Dyslexia/Spelling Program Update
I decided to take a second to explain after all. :)
We're leaving All About Spelling behind (for now). You can read under the label "All About Spelling" in my side bar how much I love this program. My earliest posts about it explain our experiences more that the later ones. (I won't even mention all the other programs that we used over the years, consistently and diligently with great optimism each time, in hopes of helping my son to read.) AAS has been a miracle.
To explain why we are moving on-
We have used AAS since March of 2010. My youngest two boys (6 and 9 at the time) probably represent the typical students' success using this program. They were not reading or spelling very well when we began the program. Both subjects were slightly painful to them. Almost immediately after beginning the program (within 10 lessons), they did a total turn around. They were reading notes left on the counter (something that I never had to be concerned about before!), grocery lists, the calendar... and while they were not diving in to chapter books, they could gather any information that they wanted from their car, dog, motorcycle, or horse books. AAS gave them the start and they ran with it.
AAS was also a miracle answer for my oldest son. Information that had never "stuck" before now sticks. But it has not worked the same way as it has with the younger two boys. Reading and other language arts are still a struggle, and we are moving at a painfully slow pace. I am okay with slow, but I want to be sure that we are doing the best thing possible for our son.
I honestly did drag my feet about making this decision. We are moving to the Barton Reading system- it is by far pricier. But we have talked to more than one expert in the "dyslexia" field and we are strongly encouraged to try it. I have watched all of the videos on Susan Barton's web site, and given that the child that she talks about (her nephew) might just as well be my son for all that they have in common, I am going to pray that this is the magic bullet that we are looking for.
You can check out Susan's videos here. Well worth watching if you think your child has dyslexia.These are long, but I learned a lot! Start with this one- What is Dyslexia?.
We will continue using AAS for the younger boys for now. Depending how things go with Paul, we might just switch them to the Barton system when they finish their current level of AAS. There is no sense purchasing two programs when one will do.
In the meantime, I stand by my love of AAS, but look hopefully toward the Barton system as a help for my son.
I should add that if you have questions about the Barton program, in addition to the videos on the above linked web site (that I highly recommend), you can email or call Susan Barton. There is an office staff that is always there, but you can leave a message and Susan will call you back. I understand that email may be preferable because of her speaking schedule, but when she is in, she will return phone calls.
We're leaving All About Spelling behind (for now). You can read under the label "All About Spelling" in my side bar how much I love this program. My earliest posts about it explain our experiences more that the later ones. (I won't even mention all the other programs that we used over the years, consistently and diligently with great optimism each time, in hopes of helping my son to read.) AAS has been a miracle.
To explain why we are moving on-
We have used AAS since March of 2010. My youngest two boys (6 and 9 at the time) probably represent the typical students' success using this program. They were not reading or spelling very well when we began the program. Both subjects were slightly painful to them. Almost immediately after beginning the program (within 10 lessons), they did a total turn around. They were reading notes left on the counter (something that I never had to be concerned about before!), grocery lists, the calendar... and while they were not diving in to chapter books, they could gather any information that they wanted from their car, dog, motorcycle, or horse books. AAS gave them the start and they ran with it.
AAS was also a miracle answer for my oldest son. Information that had never "stuck" before now sticks. But it has not worked the same way as it has with the younger two boys. Reading and other language arts are still a struggle, and we are moving at a painfully slow pace. I am okay with slow, but I want to be sure that we are doing the best thing possible for our son.
I honestly did drag my feet about making this decision. We are moving to the Barton Reading system- it is by far pricier. But we have talked to more than one expert in the "dyslexia" field and we are strongly encouraged to try it. I have watched all of the videos on Susan Barton's web site, and given that the child that she talks about (her nephew) might just as well be my son for all that they have in common, I am going to pray that this is the magic bullet that we are looking for.
You can check out Susan's videos here. Well worth watching if you think your child has dyslexia.These are long, but I learned a lot! Start with this one- What is Dyslexia?.
We will continue using AAS for the younger boys for now. Depending how things go with Paul, we might just switch them to the Barton system when they finish their current level of AAS. There is no sense purchasing two programs when one will do.
In the meantime, I stand by my love of AAS, but look hopefully toward the Barton system as a help for my son.
I should add that if you have questions about the Barton program, in addition to the videos on the above linked web site (that I highly recommend), you can email or call Susan Barton. There is an office staff that is always there, but you can leave a message and Susan will call you back. I understand that email may be preferable because of her speaking schedule, but when she is in, she will return phone calls.
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