Case study: Reading

One of my favorite clients, I will call her Renee in order to retain confidentiality, came to me in 8th grade reading at the kindergarten level. She had years of intervention in school. The school curriculum was project based and the reading program was based on the whole language philosophy. What is “whole language?” It …

Life when you can’t read

I stumbled across this video from a show called “My So Called Life,” were the main character discovers that a boy she likes can not read well. Jordan, the character, doesn’t appear to be receiving any intervention. He’s ashamed, and other students think he is stupid.Self blame, self doubt, poor self esteem will follow him …

Good reading skills are needed for postsecondary education

“Millions of adolescents lack the reading skills needed to succeed in postsecondary education and the workplace — and students with learning disabilities tend to struggle the most”( www.ldonline.com; 8/16/10). How do you know if your child has the reading skills they need to succeed at the college level? Poor reading skills can be distinguished by …

Web sites associated with Reading

Another great site is the International Dyslexia Association web site. Like AANE it also is a great resource for information on reading disorders especially dyslexia. The site offers information regarding the various types of reading remediation. Remember as with all remediation quality is not based on the program, but in the level of instruction and …

What did you just read?

Recently I sat listening to a new client read, and after he read I asked him to summarize the information. I was not surprised to hear, “I can’t.” He read the words with little expression, and his primary emphasis when reading was on trying to pronounce complex vocabulary. Little effort was put into phrasing, visualizing …

Do older students need continued reading and language intervention?

“It is likely that children who have reading or language intervention in the primary grades will continue to need additional supplementary experiences in the upper grades as well. We know that the literacy demands are of a different nature for older children; as children proceed through the grades, they are expected to learn from informational …

What did I learn teaching my daughter to read? Part II

What was my biggest discover teaching my daughter to read. I already knew a lot, but it is different to teach reading to your own child. From day one the reading process slowly begins. Daily reading, word play, and rhyming games are all included in a rich language environment and provide the foundation for reading. …

Reading comprehension

Reading comprehension improves greatly with the ability to visualize. Visualization is the ability to create pictures from words. In the example, “Sam the dog ran out the door” Can you picture Sam? The door? The yard? Maybe Sam is a medium-sized black and white spotted dog with short hair running out of a white screen …