (even though we were at a charter school it was still a public school). I had seen people that told me they had been fighting for 12 years. I didn't want to fight that long. So we pulled him out and just homeschooled him.
We soon found it was EXPENSIVE to be dyslexic. The first thing you find out is that dyselxics do very well with Orton Gillingham tutoring. OG tutoring is costly - worth it yes but costly. I did lots of research and started out with Barton - also expensive but I could at least do it and not have to find someone to pay $200 to a month.
Then I read a blog - thank you Lord! She lived in England and told about how her dyslexic son was doing well reading after using a book called Toe By Toe.
I read the reviews on Amazon and went for it. It was $40 with shipping so I didn't have a lot to loose.
We are almost half way through Toe by Toe and the difference is incredible. I was at the library the other night and a mom was helping me and she grabbed some readers to try with him because I wasn't sure what book level he was. I don't force him to read certain readers yet until his reading improved.
We picked up these readers and he read the first one then the second one with no problem so I grabbed the number 10 book and he read that with no problem. Then I got the second set and he is reading those with no problem so today I tested him online and he has jumped a whole grade level in reading and we are only half way through!!!!!!!!!!!
Can I shout halleluiah from the roof tops??????????????????
Slow and steady wins the race my friends - every.single.time.
Don't rush it. Keep at it. Slow it down. Do NOT get frustrated. Keep working with them. Back off when you need to. Love on them. Encourage them. Praise them.
We are a work in progress but we are in progress. We aren't finished - not by a long shot.
Could I have more cliques in this post?
Anyway, this is where we are today. By summer - who knows where we will be.
Truly, this is a blessing and I'm so thankful the Lord gave me this child at this time. It has changed my perspective on everything.
Hi! I just came over from the blog My Cup Runs Over bc I saw your title on her sidebar. I have a seven year old son and he is going to be tested for a reading disorder or dyslexia in the next month. We had his speech testing done yesterday. I have been feeling so sad and overwhelmed bc I know something is wrong and I don't know how to help him. It was so encouraging to read this. I will be back and I am going to go check out that link. Thank you!!!!!
ReplyDeleteOh MamaHen I feel your pain! If you ever want to talk please let me know!
DeleteI'm so pleased Toe By Toe is working well for your son! I hope lots of people read your post and also benefit from the system - it's such good value (even with shipping!).
ReplyDeleteMy own son hasn't used it for a while but you have inspired me to suggest it to him again - thank you!
Hi, so do you do Toe to Toe instead of Barton? Your kiddo's kindergarten year sounded like my son's-a lefty too! We're homeschooling for the 2nd year & he's in 4th grade. Thanks for your blog! :)
ReplyDeleteSo do you do Toe by Toe instead of Barton? Thanks for your blog. My son is in 4th grade, we've been homeschooling for 2. Our kindergarten experience sounds similar unfortunately. :( My son's a lefty too! Thanks for your blog!
ReplyDeleteI actually still use Toe By Toe on days we don't do tutoring. We do Orton Gillingham tutoring now at our local Scottish Rite Cathedral. They do free tutoring. They have a charity that allows them to offer it for free!
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