How do you know when to stop dyslexia tutoring?

[Anonymous]

We're doing tutoring 3 hours each week, and I think it's helpful. My kid keeps asking when she won't need tutoring anymore, and I'm honestly not sure of the answer. Does it just stop being effective after a while--i.e. your kid reaches their max potential? Is it when you move from remediation to accommodation (i.e. stop pushing reading and move to audiobooks?). My kid is in 4th grade, and while she can read, she still only reads graphic novels for pleasure and vastly prefers audiobooks. Her reading is OK-ish, but she still sounds a lot of words out--she has trouble with orthographic mapping, so moving words into the "recognize immediately" category is challenging.

[Anonymous]

In most cases, the goal is to stop when the student reaches grade level. Then again, potential doesn't just depend on the degree of dyslexia, but also on IQ in general. If your child is of above-average intelligence and you feel the dyslexia shouldn't impede higher reading abilities, you can push further, in the hope she reads above grade level. Or the reverse.

[Anonymous]

We stopped mid7th grade. dS still took a reading class in 7th and 8th grade but we stopped the at home remediation. We concentrated more on getting up on technology at that point.

We did audio books at DC’s cognitive level from the get go - and he continued with audio books through college. There was no conversion from eye reading to ear reading.

[Anonymous]

The advice that we were given (DC has an extremely severe form of dyslexia) was to remediate as much as possible through ES, then take the gas of that and start on technology in middle school - doing some of both. Then, in high school stop remediation and concentrate on technology and accommodations.

[Anonymous]

My son started refusing to participate in 8th grade. We really could not force it in him. He graduated from college (not smooth sailing but) and supports himself so maybe he was right?

[Anonymous]

Keep it up as long as you can. We started it in MS and HS and its very helpful.

[Anonymous]

In some dyslexic kids the “self learning cycle” that propels reading acquisition in non-dyslexic kids will kick in after a certain amount of remediation. I’ve seen it happen with a very bright, mildly dyslexic kid after the first three levels of Sounds in Syllables, the program ASDEC trains its practitioners in. This kid is able to read the usual late elementary grades novels. More importantly, they ARE reading those novels. With explicit teaching, reaching mastery of skills, and then lots of practice, they are now able to self-learn remaining patterns and build orthographic mapping.

If your kid hasn’t reached that point where it feels like they are “taking off,” and they haven’t finished every level of whatever program the tutor is using, then unfortunately I think you keep up the tutoring. You can give strategic breaks - two weeks here, two weeks there - but pick back up.

If you don’t know what level your kid is on, or what they are being taught and what skills remain, ask. If your tutor/therapist is unable to tell you then look for someone who can.

[Anonymous]

we kept support through hs , just the focus changed.

[Anonymous]

You stop when the child can read and comprehend in grade level. This usually takes at least two years of OG-based tutoring at 3-5 hrs. per week. Some students who are more severely impacted by dyslexia or comorbid conditions that affect processing speed and/or memory may need more years of intervention. Reading may still be slow or effortful, and the child may choose to use supports like audiobooks. However, they should still be able to read and write independently before you pull tutoring support.

If you have an open and honest conversation with your tutor, he or she can explain this, show the progression of the curriculum, and offer assessment data.