Reading Supplemental Programs

[Anonymous]

My DS is a very reluctant reader and I am at my wits end about it. When he was in K and 1st grade, he was on par with everyone else, but because of his continued reluctance, I am afraid he is falling behind rather rapidly. Can anyone recommend a supplemental reading program, preferably close in to DC that they found highly effective?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS is a very reluctant reader and I am at my wits end about it. When he was in K and 1st grade, he was on par with everyone else, but because of his continued reluctance, I am afraid he is falling behind rather rapidly. Can anyone recommend a supplemental reading program, preferably close in to DC that they found highly effective?

I have no experience with it but have heard many use Kumon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS is a very reluctant reader and I am at my wits end about it. When he was in K and 1st grade, he was on par with everyone else, but because of his continued reluctance, I am afraid he is falling behind rather rapidly. Can anyone recommend a supplemental reading program, preferably close in to DC that they found highly effective?

I have no experience with it but have heard many use Kumon.

Thanks! Can anyone give feedback about Kumon's reading program? Pros vs. Cons?

[Anonymous]

There is a Loyola or VCU summer reading program. (looks like the same program) Shorter commitment than Kumon. However- I have heard no actual reviews.

[Anonymous]

Why doesn't he like reading? I feel like there's a real chance using a supplemental program is going to do more harm than good if he won't read because he thinks its boring. You'll probably have more luck finding something he actually wants to read.

[Anonymous]

(For example, I used to be really down on serial books because they have crappy stories and below average vocabularies. But at the end of the day, if a kid is willing to read a dozen serials or struggle through one good novel, the former is probably better).

[Anonymous]

Why doesn't he like to read? My first thought was that he might not like to read because it's hard; reading avoidance can be a sign of a reading disability.

[Anonymous]

If its reluctant (not poor skills) I would do a summer library reading program - kids love those and they are motivating plus kids love to get "free" books at library

[Anonymous]

You could try MyOn:

https://www.myon.com/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:(For example, I used to be really down on serial books because they have crappy stories and below average vocabularies. But at the end of the day, if a kid is willing to read a dozen serials or struggle through one good novel, the former is probably better).

I think he dislikes reading mostly because it is boring for him. It can't compete with screen time. I do not limit him regarding any books, including graphic novels. Nothing seems to work and he equates reading with punishment. The last series he loved was Elephant and Piggy (a great series but a bit young for a 5th grader).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If its reluctant (not poor skills) I would do a summer library reading program - kids love those and they are motivating plus kids love to get "free" books at library

Tried that. Didn't work. He still did a massive summer slide. Lost about 1 full reading level over last summer. I desperately want to avoid that this summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why doesn't he like to read? My first thought was that he might not like to read because it's hard; reading avoidance can be a sign of a reading disability.

What do you recommend? Should I have him assessed? Where and by whom? I have read out loud with him all this year since January to try and keep pace with his grade level. It worked sort of but there was way too much drama. I do not think he has dyslexia but I am not sure about any other reading disorder. The one thing I can say is that when he runs into unfamiliar words too often (3 or more times on the same page), I can see him start to shut down, but vocabulary is not his only roadblock. His mind wonders considerably while he is reading so his comprehension is not where it should be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You could try MyOn:

https://www.myon.com/

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why doesn't he like to read? My first thought was that he might not like to read because it's hard; reading avoidance can be a sign of a reading disability.

What do you recommend? Should I have him assessed? Where and by whom? I have read out loud with him all this year since January to try and keep pace with his grade level. It worked sort of but there was way too much drama. I do not think he has dyslexia but I am not sure about any other reading disorder. The one thing I can say is that when he runs into unfamiliar words too often (3 or more times on the same page), I can see him start to shut down, but vocabulary is not his only roadblock. His mind wonders considerably while he is reading so his comprehension is not where it should be.

For the first thing I bolded, I wonder if part of the problem is that the books he is trying to read are too hard. We've been taught the 5 finger rule -- have him read the first couple pages of a book and keep track of the words he doesn't know/stumbles on. If there are none, the book is too easy. If there are 3 or more, the book is too hard. You want a book with 1-2 unfamiliar words per page. But you might want to start even easier to build his confidence. Is he in 2nd grade now? I recommend the My Weird School series. Kids think it's hilarious and it's simple sentence structure and plot so he won't be overwhelmed.

Re: the second thing I bolded, does he show other signs of ADHD? My child has both dyslexia and ADHD and started reading shortly after starting ADHD meds. We didn't realize how much instruction he was missing until he showed us how fast he could learn after the ADHD was controlled.

Take a look at this for signs of dyslexia: http://dyslexia.yale.edu/EDU_signs.html

I hate to pathologize all behavior, but I really believe that kids, generally, do the best they can, so when they aren't doing something that is expected of them, there's usually a reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why doesn't he like to read? My first thought was that he might not like to read because it's hard; reading avoidance can be a sign of a reading disability.

What do you recommend? Should I have him assessed? Where and by whom? I have read out loud with him all this year since January to try and keep pace with his grade level. It worked sort of but there was way too much drama. I do not think he has dyslexia but I am not sure about any other reading disorder. The one thing I can say is that when he runs into unfamiliar words too often (3 or more times on the same page), I can see him start to shut down, but vocabulary is not his only roadblock. His mind wonders considerably while he is reading so his comprehension is not where it should be.

For the first thing I bolded, I wonder if part of the problem is that the books he is trying to read are too hard. We've been taught the 5 finger rule -- have him read the first couple pages of a book and keep track of the words he doesn't know/stumbles on. If there are none, the book is too easy. If there are 3 or more, the book is too hard. You want a book with 1-2 unfamiliar words per page. But you might want to start even easier to build his confidence. Is he in 2nd grade now? I recommend the My Weird School series. Kids think it's hilarious and it's simple sentence structure and plot so he won't be overwhelmed.

Re: the second thing I bolded, does he show other signs of ADHD? My child has both dyslexia and ADHD and started reading shortly after starting ADHD meds. We didn't realize how much instruction he was missing until he showed us how fast he could learn after the ADHD was controlled.

Take a look at this for signs of dyslexia: http://dyslexia.yale.edu/EDU_signs.html

I hate to pathologize all behavior, but I really believe that kids, generally, do the best they can, so when they aren't doing something that is expected of them, there's usually a reason.

Thanks for the link. He doesn't seem to show signs for dyslexia at least according to the link you shared and also we do read aloud together and he doesn't have too much difficulty there either nor does he mind reading aloud. As for ADHD, I have wondered about this as a potential problem. My friend who is a pediatrician believes he may have some mild form of it but cannot rule out maturity, especially since my child is a boy. I am thinking about getting him assessed. How did you get your child's ADHD diagnosis?