As parents, we experience
a wide range of emotions in short spans of time…. love,  pride, love,
impatience, love,  anxiety, love,
protectiveness, love,  vigilance…..
And more.
All within  thirty seconds or less.
We all worry about our kids’ futures……
Who among us doesn’t
panic from time to time over what the next few decades
will reveal for our  babies?
The  academics, the spiritual, the  interpersonal, the careers, the homefront…..
We teach, guide, build foundations.
We hope. We pray.
But when you parent a dyslexic child, these ‘normal’ concerns  steamroll
into daily avalanches of fear.
Dyslexia takes so many shapes, manifesting itself in a myriad of ways.
It “looks” different from person to person and even within one individual from day to day.
At seven, your child may have the  oral/aural vocabulary of a college student (mine did)
and at eight, he be able to memorize with ease 200+ lines of unabridged
Shakespearean script for his roles as three different  characters in
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (  again, mine did)
yet cannot read  Dr Seuss or Magic Tree House without
repeated stumbling and requests for assistance.
And interminable hours.

These kinds of tasks may seem insurmountable to many but,
the thing is, extraordinary, seemingly creative endeavors
are the “norm” for dyslexic individuals.

When he finds a book or  a series he loves and flies through it
( and  by the way  a dyslexic’s definition of “flying” through a book is not a
non dyslexic’s definition of flying through a book)…
well that’s wonderful but this level of accomplishment might not “last.”
Text  conquered masterfully yesterday may look alien today…
or even in fifteen minutes.

Dr Blake Charlton, medical doctor, author and a dyslexic,
speaks to this specifically in a NY Times op-ed piece,  Defining My Dyslexia,
when he  ponders if dyslexia IS a diagnosis at all.
Is labeling dyslexia “pathologizing a normal variation of human intellect?”
Further, for insight into cognitive strengths that  accompany reading difficulties
Mathew Schneps’ research in Scientific American, The Advantages of Dyslexia is the place to start.

As for the practical aspects, though, of intervening during youth, to develop,
own  and master reading and writing skills,  I’ve found the following  materials invaluable.

I’d love to share them with you.:

~ 1 ~

Consistent phonemic introduction, practice, review.
There’s a listening/dictation, writing component as well.
This book is touted as following an Orton Gillingham model of remediation.
I agree with that to a point. I do add in my own “version” of the multisensory component
in a variety of ways, such as the tracing of each letter or whole words in sand,
with colored/chalk/markers on a chalkboard/whiteboard.
In this way phonemic patterns are learned through VAKT
(visual, auditory, kinetic, tactile means)
We spent ten minutes every day on activities in this book

~2~

and Phoneme Sequence Chart

A check off list and solid method of keeping track….

 Each phoneme and common words where they appear are listed within as well as strategies

for teacher and student to make these phonemes their own in practical usage.

Educators’ Publishing Service

This is the level we’re working through but here’s the listing for

all the EPS Recipe books level K and higher .

This is the series that grew out of Nina Traub’s Recipe for Reading ( at #2)

This series takes the multisensory approach from Blast Off ( #1) and  adds  a pinch of the spelling activities you’d see in “traditional” spelling  workbooks,

such as rules for adding suffixes.

Let’s face it, spell check is a way of life for all of us, not just those who struggle with print.

It has the capacity to be an amazing safety net, right?

However, when writing with pencil and paper and

without such aid as provided by a Word doc,

this gadget is the ultimate go-to.

it contains over 100,000 words as well asa section on what is called “confusables.”

Those words which might be  homophones and spelled correctly but not used correctly within this specific context.

There are also six “educational” games

( Anagrams, Hangman, Jumble, User Anagrams, User Hangman, Word Builder)

 as well as a crossword puzzle solver.

And it’s in a nifty little case that fits easily into a pocket or backpack pouch.

Two fun online spelling “game” sites my son enjoys from time to time

to sort of mix things up a bit

Absolutely don’t miss this amazing site invaluable  for parent/teacher/student

Please don’t be discouraged if you’re parenting a child who
struggles with the processing of print.

The right method, through trial and error, will present itself over time.

That plus patience, consistency and prayer goes a looooong way.

Bear in mind that what works now for us may not next year or even next month.

You might find a strategy or resource that offers tangible support here. Or not.

I’ll be back soon to share some titles ad authors  that my son has discovered reading with enjoyment. Or at the very least, ones that don’t cause outright frustration.

Any tips, resources, suggestions, strategies you’ve found  valuable?

 Love to get a dialogue going !!

By the way, here are a few other posts in a series  I’ve written around our dyslexia journey,
if you’d like to click around~
October is National Dyslexia Awareness Month~ 
The Face of Dyslexia & Myths Around the Gift of Dyslexia 

Homeschooling and Dyslexia:
 Part 1  National Awareness Month, Research, Myth Busting

Homeschooling and Dyslexia:
 Part 2:  What Dyslexia Isn’t  

Does Your Child Have the Gift of Dyslexia?
 Here are 40 apps for Kids Who Struggle with Reading Disabilities~~

I’m happy to link with Jenna’s home on the web  for her #5Faves link up

as well as Jessica’s WWRW at Housewifespice!
Thank you Jenna and Jessica xoxoxoox