Worried about my son's reading (7 years old). Anyone got any suggestions who I can talk to? | ExpatWoman.com
 

Worried about my son's reading (7 years old). Anyone got any suggestions who I can talk to?

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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 April 2012 - 12:15

Just back from parent teacher meeting and am feeling deflated. I feel my son is struggling with his reading, yet the teacher just smiled and said, don't worry he'll get there. That's all very nice, but she couldn't really tell me exactly what he is struggling with or what I can do to help him. Just don't feel she really knew! So if his own class teacher isn't really interested, or even that clued up, where else can I go? Just feel I want a second opinion either to ease my concerns or flag up any real issues.
Advice ladies?
Thanks x

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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 29 April 2012 - 14:00
Nonna2010. Glad you found a solution at Lexicon. This perhaps is good if you are after a program. I suggested the other lady (claire, at [email protected]) as she will do an assessment without getting you to sign up for tutoring afterwards, which I think is what FrazzledNZ wants just as a starting point and for piece of mind. sometimes just getting a second, professional opinion with some general guidance is enough (and is certainly cheaper than a full blown program). This is what I wanted too, so Claire is still a good option in my opinion. Hope that helps all of you who are interested/concerned. :-)
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 28 April 2012 - 15:13
Try read with your child everyday at home. This way you develop his interest in reading, and teach him how to read the same time. Don't rely too much on school. They have to take care of the entire class and can not do too much with each child individually. Most of the good readers learn to read at home. See if you can work with the teacher or school librarian to come up with a book list. Read them one by one with your son, and sooner or later he will improve and love to read.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 28 April 2012 - 15:00
There is Lexicon Reading Center in JLT, www.lexiconreadingcenter.org. They have qualified team to deal with dyslexia and reading/writing dfficulties. Their consultants are known experts and their prces are very reasonable. I can't thank them enough for the improvement my son has made.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 25 April 2012 - 20:21
Thanks very much. Will certainly take this under advice!
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 April 2012 - 19:32
That's great thanks, HilaryS. Appreciate the info (and I'm impressed you even know how to cut and paste....perhaps you can teach me that...I'm clearly a bit daft on the old forum front) Sounds like just what I need. Busy flicking her an email as we speak/type!
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 April 2012 - 19:11
Hi again - FrazzledNZ / buy me a Pony... Got a quick reply back from my friend and it turns out it is the person whose email you mentioned below, frazzledNZ. So basically she says this (sorry, just cutting and pasting for ease) [i'>[u'>[u'>"She's an experienced, qualified teacher but also a literacy specialist because she's trained in something called Reading Recovery (a literacy intervention procedure*). She was working at a school here when we used her services, but I believe she has taken a sabbatical to do some more studies, but is still doing this kind of consulting work She charged a flat rate for the assessment and provided a really thorough and detailed written report afterwards, with lots of helpful advice. I'd prefer you didn't post her rates in case they have changed - people can contact her directly for those - but you can say that it was definitely the most affordable and reasonable that I came across (some people were charging nearly Dhs5000 for an assessment and a month of tutoring!??! Lol - only in Dubai!!). Anyway, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her - DS has slotted in perfectly back over here - I am SO glad we found her (oh, her name is Claire and she lives in the Springs**). Email: [email protected]"[/u'>[/u'> * I googled this before posting and there is lots of info about it online **good memory! :-) HTH :-)
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 April 2012 - 23:06
Hi Buy me a Pony / frazzledNZ - if you're in the Springs area, if I remember correctly there is a really nice lady in that area who does some kind of specialized reading program exactly for this kind of thing. Luckily my children seem to be doing ok with their reading for now, but a good friend of mine who ended up leaving Dubai at the start of the year, used her services and had her son back up to scratch and loving reading again in no time! I think she is called Claire, but will get in touch with my friend and get her full details for you tomorrow (or whenever I hear back from her)... watch this space :-)
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EW GURU
Latest post on 23 April 2012 - 20:49
Reading this thread with great interest and understanding. I am facing exactly the same issues with my almost 7 year old boy. Those school readers make me want to slit my throat! It's no wonder he's not motivated to read them! Anyway, today I headed down to the kids' bookshop at Springs Town Centre and spent an age talking the to lady there who runs it about what he's like. She was so helpful. Showed me through a lot of the book series and together we worked out a smorgesboord of books for him to try and then if he finds he likes them I will get more from that series.
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 23 April 2012 - 20:30
http://www.syntheticphonics.com/burtreadingtestpage.htm I wouldn’t trust the teacher. I would assess your child’s reading age using the link above as a rough guide to his actual reading age (his age will be different at school as they take comprehension into consideration too) My son was put on some stupid level at school in Dubai when he was 7 because the school didn’t have enough books of his ability, as soon as I moved back to the UK he was classed as a free reader which meant he could choose books like Harry Potter and not boring Biff books [b'>Lol. Yes, those Chip and Biff books are really boring[/b'>. <em>edited by AnonDubai on 23/04/2012</em>
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 April 2012 - 19:42
Hi, I know exactly what you are talking about here. Teachers are not to be trusted as one person said. If you have a gut instinct go with that. Francesca McGeary from IngeniousEd. is an amazing literacy specialist here running a literacy intervention group for kids that struggle. She does an individual assessment and can tell you exactly what the problem is. Her number is 050-398-3518.
