If I was to spend £500 to help dyslexic DD what should I spend it on?

[screamingeels]

DD is 8yo going into Y4. She has formal diagnosis of dyslexia from LA and interventions at school. She has issues with reading, spelling, numeracy, remembering sequences, understanding time. She is 1 to 2 years behind in these areas.

We do apples and pears and numicon at home as well as normal stuff like reading to her, visiting interesting places, sending her shopping.

I could afford to throw some money at this but a bit sceptical it will help. Anyone want to encourage me?

Behavioural Optometrist. We'd have to travel a bit to find one and I just don't think DD has visual stress. I've done basic tracking tests, she says nothing moves or blurs and the mistakes/ problems she has seem much more like processing, memory retrieval issues than visual. (But also not a visual learner, she cannot sight read at all).

Ed Psych. She already has dyslexia diagnosis. It was done by LA literacy specialist who also delivers her literacy interventions. It's not very detailed and so I think fuller report would be interesting but would it actually change any of the support for her? She already has intensive phonics for reading and spelling, will be taught to touch type, use clicker etc. Person who recommened local EP said their advice was to use toe to toe and word wasp. I think DD has better interventions than that already.

Tutor. Whilst DD thrives on 1-2-1 instruction, she also needs little and ofte. Therefore in practice I think persevering at home might be better. And tutors with knowl. of dealing with dyslexia are £££ I'd run through £500 in 10 weeks.

Obviously if any of these things could help DD live up to her potential they would be worth it.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

Behavioural optometry - my DD couldn't explain that the words on the page vibrated until they stopped, because they had always done that. Getting behavioural optometry glasses made a dramatic difference to her life. She had had multiple checks, her tracking is mostly fine, but in addition to visual processing disorder she has convergent point abdnormailities.

[screamingeels]

I think you may be right. In some ways I think it may be hardest to tell without professional assessment. Just don't seem to be any anywhere near us - shall look again.

[SaltyMyDear]

I would use Dyslexia Gold - which helps with the visual issues which she may or may not have AND the phonological issues which she must have.

[screamingeels]

I have just been looking at that. I had heard of engaging eyes before but I didn't know they added the fluency builder section.

DD has just been told about the diagnosis so maybe more interested in doing different things.

[midnightlurker]

I would get the behavioural optometry done. I work with children with Dyslexia and over 90% of them have visual difficulties. Most didn't notice they had any problems because they thought everyone's eyes did that. Round here it is about £120 for the initial assessment. If you have money left after that, a good private Ed Psych or a specialist dyslexia assessment (cheaper). You need the vision assessment first or it will skew the results of the other assessments they will do. Dyslexia is a name for a collection of difficulties which cause problems with reading and writing. To be able to provide intervention that works, you need to know exactly where those difficulties lie and what to do about them. Memory for example can be significantly improved.

[goingmadinthecountry]

I tried so much with ds - even did the PG dyslexia teaching qualification! (I was a teacher already.) Lots of wasted money, false hopes. A parent who won't give up is the best resource!
I like these www.crossboweducation.com/shop-now/visual-stress/reading-rulers - cheap and helpful. SENCO will have a full set of reading overlays to check if any colours help. These are discreet and help with tracking.

Talking books subscription so she's taking high quality literature in - ds always used to listen to them at night and on journeys.

I would hope everything in class is already in place to support her. I like the Barrington Stoke spelling dictionary. Gives the word wrong in red - jiraf for eg then correct spelling in black next to it.

Learning to touch type now is a great idea - for many children. It will make the option of a laptop at secondary school a lot more viable.

[WhiteDraig]

For maths mathsfactor - there are other online maths sites out there including Khan Academy which is free but mathsfactor is one worked best for mine.

When we started they had to do five sessions a week - we upped it to try for one every day - that's gone but they've bought a 30 day challenge instead. Only one has finished took just under 4 years though DH says he met an older child at one of their events who did it in about 12 months. The one who finished has started secondary school - top set for maths.

Clear explanation which can be viewed multiple times - worked examples and the practise sessions. My younger two used to sit down and work through with the help of numericon - they soon went beyond it. Also the reading 14 as 41 stopped as well when they grasped place value - which was very poorly taught at their school.

We did do engaging eyes for eldest - took an entire school year so very hard to say if it had any effect as would have expected reading speed to improve with age and practise anyway over that time frame.

Dyslexia not linked to eyesight, says study these headline make me a bit more sceptical about eyes being involved for my own children. I'm fully diagnosed dyslexic and I don't think I have any eye issues - despite other people insisting I must.



