Teaching reading

July 27, 2006

Hello everyone,

My name is and I have a 6 year old son with apraxia - speech, fine and

grossmotor affected. He has been evaluated twice at Mayo Clinic and

receives therapy in the public school here in Rochester. My question is about

reading. Jaeden is entering first grade this Fall and is reading at a second

grade level. I was at the CASA conference and heard a mom mention how her child

" regressed " (developed more difficulty?) when he was in first grade because

of the reading approach - I believe it was specifically the phonics method

that was detrimental because the child started speaking in " broken " sounds. I

seem to remeber that Edythe Strand replied that kids with Apraxia should not

be taught reading this way....is that correct? My confusion and concern is

that in our schools, the phonics method is taught - what is the recommended

approach for Jaeden? And what do we do about him being in the classroom and

hearing this instruction? Thanks for any help - you can also email me

privately at _kedmonds216@..._ (mailto:kedmonds216@...) .

July 27, 2006

" I was at the CASA conference and heard a mom mention how her

child " regressed " (developed more difficulty?)when he was in first

grade because of the reading approach-I believe it was specifically

the phonics method that was detrimental because the child started

speaking in " broken " sounds. I seem to remember that Edythe Strand

replied that kids with Apraxia should not be taught reading this

way....is that correct? "

that's news to me (and not true!) Tanner in fact did learn to

read with the phonic approach as well as multisensory approaches.The

awesome Kaufman approach breaks down the words -and breaking down

words is how I still teach Tanner today! And if the school uses an

approach that doesn't work for your child -you can introduce other

methods and encourage the school to do the same.(Proof is in the

pudding as they say. Tanner in third grade was tested to be reading

on a high fifth grade level -probably higher even now -we play games

like MindTrap and The Worst Case Scenerio Survival game where he

needs to read the cards -he will be in 4th grade this year) Does Dr.

Strand find apraxic children can be better readers than the rest?

Does she find that apraxic children can speak best when reading

because it helps with motor planning? If so -then I'd like to hear

more of what she says -and if not -not interested.

I have to run but more below from an archive:

Re: reading

I agree with Gin on finding reading is helping Tanner with more

complex speech. Not only that -I agree that multisensory is the way

to go -and do not underestimate our children -they may not just make

it -they may excel above " normal " kids if given the chance (and the

belief in them) And for good reason.

My theory is that because our children don't learn to talk like

everyone else -that in contrast to the popular experience that most

speech impaired children will have learning disabilities -if treated

correctly -our kids may actually in many ways be even better

students than most. As a toy inventor -I'm aware of the basics of

what most kids like -or are like.

There are a few reasons I feel this way -don't have time to go into

all of them now. But for one -most of us have found our children

have these die hard memories! Not a normal memory for a " normal "

child -most kids you can get to forget a point by bringing up

something else that interests them -not many of the children in this

group! (of course you can never say " always " -just more often than

not. Just like the trouble blowing the nose thing that I first

brought up -this is yet another observation you will not read about

in books...yet) When Tanner learns his spelling words -he not only

knows how to spell even hard words -he tells me the word on the list

(of ten each week) and then spells it -like his memory is a picture

he can just look at.

Perhaps -due to using a different pathway and developing such

pathway -they have an edge we don't yet understand. I posted awhile

back that I found Tanner does best for the day if I have him read a

few pages each morning before school -like a warm up. He may start

out sounding each word -then once he is one a roll -he's in the

groove. Just like an apraxic child with words -with reading it's

strange too. Most kids will just read 3 letter words after awhile.

Tanner will whiz through difficult words at times like oxygen -and

have to sound out a word like " pull " Not every time -but enough to

make me take notice. As always -apraxia doesn't make sense in

the " norm " -so don't look at our kids and compare. And if you do -

notice just as well how they excel over others.

I again believe it most important to expose our children to

multisensory ways of learning, and keeping their self esteem high.

This means not exposing these kids to verbal based IQ or receptive

language testing!

