Reading Comprehension
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Anonymous
| My GT/LD 3rd grade son is having difficulties with reading comprehension. I am wondering how parents have helped their children who have also struggled with reading comprehension? Are there any particularly programs that can be done at home or is this something that must be addressed in tutoring? Thank you. |
Anonymous
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There are a lot of "phonics" type games and programs that you can do at home. Ask the school learning specialist for suggestions.
Tutoring may be more expensive but may be more effective in the end--Phono-graphix or Linda Mood Bell are examples of programs out there |
Anonymous
| Reading to him while checking for comprehension is a good practice. Ask questions frequently starting with simple ones like "Who is _________________?" and "Where does the story take place?" Then, get more complex like "Why do you think she __________________?" and "If you were ______________, would you have done the same thing? Why?" Start with books of his choosing and then choose some of your own. |
Anonymous
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I am currently getting an MA in gen ed/spec ed. A book that is very straightforward and helpful in laying out various comprehension strategies is this:
http://www.amazon.com/Strategies-That-Work-Comprehension-Understanding/dp/157110481X/ref=pd_sim_b_1 |
Anonymous
| I used Huntington Learning Center for my son. His comprehension improved dramatically with their program. |
Anonymous
| Does he have problems understanding what he reads? Or does he have problems demonstrating reading comprehension byt answering reading comprehension questions on state mandated tests? Or is it both? |
Anonymous
| I'm not sure the answer to your question, 16:12. (I appreciate all of these responses.) We've known this was a problem and it is becoming more of one as they are preparing for the MSAs in Maryland. (We are in MoCo.) I was hoping we could work with him at home but it sounds like we need to send him to a tutoring center. Does anyone have any other possible recommendations for home-based assistance with reading comprehension? Thank you so much! |
Anonymous
| This can be rooted in so many things. My advice is to have some testing done by a speech language pathologist. It can be due to: an oral language problem, poor phonics skills that cause a bottleneck when reading, poor fluency that takes energy away from understanding, poor mental imagery skills, poor vocabulary, attention deficit, executive function issues,...and more. This is the age when you'd expect to see problems. Get it checked out just to be safe. |
Anonymous
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Resurrecting a REALLY old thread here.
I am looking for a specialized reading center/program for my DS, who is currently in 8th grade with ADHD. He is quite behind in reading. He's been seeing a private tutor but I don't think its really working for him. I think an actual program or center might work better. I ran a search on DCUM - across all the forums - for feedback on Huntington and there was a really impressive amount of positive feedback, including some on this forum. I know that the centers are independently run, so was hoping to get feedback and specific centers or even general feedback. TIA! |
Anonymous
I knew it was ancient when I saw "Huntington." Please don't waste your money on Sylvan, Kumon or the other "centers." What you need is an "evidence-based" program, e.g.: http://www.wrightslaw.com/press/best.kept.secret.htm A tutor certified in O-G, Wilson, LMB for example. Try ASDEC, or the SN schools like Kingsbury/Lab for reliably trained tutors. |
Anonymous
Thanks PP. I agree with the article and am also well aware of the specific methodologies mentioned in the article. I have been in this SpecEd world now for 8+ years. DS was diagnosed in kindergarten. I have spent the batter part of these last 8 years educating myself on what works and doesn't work. Occasionally making mistakes along the way and wasting money on nonsense programs which makes me angry. DS did have a Kingsbury tutor many years ago, but I got the impression that she did not have any other background in education other than to be "trained" by them. I could be totally wrong. I want a real teacher. As for Lab, yep have also been down that road. Trying to find a tutor at Lab who has availability is difficult. LMB - about 5 years ago I almost enrolled DS in their summer intensive to the tune of $12K. That is how important his education is to me/us. But when I mentioned it to his IEP team they told me that while they agreed that LMB was a good program, they didn't think it was "$12K good". Fast forward (no pun intended), we finally put DS in private this year. Turns out he is very behind in reading. reading at the 6th grade level and he's in 8th grade. To me, reading and critical thinking are the cornerstones of a successful life. Math? eh, he can use a calculator the rest of his life. but reading? that is critical and crucial. All that said, the reason I resurrected this thread is because during my recent research I learned that Huntington actually started incorporating specific methodologies for students with ADHD last year - in 2015. What those specific methodologies are, I don't know. I plan to call them tomorrow to get additional information. I have to think that they are well aware of these specific programs such as LMB and O-G, and would be smart enough to hire specific tutors that have this training and background. If not I wouldn't even consider sending DS there. I will look back in to Kingsbury as it has been a while since I even looked at their website. Also ASDEC. If anyone else has opinions on this, I would love to hear more feedback please! Positive, negative, nagging, neutral. I can take it! |
Anonymous
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Yes, we did LMB too through their center. It was effective but pricy. You can find tutors and SLPs that are certified in the method that isn't as expensive.