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 23 April 2012 - 18:48
http://www.syntheticphonics.com/burtreadingtestpage.htm I wouldn’t trust the teacher. I would assess your child’s reading age using the link above as a rough guide to his actual reading age (his age will be different at school as they take comprehension into consideration too) My son was put on some stupid level at school in Dubai when he was 7 because the school didn’t have enough books of his ability, as soon as I moved back to the UK he was classed as a free reader which meant he could choose books like Harry Potter and not boring Biff books LOL. I would also get him to read to you every night, if he’s not keen on reading Where’s Wally books are a great way to get kids used to the idea of sitting down with a book.
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 23 April 2012 - 18:28
Some children just take to reading quicker than others. My eldest was brillant at reading and always read above her level. Although I did the same amount of reading with the younger one she has just not taken to it as well. The school was aware of it but it's required me sitting with her more to listen to her read and also to read to her. There's no quick fix just time and a lot of patience, If they are struggling a bit it's normal that they will start to dislike reading so try and find an author they like (the Horrid Henry series is good for little ones) and go through books with them. You can take it in turns to read a page, a paragraph or even a word - my dd was reading too fast and skipping words so we took turns with words so that she really had to concentrate. Also look out for chances to read all the time, not just books - signs, newspaper headlines, packaging casually mentioning how useful reading is Good luck, your son is still very young and you've plenty of time to get him back on track.
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EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 23 April 2012 - 16:50
YES, We too just went through months of something similar, had loads of additional reading assistance and assessments, only to finally discover it was a [u'>vision problem[/u'>. I never considered a vision problem and neither did the teacher nor their learning support. The improvement and motivation for reading once the glasses were prescribed was amazing. The ophthalmologist said she has even seen kids who were being treated for dyslexia for more than a year before it was realised they were not dyslexic at all, but had vision problems. So if he is not wearing glasses already and before you spend a fortune on reading specialists etc, I would take him for a vision examination with an ophthalmologist (NOTan examination by an optician). Then if that is all fine, you can continue to explore other avenues to help him improve his reading. Good Luck Good luck <em>edited by mum2girls on 23/04/2012</em>
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 April 2012 - 16:32
Just back from parent teacher meeting and am feeling deflated. I feel my son is struggling with his reading, yet the teacher just smiled and said, don't worry he'll get there. That's all very nice, but she couldn't really tell me exactly what he is struggling with or what I can do to help him. Just don't feel she really knew! So if his own class teacher isn't really interested, or even that clued up, where else can I go? Just feel I want a second opinion either to ease my concerns or flag up any real issues. Advice ladies? Thanks x Do you read to and listen to you child read every day ? Do not leave it just to school to do. Ask a teenager to help him if you cannot. If after a big effort and a month or two and no progress then maybe get him properly assessed. My son had a lot of difficulty and I stuck to my guns and it was a battle with his teacher as she introduced free reading which he could not handle and eventually she gave in to what I kept suggesting ( as I knew my child) and he went back onto Oxford reading tree ( UK system) at a low level and we rebuilt his confidence on that system and slowly intro duced other books much later on.. He did not become what I would describe a confident reader until about 8.5 years old and he is excellent now and studying at University and is very good at English.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 April 2012 - 13:46
Hi Frazzled, Sorry, been away from computer for a little while. Looks like you have had lots of useful replies. Clairehdp makes a good point about the lack of support and teacher time you are getting at school.I can empathise. Was similar story for me, hence why I went to see the reading specialist lady. By seeing her, i can now rule out any major issues (we do worry when we are not teachers ourselves), and she gave me useful, INDIVIDUAL goals/guidlines in her report for ech of my children. And corrected their reading level as school had them on wrong level! I now feel confident enough to support them myself at home. Money well spent in my opinion. Maybe give her a go? re time, it was about 40-60 minutes, i forget exactly how long, but it's a one off fee no matter how long it takes. Email her, [b'>[email protected][/b'> or i can give you her number (not sure if allowed to post it here though?). HTH
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EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 23 April 2012 - 13:45
Frazzled, I would request another meeting with the teacher to ask what the issue is, how does he compare with the other students. Is he learning to read using Phonics? My 5 year old brings home a book and reads every night with me and also with the teacher twice a week. They are doing Oxford Reading Tree Books and he's on level 2. I found this lovely site for free Oxford reading tree ebooks where a British celeb reads the story. My son loves this site. http://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/Library/Index/?AgeGroup=1 Click on the book (the ones with the 'e'), then on (read ebook) and it's read aloud with the words underneath. <em>edited by Alismum on 23/04/2012</em>
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 23 April 2012 - 13:34
Hi Frazzled, does your son read to you every day? My son last year although a good reader didn't enjoy silent reading or reading on his own but now can't get him to put a book down. I would get him to read something every day for 10mins, some times it was a story for his younger sister. I didn't make him finish the book just kept it to 10mins. It then became a habit and grew his confidence. Now he'll happily sit somewhere reading a book.
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 23 April 2012 - 13:22
