Has anyone had a struggling reader in Y1/Y2 turn themselves around in later years?

[Kellamity]

DS is a summer born and while he has plenty of enthusiasm and determination he is one of the weakest readers in his class. Is this always going to be the way for him? The unending game of catch up?

Dont agree bonsoir.

And neither would my severly dyslexic son.

I have family who live in mainland europe and the whole ethos of education there is much better for kids IMO...shorter school days, shorter holidays, more access to extra curricular activities, better school/home balance etc.....

I also live in mainland Europe and have very good knowledge of the different systems. School days are very long in much of Europe.

How many languages do you speak yourself, becaroo?

2 (and english).

We will just have to agree to disagree bonsoir

You are ill-informed, becaroo, and it is a pity because the energy you expend railing against the British system and thinking the grass is greener elsewhere is not energy being usefully diverted to helping your dyslexic son.

Becarooo - I disagree with you. I know your DS and my DD wouldn't have learned to read any easier if they'd started at 7 rather than if they'd started at 4.

Because they both have underlying problems that need to be sorted out.

However if they'd started learning at 7, we'd have had about a month to sort out those problems before they were left totally behind. As it is we've had 3 years. Which wasn't enough in either of our cases.

Those countries which teach reading at 7, teach phonetic languages, and they teach the whole class to read in about 6 weeks. And generally, if you're left behind at that point you're in a terrible place.

Actually 3 years would have been enough to teach our children to read. If you and me had started attacking the problem when our children were 4 instead of thinking 'bless, they're so young, they'll grow out of it' - our kids would be reading by now.

It's going to take about 3 years for our kids to learn to read. Unfortunately I didn't start panicking till DD was in Y2. So it'll be next year (Y5) before she learns.

Which is why I so strongly advise everyone on this board to start addressing problems when they're first raised, and to not wait and see if they'll grow out of them.....

bonsoir You have no idea what I have done and am doing to help my son, so wind your neck in.

indigo I hate the UK system (as you know) I have seen, first hand, the damage it does to kids who "dont get it" at age 4/5 and the dire state of sen provision in schools.

As I said, we will agree to disagree.

You are so right about addressing problems sooner rather than later, IndigoBell. I only hear yesterday about the son of a friend who is almost 9, and slipping further and further behind his peers at school by the day. Almost by fluke, a friend of his mother arranged for this boy to be assessed by her own (SEN) son's private SALT. This SALT almost immediately was able to diagnose a severe problem with this boy's tongue that is impacting his hearing when he moves his tongue and speaks (which no basic hearing test could pick up, since his hearing itself is fine) and making him shout. This boy is just not picking up the sounds around him effectively! If he had seen a SALT years ago, he might not have struggled like this for years - he has been having problems since starting to learn to read and write aged 5.

So has my son bonsoir AND NO ONE GAVE A SHIT.

I had to pay for a private EP to assess him (have known he was dyslexic since he was 6) and what good has it done? None, because there are no resources/money at the school.....he gets no 1-1 time, no interventions, nothing.

Oh, yes. The UK system is just great

My ds was a poor reader. In reception he struggled with basic phonics. Every time we tried to read he just couldn't seem to remember anything. He looked at letters like it was the first time he had ever seen them. He had no recall ability.

He had an iep for 3 years and it was a constant uphill struggle. I was getting more and more worried.

During the summer holidays after year 2 we relaxed, stopped the intensive reading. I made it more fun, reading street signs, shop signs when out and about.

When he started year 3 it was like someone switched on a light. He started reading really well. He is now in year 4 and has caught up so well he is one of the top readers in his class.

Nonetheless, by international comparison, provision for SEN in the UK is really fantastic. Obviously it is frustrating when your own problem hasn't been addressed. But, believe me, in other countries it would not be better, far from it.

Bonsoir - how lucky that this was eventually picked up.

Becarooo - I am truly sorry that your DS had such an awful time in the infants.

I firmly believe it's the 'dire state of the SEN provision' which is the problem - not the school starting age.

If school had picked up any of the many and obvious problems that our 2 have, we would have never ended up in this mess.

But, I agree, no young child should have gone through what your DS did.

by international comparison, provision for SEN in the UK is really fantastic - I agree.

As bad as things are here, there's no other country I'd want my kids educated in.

I do also believe that no-one cares for their child the way parents do and that solutions to developmental difficulties are often found via parental (or more often maternal) networks, whatever the state SEN provision.

