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Primary Elementary Teachers Chatboard

Dyslexic first grader-- how can I help him?

by Sidney

Mar 31, 2009

I have a little boy in my class that needs help-- I just don't know what to do, exactly.

I know you're not supposed to label a six-year-old, but this kid's obviously dyslexic. He fits nearly all the criteria, including family history and severe speech issues. He gets speech therapy four times a week. I might add that his mother uses the word dyslexic too, so this is no news to his parents.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, he's too high to qualify for sessions with our reading teacher. He's on grade level, maybe even slightly above, because he's memorized words based on the first and last letters and the shape of the word. He knows every letter, every sound, every sight word, but he can't decode to save his little life.

He even does OK on the DIBELS nonsense word fluency test, because he can always get the first and last sounds, but the middle sound is just a wild guess. I swear it's like the middle of the word is a black hole for him or something. He always k...See More

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Gracie From what I've read, 1. I find his disability has not held him back from being a slightly above reader. 2. Knowing every sound, letter and can apply the knowledge of sightwords without reversing the first and last letters. 3. He relies on the configuration of the word. 4. Evidently when he's reading , he uses context to determine the correst word w...See MoreFrom what I've read, 1. I find his disability has not held him back from being a slightly above reader. 2. Knowing every sound, letter and can apply the knowledge of sightwords without reversing the first and last letters. 3. He relies on the configuration of the word. 4. Evidently when he's reading , he uses context to determine the correst word which mean he uses auditory clues. 5 He gets his spelling words after repeated review with mom and dad. 6. Math shows the "6" and "9" problem"/

Since he depends on auditory clues when he's reading (context,) continue with phonics, (auditory learning): I would still go with a lot of phonics. Go with word families, "pulling the word apart." I pretend I'm holding the word and slowly pulling the word, exaggerating the sound as I am pointing to it on the board. Constantly repeating this method gets them to keep focusing on that vowel and ending sound. Then continue with rhyming words that go with that family, highlighting the family as you read the families on the board and skills papers. Combine the auditory, phonics with repeated review of visual learning of trouble words and reinforce left-right movement. Write his trouble words on the computer with the first letter green and underline any word family so he can focus on that next while he's reading. Repeat, repeat, repeat Instruct parents to do the same thing at home. Sound like good parents.

As for 6 and 9. Remind him the "6" is lazy and is sitting with a big tummy and the "9" stands tall with a big brain! I draw legs coming out of the tummy and glasses on the nine's head..

On 3/31/09, Sidney wrote: > I have a little boy in my class that needs help-- I just > don't know what to do, exactly. > > I know you're not supposed to label a six-year-old, but > this kid's obviously dyslexic. He fits nearly all the > criteria, including family history and severe speech > issues. He gets speech therapy four times a week. I > might add that his mother uses the word dyslexic too, so > this is no news to his parents. > > Unfortunately, or fortunately, he's too high to qualify > for sessions with our reading teacher. He's on grade > level, maybe even slightly above, because he's memorized > words based on the first and last letters and the shape of > the word. He knows every letter, every sound, every sight > word, but he can't decode to save his little life. > > He even does OK on the DIBELS nonsense word fluency test, > because he can always get the first and last sounds, but > the middle sound is just a wild guess. I swear it's like > the middle of the word is a black hole for him or > something. He always knows his spelling words on Friday > (his parents make sure of that), but he could not have > given you more than the first and last letter on any of > them the previous Monday. Any "best guess" writing he > does is basically unreadable. > > I suspect this little guy is gifted (although he would > never qualify for our gifted program), and he uses his > giftedness to cover up his disability. He is in my top > math group and would probably be my top math student if he > didn't get his 6s and 9s mixed up all the time. > > Anyway, to get to the point, I wonder if anyone has any > ideas on how to work with this little boy. I suspect > things would be a lot easier if he could "hear" the sounds > in the middle of a word, but I don't know how to go about > teaching that. > > Thanks. > >

Mar 31, 2009

ga do count him wrong when he reverses his letters or numbers in first grade?

Mar 31, 2009

Sidney Thank you for your suggestions. I tried stretching out words with him earlier this year, and he got so confused when there was more than three sounds that I gave up. But he has improved a lot since then (believe it or not), so it will be worth doing that again.

