| Author |
Message |
    
Bemileab
New member
Username: Bemileab
Post Number: 1
Registered: 02-2010
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 03, 2010 - 11:30 am: | 
|
}}
Hi,
I have a 10 year old son who has been diagnosed with dyslexia and dysgraphia. I homeschool him and his 3 siblings. I have honestly known that he had dysgraphia about 2 years now, and have worked with him on many areas without him knowing that I was. However, this year in the 4th grade I could see that he was beginning to get very discouraged with himself and needed answers. He was "officially" diagnosed with dyslexia and dysgraphia in the last month. This has actually been somewhat freeing for him already because he no longer feels that he is not smart, but learns differently from most others. That has been an answer to prayer.
However, I know that he has so much potential within him that I do not want to just let him stop there, but to begin to overcome some of his difficulty. I had been scouring the internet trying to see which ways might help him with this. I had come up with two options (neither of them Davis method), and my son looked at the websites and said that will not work. We came to an agreement that I would look for 3 different programs and he would choose one. As I am sure you know, there are many out there that even I could look at and veto its effectiveness without much effort. Thankfully, I cam across the Davis Method in this search. When I showed it to my son, he agreed that this might be able to help him. Therefore, I have ordered the Master Kit and awaiting its arrival.
In the mean time, I have read both books. My son can read on the 4th or 5th grade level if he reads outloud to me using a bookmark under his sentences as a guide. He says that reading to himself is extremely slow and frustrating. He also says that some fonts are just not possible for him to read. He actually says that he cannot read unless he is reading outloud to me.?. That confuses me a little, but I do not argue with him. During testing, he made above average on reading comprehension, but less that 1% on phonetic awareness and only the 7% on reading speed.
His worse problem is that he cannot get the many thoughts, ideas, and answers in his head onto the paper. It is true that he has differing sized letters, his letters float above the line instead of sit on it, sometimes has letter reversals and capitalization is rarely used. Two years ago, he could not even copy information but has learned to do that with only a few errors. We went through Handwriting without Tears whenever this was accomplished. Yet even this inconsistency is not as concerning as his inability to show what he thinks on the paper because he is an extremely creative young man.
His third problem is that although he very rarely makes mistakes in math, it is laborious for him to get the correct answers on paper. He sometimes has number reversals which once down he usually recognizes and corrects (unless extremely stressed). He also has trouble remembering readily his multiplication tables. However again, when doing single digit multiplication he always gets the right answers but takes a long time to do it. I have not introduced multi-digit multiplication or division to him yet because I don't want to muddle the process. He however does division in his head without knowing that is what he is doing. He is actually a very math-skilled kid, it is just hard to get things aligned sometimes or on paper.
So now that I have poured out a lengthy (sorry) explanation of what is going on, what do you suggest the order of implementing the Davis Method to him? I am nervous about all this, but hopeful that it will help. We have not facilitators close enough to us to work with, plus I am not sure that we would be able to afford them anyway. I just don't mess anything up.
Thanks for at least reading this!}} |
Abigail
Moderator
Username: Abigail
Post Number: 895
Registered: 04-1998
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 03, 2010 - 02:04 pm: |
|
Do you have the book, "The Gift of Dyslexia", in addition to the Symbol Mastery kit you ordered? (I was not sure from your post whether you had it or not).
If so, simply FOLLOW THE BOOK. Put your first priority on helping your son with reading -- don't try to solve all problems at once. With Davis Orientation, the clay modeling, and the Davis Reading exercises, you will be well on your way. Your son's handwriting difficulties may start to resolve on their own over time -- if not, you can start on that after he has been comfortable with orientation for some time and seems to be comfortably reading without frequently disorienting on small words.
Do NOT try to hurry the process. Take as much time as you need with the clay alphabet modeling, being very attentive to the possibility of triggers. There's a tendency for parents of older children to want to rush through that part -- after all, your child probably seems to know and can recite the alphabet already -- but your son's dysgraphia is a sign that he probably has many alphabet-based triggers.