If my child was not reading to a teacher I would be in there like a shot. How can a parent helper know whether a child is struggling or what guidance they need. I would make an urgent meeting with his form teacher and year head and insist that he is heard by a teacher at least twice a week starting from right now....... You say you have been concerned for a while now - if I were in your shoes I would have had enough and most definitely be taking it up with the school. How can the teacher say all is OK when she's not even hearing your child read. My 7 year old reads to her teacher at least 3 times a week - most times more - and if she is not reading to the teacher she reads to the class TA. She has a reading book home every single night - they are clever because she is obssessed with animals and all the books she has have some animal in them so they keep her attention and most nights she reads far more than she has to. On average she gets through 3 books a week (reading time at school and then homework reading with me at home) and some weeks - especially if there are really full of animals - a book a night. Perhaps your little boy needs his books to be changed - maybe the stories are not pushing his buttons. You are clearly concerned and a teacher nodding and telling you he's fine when she's not actually hearing him read much at all is - in my book - unacceptable. Do it now before he falls further behind and loses his confidence. both my kids learnt to read in Dubai and both have an amazing lovel of books - something that was most definitely instilled in them at school - not at home. ours choose their own books !! he gets through 6 a week - 2 at a time which is how he caught up (bringing 2 home instead of one).. I agree that i would expect the teacher to be hearing them read at least twice a week, not parent helpers...
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 23 April 2012 - 13:00
If my child was not reading to a teacher I would be in there like a shot. How can a parent helper know whether a child is struggling or what guidance they need. I would make an urgent meeting with his form teacher and year head and insist that he is heard by a teacher at least twice a week starting from right now....... You say you have been concerned for a while now - if I were in your shoes I would have had enough and most definitely be taking it up with the school. How can the teacher say all is OK when she's not even hearing your child read. My 7 year old reads to her teacher at least 3 times a week - most times more - and if she is not reading to the teacher she reads to the class TA. She has a reading book home every single night - they are clever because she is obssessed with animals and all the books she has have some animal in them so they keep her attention and most nights she reads far more than she has to. On average she gets through 3 books a week (reading time at school and then homework reading with me at home) and some weeks - especially if there are really full of animals - a book a night. Perhaps your little boy needs his books to be changed - maybe the stories are not pushing his buttons. You are clearly concerned and a teacher nodding and telling you he's fine when she's not actually hearing him read much at all is - in my book - unacceptable. Do it now before he falls further behind and loses his confidence. both my kids learnt to read in Dubai and both have an amazing lovel of books - something that was most definitely instilled in them at school - not at home.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 April 2012 - 12:51
Frazzeled check out www.readingeggs.com its an Australian reading program that is amazing. You work online with puzzles and games, and its for all levels of readers - its actually fun and my 5 year old now does it on his own I just set it up and let him go through each lesson. You will get reports after each stage is completed outlining all the words known and progress. I think its pretty amazing. The first 15 days are free after that its paid for but I am so thrilled with it. Good luck!
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 23 April 2012 - 12:49
Thanks Clairehdp. Our school does not have a head of reading, just a head of special needs which is a bit extreme in this case. However, I did raise my concerns several times in the past only to be told he needs time....but we are looking at over a year now. It's sad to see him going off books, I just want to check there's nothing wrong that is going unchecked. (He doesn't read regularly to a teacher, just a parent helper at school...so how do I know someone actually knows what his reading is like?) Your school sounds more on to it. Littleoldme, the idea of an independent assessment does sound appealing. How long did it take. And was it expensive? Might give me some peace of mind. Thanks what do [i'>you[/i'> think of his reading ?... our 7 year old was fine in the UK but when we moved here 2 years ago he seemed to be behind..school weren't overly concerned but when he got a new teacher last September she made a big effort to change his books more often so he gradually caught up...he's back on track now but i don't know that it was anything specific, just as your teacher said - he just needed time..
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 April 2012 - 12:34
Thanks Clairehdp. Our school does not have a head of reading, just a head of special needs which is a bit extreme in this case. However, I did raise my concerns several times in the past only to be told he needs time....but we are looking at over a year now. It's sad to see him going off books, I just want to check there's nothing wrong that is going unchecked. (He doesn't read regularly to a teacher, just a parent helper at school...so how do I know someone actually knows what his reading is like?) Your school sounds more on to it. Littleoldme, the idea of an independent assessment does sound appealing. How long did it take. And was it expensive? Might give me some peace of mind. Thanks
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 23 April 2012 - 12:25
If you are concerned (and you know your child better than any!) then I would make an appointment with the head of the reading department if there is such a person. In our school we had a head of the reading programme so it was easy to know who to deal with. If your school doesn't have this structure then I would make an appointment to meet with the year head to understand where he should be in reading for the year and see if he is falling behind. They should then have a plan to get him to the level he needs to be. My little girl is 7 and in the last couple of weeks has really gone up a gear with her reading - I'm pretty sure she's ahead of where my little boy was at the same age - they are all different and get to stages at different times but if you are concerned - go back to the school for advice. good luck.
 
 

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