And when I read that article, the part about auditory processing really rang s...See More

Mar 31, 2009

Molly This little guy reminds me of my husband, who had an IEP for LD (dyslexia) and for giftedness. He faked his way through to grade 4, when he finally got good resource help (with a teacher I worked with later!) and learned to read.

From his advice, the best thing you can do for this student is make sure he knows he's not stupid. Truthfully,...See MoreThis little guy reminds me of my husband, who had an IEP for LD (dyslexia) and for giftedness. He faked his way through to grade 4, when he finally got good resource help (with a teacher I worked with later!) and learned to read.

From his advice, the best thing you can do for this student is make sure he knows he's not stupid. Truthfully, while my husband is a slower reader than most people, his biggest problem with one of feeling the need to justify and prove his intelligence, and that stems from his early school experiences.

And no, my husband still can't decode very well. I can only imagine what his sight vocabulary must be like!

Best of luck.

On 3/31/09, Sidney wrote: > I have a little boy in my class that needs help-- I just > don't know what to do, exactly. > > I know you're not supposed to label a six-year-old, but > this kid's obviously dyslexic. He fits nearly all the > criteria, including family history and severe speech > issues. He gets speech therapy four times a week. I > might add that his mother uses the word dyslexic too, so > this is no news to his parents. > > Unfortunately, or fortunately, he's too high to qualify > for sessions with our reading teacher. He's on grade > level, maybe even slightly above, because he's memorized > words based on the first and last letters and the shape of > the word. He knows every letter, every sound, every sight > word, but he can't decode to save his little life. > > He even does OK on the DIBELS nonsense word fluency test, > because he can always get the first and last sounds, but > the middle sound is just a wild guess. I swear it's like > the middle of the word is a black hole for him or > something. He always knows his spelling words on Friday > (his parents make sure of that), but he could not have > given you more than the first and last letter on any of > them the previous Monday. Any "best guess" writing he > does is basically unreadable. > > I suspect this little guy is gifted (although he would > never qualify for our gifted program), and he uses his > giftedness to cover up his disability. He is in my top > math group and would probably be my top math student if he > didn't get his 6s and 9s mixed up all the time. > > Anyway, to get to the point, I wonder if anyone has any > ideas on how to work with this little boy. I suspect > things would be a lot easier if he could "hear" the sounds > in the middle of a word, but I don't know how to go about > teaching that. > > Thanks. > >

Mar 31, 2009

Grace/IL This child has some strengths. You say "he's memorized words based on the first and last letters and the shape of the word. He knows every letter, every sound, every sight word, but he can't decode to save his little life."

It appears that he's not attending to the letters that represent the medial sounds in words. It sounds as though part...See MoreThis child has some strengths. You say "he's memorized words based on the first and last letters and the shape of the word. He knows every letter, every sound, every sight word, but he can't decode to save his little life."

It appears that he's not attending to the letters that represent the medial sounds in words. It sounds as though part of his problem may be working from left to right in a sequential order. Teaching him to spell will do a lot to help him in that area, especially since he knows sounds and the letters that represent them. Have him say a word slowly (stretching) such as 'am'. Then have him write the letters that represent the two sounds he hears. Give him immediate feedback as to the accuracy of what he's written. Next have him write 'an' in the same way. Then have him say 'man' very slowly and ask him how many sounds he hears. Have him write the letters that represent those sounds. Do this first with all the two and three-letter short vowel words you can think of. As he attends to the sounds as he writes them, this will help him attend to them while reading.

When he's secure with short vowel words, start working on long vowel patterns. These get a bit more complex with the varied spellings of long vowels but it works. Finally, work on diphthongs and vowel digraphs.

You can get some ideas for help on my website, particularly in the Free Resources section, where you'll find ideas for printing letters and numerals. Have him trace the 6 and 9 on texture, saying the number name while he's writing it.

You didn't say much about reversals of letters. Is this a problem also? If it is, make sure he uses multi-sensory methods to correct these.

Finally, teach him to blend beginning consonants into the first vowel, then add the endings as he works his way through words.

We should never label a child as dyslexic until we have done everything in our power to help him/her. Dyslexia simply means "trouble with words" and that difficulty can take many forms beginning with decoding, working its way through spelling and vocabulary, and finally comprehension of the whole unit.

Grace

Apr 2, 2009

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