Since your son was able to figure out on his own that Davis seems to be the best fit for his learning style, I would suggest that you be ready to let him take the lead, with you as his helper but not his director. Before you do any step of the program with him, read aloud to him the portions of the book that explain each step and why it is important -- I think that he sounds very motivated and very capable of putting the Davis tools to good use.
Also, those Koosh ball exercises are very important for the dysgraphia (as well as everything else). The daily practice will help build neural connections that will improve your son's small motor coordination as well as his large motor coordination. Over time, that will also eliminate some of the mess. Your son may still need extra work to be able to write legibly and neatly, but I just think you will have an easier time if you focus on the reading and use of various Davis tools for awhile first.
Since you homeschool you are very fortunate that there is no outside pressure or timetable. With just about everything being done by computer these days, the art of handwriting is becoming less important to daily life. So while it is still a valuable skill area, it is also something that can be deferred while you focus on the reading.
I think your son will do very well with Davis because obviously he already knows how to read well, as he can read at an appropriate level out loud to you. So he can recognize the words -- all of his difficulties are probably the direct result of disorientation, triggering, and having difficulty making sense of what he reads. So with Davis, he may progress very quickly.
Be sure to come back and let us know how you are doing!
-----
Abigail Marshall
Webmaster: www.dyslexia.com
|
Bemileab
New member
Username: Bemileab
Post Number: 2
Registered: 02-2010
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 03, 2010 - 02:46 pm: |
|
Hi Abigail,
Yes, I do have the book Gift of Dyslexia - somehow that got deleted from my post when I tried to underline the title.
So, do you think that the Orientation process will help with his math issues to?
Once our kit arrives, I will start with the Orientation and reading focus first and keep you posted on how it goes.
Thank you, |
Abigail
Moderator
Username: Abigail
Post Number: 896
Registered: 04-1998
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 03, 2010 - 03:56 pm: |
|
Before you do Orientation, you first need to do the Perceptual Ability Assessment. From what you say I am thinking that your son should have no problem at all with that ... but if for any reason at all he has difficulty with the visualization part, you will probably want to use Davis Alignment rather than Orientation. (Alignment is described in the book, "The Gift of Learning").
I think that your son seems to have some strong math skills, but from what you say his problems are more from disorientation and understanding/using math symbols and words. So I think that you should stick with the reading program to start, but after you do the clay alphabet you might also clay the numerals 0-9 and some basic math symbols (like plus and minus sign).
From then I would suggest simply focusing on modeling the small words with Davis Symbol Mastery -- but when you are modeling words that ALSO have a meaning in math word problems (like "from" or "of") -- then you can model the *math* meaning as well as the usual meaning in language. You may find that a lot of your son's math problems stems from confusion over these small words, just as with the reading.
Down the line there is a lot more you can do with math - and the book "The Gift of Learning" really covers that in detail -- but I don't think you should rush things. You should look at Davis as a set of tools that you will be able to incorporate into your homeschooling from here on out, and your son's learning and growth as a process that will unfold over time.
Again, you are fortunate to be homeschooling precisely because it gives you the flexibility to take things one step at a time rather than having to meet some arbitrary set of outside standards, like memorizing multiplication tables or spelling lists to pass tests at school. I do think that you should encourage your son to continue with his mental math, exploring math concepts without having to express his math knowledge in writing right now -- in the end, he might have a very strong foundation in math that will allow him to really excel by the time he is high school age. So, while you are doing the Davis reading exercises and clay modeling, your home "math" curriculum could focus on hands-on math exploration, knowing that you will come back to the written math and problem-solving after your son has the reading and orientation well under control.