If you're looking for strategies that are aimed at kids with ADHD, you may be looking at tutors or SLPs who can help with executive functioning issues that support reading comprehension. For example, the Lab School offers a summer program that: Program I: Building the Framework Organizing and Scaffolding Language Ages: 7–11 (paired by age and skill-level) • Improve the ability to share knowledge and express oneself in a more organized and effective manner. • Develop narrative skills and learn to elaborate on thoughts and ideas. • Learn to identify key information and develop the ability to rephrase, summarize, and explain with one’s own words. • Improve the ability to follow multi-step directions using specific strategies. https://mediafiles01.myschoolcdn.com/ftpimages/541/misc/misc_134215.pdf |
Anonymous
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First of all, sorry, I have no experience with Huntington.
If you are having trouble finding tutors available, have you considered doing Barton at home together? Barton is also an O-G method and has more accessible programs for parents to use at home. However, O-G programs are usually very good for phoneme and orthographic issues- common with dyslexia. Not so much with comprehension or RAN issues. We are in FCPS, and in MS we had an excellent interaction with the person who is in charge of special ed reading for middle school for the whole county. She has moved on, but I would try to contact that office to see what they recommend. There are reading programs specifically aimed at comprehension issues that may be better for your son. How does he do with audio books? Those have helped my son immensely in accessing the books at his cognitive level that are above his reading level. Having electronic textbooks where he can look a the words while listening to the text is very helpful. What kind of accommodations does your DC currently receive to mitigate the ADHD at school and at home? What reading program is he currently using at school? |
Anonymous
Thanks PP. Have not heard of Barton, will research it though! he is now in private, and they do use specific teaching methodologies for students with various LD's. He has made a lot of improvement according to his teacher but he is still 2 grade levels behind. My goal is to have him ready for high school. he LOVES audio books. We used to have a subscription to Audible but I let it lapse. I'll look into starting it again, great idea! |
Anonymous
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OP - While your son might be a bit older than those they usually evaluate, I would consider contacting the Univeristy of Maryland's Reading Center for an evaluation. They do evals on Saturdays, and one of our daughter's had it done for her second grader last spring. Besides providing a very comprehensive report on strengths and weaknesses, there was also a comprehensive list of interventions recommendation that could be shared with a classroom teacher, reading specialist or in your case a reading tutor. The reading center also maintains a list of tutors, some of whom are teachers, as do other places such as The Lab School. There was also information regarding online resources contained in the report. The cost was $300 for a couple of hour session with two individuals. Most likely the approach would be different for an older student or perhaps they could refer you to a place that does such evaluations if they do not. It just makes sense at eighth grade to get an evaluation of what specific problems your DS has in comprehension so that you then know what you want to see a tutor or specialized program approach covering rather than to just take what a tutor says at face value. If one is reading two or more levels below grade level, it is very difficult to process and retain information being presented on grade level. This I found in research years ago in seeking services for our youngest daughter. |