Which is why, when I see children who are struggling in whatever way, I do offer, as tactfully as possible, any information to their parents that I have at my disposal. Up to parents whether they use it or not, but at least I haven't kept it to myself and not reached out my hand to a struggling child/family.

"Awful" doesnt really cover it indigo

I should have taken legal action and I am very sorry now I didnt.

I (unlike bonsoir) have a child in a UK school. I am a parent helper and on the PTA of said school. Therefore I think it fair to day I know a fair bit about sen provision at said school. Its shit, as was his last school and no doubt as will his next one. And no one will convince me otherwise.

I dont think the "grass in greener" in europe, but I do think we have it very wrong here...the amount of kids who leave school with no quals, truancy rates and the kids who "give up" on education at ages 10-12 should tell us that.

Becaroo - I am very sorry for your experiences, but what is better - inadequate SEN provision in schools, or none at all?

My ds1 is now 19. We were told he had dyslexic tendencies sometime in yr 1 or 2 and we were told he was borderline SEN.

He was given additional help by learning to read using Toe by Toe (mentioned in a previous post) and did extremely well. We gave him a lot of additional help at home with the book and he grasped it really well and went from strength to strength. He got excellent GCSE results and 3 good A level results only turning down 3 uni offers because he's trying to start his own business.

So, OP, the answer is yes you can turn it around for your ds and with the right support it may well not take very long.

Good luck!

"but what is better - inadequate SEN provision in schools, or none at all?"

Said by someone who has never had to access UK sen provision I am guessing?

What earthly good is "inadequate" provision bonsoir???!!! At best its ineffective, at worst its harmful!!!!

There are no easy answers to this. But saying inadequate provision is ok is a deeply flawed and dangerous IMO.

Anyway, slight thread hijack..apologies OP.

IME if you think there is an issue then do something...early intervention is key. Dont rely on the school to do it...you are your childs best (and sometimes only) advocate.

There are many programmes that could help...god knows I've tried em all IMO the best are;
Bear neccessities (basics)
Dancing Bears and

Apples and Pears (spelling and punctuation)
All by Sound Foundations.

Good luck.

Yes. But you must read at home. The school can teach the basics, like the word blends, but you must practise at home. For some children, having extra time reading at home, going over word sounds can make all the difference.

We got books out from library and made him read every night - 5 mins. He was so resistant - but to be honest, we had friends with 9 years olds who still struggled to read and I certainly didn't want him to get to 9. A little bit of effort now will pay off. He understands that reading is part of the daily routine, like tooth brushing.

Not all children 'love' reading at such a young age, some hate it. He can read anything and everything now at aged 9. Very proud.

Yes, by the end of year 2 I was looking around for dyslexia assessments. Then one day early in Year 3 it all clicked, and I will always be grateful to the creators of Dinosaur Cove.

Clearly some children will need extra help at whatever age learning to read is started. I wonder if in 10/20/30 years time UK will still start at 4 though? After all we don't teach 2 or 3 year olds to write anymore (generally), whereas at my nursery school I think we were taught to write our names. My DS could write his name at 3 and a bit but that was off his own bat as it were. Ho hum...

I think it is highly unlikely that Anglophone children will begin learning to read later in future. English is the most difficult European alphabetic language to learn to read so the earlier they start, the better, providing their oral language skills are sufficient to allow them to read.

A good move would be to improve oral language intervention among 2/3/4 year olds.

DS is August birthday.
Year R : he refused to read (I have his reading record and the teachers exasperation is clear in her comments)
Year 1 : he refused to read (ditto)
Year 2 : term 1 - refused to read. Term 2 - teacher made him stand up and (with my agreement) humiliated him about being so bloody stubborn.
KS1 SATS : level 3 for reading
KS2 sats : level 5a across the board
now in top sets at secondary
but still a lazy little toad

TalkinPeace2 - oh, I think my DS now Y2 is similar. In R neither I now the school was particularly interested in whether he reads or not - I liked that attitude as its too early for many.

In Y1 they started having a reading record - not much written in it until I made him read a little. Refused school books but liked ORT.

Y2 - average reader, but will not read a word unless he has to. Now, he is into agrees to read the DS Starwars readers and I am waiting for a breakthrough - will he read one by himself outside out reading routine?

And yes, he is lazy and I think that will not change.