-----
Abigail Marshall
Webmaster: www.dyslexia.com
|
Bemileab
New member
Username: Bemileab
Post Number: 3
Registered: 02-2010
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 10, 2010 - 02:06 pm: |
|
Hi Abigail,
Well, we have begun the process. While doing the assessment, my son seemed to do okay visualizing the pie. However as I asked him questions, he said that he was just pretending everything and that he really couldn't "see" it in his mind. He began to get flustered and said that he didn't think it was going to work. So we took a break.
I have always known that he was a strong auditory learner, but he has always confused me because he can see some things in his head so easily. So I have often wondered which learning style he was strongest in. So we sat down and talked some more. I told him that there was another way for people who had another type of learning style and asked him if he thought that way might work better. I told him that was why there was an assessment, to see which way would work better for each person. He was a little skeptical, but said that he would listen to the ideas.
We went through the Release information and I could actually see his body relax. He admitted that worked. We then went through the alignment. He did much better with this, but I couldn't always tell if he truly understood everything. At the end we took a break and played a little with the Koosh balls.
The next day, he began making the Upper Case alphabet. He was very unhappy with several of his letters. At first, he did not want to change them, but then decided he wanted to. When I asked him if he was in alignment, he didn't seem to know. When he was finished I praised him highly. We took a break and worked with the Koosh Balls. I talked again about alignment as we were throwing the balls and all of the sudden he seemed to "get it." Earlier, I had shown him how to stand on one foot and check his alignment. He wiggled all over the place when we first talked about it, but when everything seemed to "click" - he immediately closed his eyes, took a deep breath, stood on one foot all by himself and was perfectly still. Breakthrough!
We went back and worked with the Uppercase Alphabet. He didn't seem to want to admit that he had triggers. I promised him that I would not tell anyone the letters that he triggered on - so I can't tell you those (smile). However, after this he was a little more willing to admit them. He is still very guarded about triggers. He seems to think that having triggers makes him not smart. I am trying to work with him on this, and we did work on all the Upper Cased letters that he triggered on(I watched very carefully). However, I am trying to help him see admitting it as a good thing.
Today, we reviewed some of the trigger UpperCase Letters and then began forming the lower case letters. We just touched and said the letters. There were some trigger letters again. He, however, was once again reluctant to admit that they were triggers. He wants to do the program, but does not want to admit that a letter would give him trouble. He also was having a really hard time saying the lower case alphabet forward without singing the song. He says that he doesn't understand why that matters. Any ideas on how to help him with these few issues. I am planning to keep on the alphabet until I can see that his triggers are gone. He enjoys doing the clay and can now get in alignment. I feel like we are making progress, but it is a little bumpy at times. |
Bemileab
New member
Username: Bemileab
Post Number: 4
Registered: 02-2010
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 10, 2010 - 08:36 pm: |
|
Hooray! . . . we were just reading and my son read through 10 pages without stopping in a book suggested for 5-8th graders. Although he had already been reading at a 4th or 5th grade level, he usually would only make it through 2 pages before needing a break. I usually would read a page or two at that point and then he would read again. Usually he was either really tired or flustered by the end of the chapter.
I couldn't believe it when he read through 10 pages without looking for a break. I didn't say a word, but just waited to see what happened. He actually finished the whole chapter himself before it occured to him that I had not read yet. Just out of tradition, I read a few pages after that. I actually had to tell him that he needed go to bed (it was pretty late) and could read more in the morning. I could tell that a couple of words triggered him, but he seemed to realign himself quickly and kept going. It was very encouraging! |
Bemileab
New member
Username: Bemileab
Post Number: 5
Registered: 02-2010
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 17, 2010 - 09:47 am: |
|
Would really love to hear comments on the above questions. |
Abigail
Moderator
Username: Abigail
Post Number: 898
Registered: 04-1998
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 17, 2010 - 04:11 pm: |
|
How are things going now? From your second post on February 10th, it looked like things were going pretty well - what questions do you still have?