Here are some notes on Tanner from an archived message. (again

Tanner is a straight A student in a mainstreamed accelerated

academics first grade class. He is social, has lots of friends -

does not get teased for the way he talks. Other children understand

he has a (now mild for the most part) speech impairment, (more

severe with more complex thoughts) but that he is very bright -and a

fun kid. Tanner is on the chess club, soccer team, and he is a cub

scout. No more therapy outside of speech -and of course

ProEFA/ProEPA and carnosine/carn-aware (the carnosine/carn-aware we

do on and off -the " magic fish oil " -all the time and don't miss a

day...He's doing that well in school -who knows, maybe it is

the " magic fish oil " . funny update -Tanner's teacher asked where she

could buy the fish oil we use for her own family (and self) after

hearing me talk to some other parents about it who also want to know

what we use. Tanner's doing better than some of their children -and

I told them how it helps me with my memory.)

" Here are some of the ways I help Tanner at home with his school

word. I'm sure some of the following examples will apply to any

child -even those who don't have any learning disabilities or speech

problems. It's just that it's the whole picture. Freeze under

pressure -break down the longer the utterance -responds to

multisensory techniques...etc.

( just off the top and not in any order )

Tanner's first grade class was given a " mad minute " math test where

they were given 2 minutes to answer 29 math questions both

subtraction and addition -stuff ranging from 7 + 7 to 11 - 4.

Tanner is a whiz at math -I believe from the Nintendo games and

other computer games such as that they are educational he's learned

much like that in a fun way. But...the first time he was given the

test he mixed up the subtraction and addition signs which he never

does -and got even some easy math questions wrong. When he came

home I just said to him in a really fun animated way (since this was

the first sign of any problem at all) " Tanner -they time you

because we live in Florida now near the Nickelodeon Studios in

Orlando -and just in case we go on Family Double Dare you are going

to have to answer all these questions fast or we'll all

get " SLIMED! " (I said wrinkling up my nose and laughing) BUT -if

you get them all right we'll win really cool prizes! Either way

it's just for fun! " Well the next day the test was given again to

the class and Tanner not only got 100% but was the first one

finished!

Tanner gets 100% on spelling each week, no matter how difficult the

spelling words are. I found the best way to teach him the words is

to use multisensory fun ways. This is just two of them -I'll write

the letters on his back as he says them for each word...but if he

says the wrong letter I don't write it....play game show where we

take turns being the contestant and game show host -jumping up and

down etc. Either Glenn, Dakota or I are the ones who get the

answers spelled wrong (we change our voices and pretend we are

someone else. We'll sound out the word wrong and spell it wrong. I

try to think of how a speech impaired child will say the word and

spell it that way) and Tanner is always the one that is the

contestant to spell it right. If Tanner is the game show host -one

of us will get it right -but the first one will get it wrong.

Tanner always laughs and has to correct us. For the one that won -

he'll have to say what prize they won. We also do " teacher " where

I'm the student and he teaches me the words -warns me about the

silent letters -etc.

I found that even though Tanner will spell each word right if given

one at a time -if he has to put the words in a sentence -he broke

down and spelled words he knows wrong. Once I told him to think of

each word separate - " think game show " -he spells them right.

When Tanner is reading long more complex words such as for example

last night -circulatory (he's learning about blood cells now) he

needs a cue to break it down. For example on his own last night

when I said " Just break it down Tanner and think of it as four

words " Tanner picked up a Jimmy Neutron Mc's toy and for each

syllable he said -as he said it -he turned the toy's head.

Sometimes his apraxia gets in the way of reading certain words at

first. He'll read the word and say the last sound wrong -or the

middle sound wrong. I'll correct him and point to the missed

letter. He'll repeat the word and hesitate at the letter in

question -visibly trying hard to say it right -but again say it

wrong. We'll go over this a few times until I clap my hands -or

give him some other cue to break it down. Once he says it right -

I'll have him repeat it over and over at least three times. I'll

then say the word about ten times over and over until he says " All

right already! " and then we'll move on. If when we get to the word

again he hesitates -I just have to clap or give a cue and he

says " Oh yeah " and says it right very quickly. Then he just gets it

on his own.

Anyone else? "

Lynn -as far as how do you teach a nonverbal child to read...I would

do all the same as above. You may want to read up on Helen Keller.

My son was schooled in preschool in an oral based school for the

hearing impaired/deaf. You don't have to talk to be able to read.

" I knew then that 'w-a-t-e-r' meant the wonderful cool something

that was

flowing over my hand. That living word awakened my soul, gave it

light, hope,

joy, set it free! "

Helen Keller 1880-1968

American writer and lecturer

http://www.theglassceiling.com/biographies/bio20.htm

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July 27, 2006