We did dancing bears along side apple and pears - I think dancing bears helped with sounds and splitting words up a lot which fed into the spelling as well as helping the supposedly okay reading. After we finished book D of apple and pears - there were clearly still problems with eldest so we started - www.spelfabet.com.au/where-to-start/parents/ working through work book 3 currently finishing work book 7. We've done the spelling collection. You buy files which you then print out the biggest cost for us here has been ink and obviously time. It's looking at word patterns - it's more explicit/obvious I think that apple and pears in it word grouping.

Not sure what we will be doing when we finish work book 8.

Have recently printed off list of common pre-fixs, suffixes and root words and their meanings - I want to go through that with eldest though if anyone knows a book or program that does that please tell me - found over years we do better if we follow a program less easy for eldest to distract me. It is supposed to help how spelling - understanding a bit how words are put together.

Have done some handwritting stuff over years - apparently link with fluidity and spelling - speed up and write from the start could be worth a look.

I'm debating whether to get this - as eldest two do have balance issues - it suppose to help core muscles balance ball plus I keep trying to work on their hand to eye coordination which is poor.

Before you spend money might be worth looking at: www.beatingdyslexia.com/ to see what free things might help.

Another free thing that even eldest like - of did till GP told her it was too babyish - www.teachyourmonstertoread.com/ got them practising their phonics with no arguing.

The best thing anyone did for me was getting me reading - I still hate reading allowed often have to read things through a few times - and rely heavily on context - still hate book with load of missed letter for regional speaking - whole passages of wuthering heights are beyond me but I read a lot for pleasure.

I've spent a fortune at the book people - filling house with all kinds of books - worked with one who really struggled then clicked with reading though spelling still problematic - youngest is nearly there. Eldest is a hugh problem she loves books - will start but often doesn't finish books. Audio book are a hit - they at least help expand vocabulary and site like www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/genre/dys/Dyslexia-friendly.html or www.barringtonstoke.co.uk/dyslexia-reading/ help find book with easier reading but still interesting content. Recently found a series of books she is finishing and is excited about so have fingers crossed.

I don't think there is a sliver bullet out there - I think it's a long hard slog of little and often. Sorry this is so long - don't have time to edit down no of the above costs £500 in itself but does add up over time I expect.

[sh77]

Loopygoose (I think) posts on here and set up a brilliant blog of the things she is trying and the progress her child made. I will try to find the link.

I would definitely say go to a BO - look at BABO. Where about are you?

[mrz]

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/opo.12316/full

[screamingeels]

Thanks so much Goingmad and WhiteDraig for sharing your experience, that's really helpful. I think your experience is very similar to ours (though you've done lots more!). We love 'teach your monster' too and I find a program really helps me and DH get it done.

[Roseformeplease]

Not hugely expensive but a Kindle Fire and books, plus audio books. But the books and audio upgrade at the same time. The words are highlighted as the voice reads to you.

I am an English teacher and lots of the issues with literacy are resolved with a lot of "reading". There seems to be no difference in the results if they use audio as opposed to read it themselves.v

[Rainuntilseptember]

I am readings this in awe having just spent half an hour trying to get my dyslexic ds to even do the homework school sends home, never mind any extra programmes. And I'm a teacher too - isn't helping!

[screamingeels]

Ah Rain - homework is a real pain, we do 30 mins on a Saturday to show willing. Although I am thinking of withdrawing even from that and sticking to targetted programmes instead.

[Sofabitch]

We had the colour metric glasses for my son made a huge difference.

He is also allowed to use a computer with specialist software dragon for all his school work. Makes a huge huge difference but they didn't let him do that until senior school.

[sh77]

I have done a lot of reading around eye convergence/tracking issues and have contemplated taking ds to a Behavioural Optometrist. However, I am trying Dyslexia Gold/Engaging Eyes after reading about it on MN. It seems very good value for money. Will update.

[screamingeels]

Sh77 - do report back. Someone upthread asked where we are - we are in Brighton. I've looked on BABO and nearest Beh Optometrists are about an hour away. Engaging eyes may be cheaper/ easier.

I think it seems clear not all dyslexias are the same. I find it hard to see what eye convergence has to do with ability to understand before/after, learn days of week, number bonds etc. Out of all DD's impaired skills her reading is closest to age related expectations. This may be because she has had a lot of phonics based interventions from me and others - she 'passes' (isn't dyslexic on) simple dyslexia screeners because of this.

Nb I feel the need to say DD exceeds expectations in science, creativity, projects etc. So its not that she is just stupid!

[sharkinthedark]

I would go to see this guy here

[sharkinthedark]

I would pay for a fuller report. Her difficulties may not be visual.

[turkeyboots]

I'd get a full assessment done. Dyslexia Action have centers round the country and might be a good resource.

Tutoring is worth the money and would your £500 would buy 5 months with my son's tutor, so worth looking around. 121 teaching is the only thing which really helped me (and my siblings) especially after years of poor or no support in school.

[JacquettaWoodville]

Marking place