I think that your two posts on February 10 really provide a good illustration both as to how a parent can be successful at home working with their own kid, and some of the barriers you might encounter when you are trying to work with your own child. A child might be a little more cooperative and also more willing to admit to triggers or other issues to an adult outside the family, and of course a Facilitator is much more experienced and confident in the process, and probably has a better sense of how to handle the little bumps that crop up.
At the same time -- if you are able to be somewhat flexible, to relax and have faith in the process -- then the methods will take root.
I do think it sounds like you are very much on the right track now.
-----
Abigail Marshall
Webmaster: www.dyslexia.com
|
Bemileab
New member
Username: Bemileab
Post Number: 6
Registered: 02-2010
| | Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 06:45 am: |
|
Hi Abigail,
Well, I am still encouraged by what we are doing. Because of holiday and scheduling, yesterday was the first day we had been able to work on this since he and I tackled the lower case. He did have many triggers in the lower case, but I just watched and we went over them. I did not make him say that they were triggers. I had him say each letter 2 or 3 times before moving to the next letter when going through the alphabet, so that he did not revert to the song. It became almost a game to not start singing (hardest at l,m,n,o,p and q,r,s). However, he got much better at it. Instead of plowing ahead yesterday, we reviewed some of the lower case letters. I would say one and he would make it. I asked him if he would like the letter strip to look at while he created his letters and he said no. I was very happy when he created the lower case letters facing the correct way without looking.
Last night as he read, he did not read quite as much as I reported the first day, but he did read a section in a font that usually disturbs him without complaint.
I am trying to be diligent, patient, and have fun as we do this. He asks when we are going to do it now, and wants to. I told him that we were going to be doing some punctuation today and he was interested.
As you said, I am not always positive that everything is going exactly as it should because I am not a facilitator, but I do see progress. I am especially trying not to rush the process.
I guess. . . most of my questions have been answered just by being patient and trying to find fun alternatives to help him overcome some of the habits he had formed. If you have any ideas on how to help him admit triggers without feeling like he is admitting failure that would be great. However, I am not giving up either way.
Thanks! |
Abigail
Moderator
Username: Abigail
Post Number: 899
Registered: 04-1998
| | Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 02:26 pm: |
|
I think you are doing a great job catching onto the spirit of Davis. You are actually handling things the way a Facilitator would -- using your own creativity to find a solution, focusing on keeping things fun and keeping your son motivated, while at the same time adopting a strategy that moves you forward, such as having your son say each letter multiple times so that he can't fall back on the singing.
The hardest thing -- but probably the most important -- is avoiding the temptation to rush the process.
I'm not sure that its important that your son "admit" to a trigger. Perhaps for him, the word "trigger" is itself something of a trigger -- he has such negative experiences with any sort of failure that its hard to confront the idea that there is something that "triggers" mistakes for him.
It is important that he recognize disorientations when they occur -- and the concept of mastery is also important. We often refer to "de-triggering" the alphabet, but that is just one element of "mastery." So perhaps your son will be more comfortable with the idea of becoming an Alphabet Master, and he can think of himself as taming unruly letters.
-----
Abigail Marshall
Webmaster: www.dyslexia.com
|
Bemileab
New member
Username: Bemileab
Post Number: 7
Registered: 02-2010
| | Posted on Monday, February 22, 2010 - 02:02 pm: |
|
HI,
Question. We had gone through the upper and lower case letters and my son seemed to have mastered them. However, today he wrote something down and he reversed his lower case r any time he wrote it. He does have severe dysgraphia. I did not know if I needed to back up and go over the lower case r again, or if because he has dysgraphia that should be addressed then? |
Abigail
Moderator
Username: Abigail
Post Number: 900
Registered: 04-1998
| | Posted on Monday, February 22, 2010 - 03:05 pm: |
|
The next time that you are with your son and he is doing some writing, have him do release and check his alignment before he begins. If you see him reversing the "r" or any other letter again, find a gentle way to remind him to check his alignment and see if that resolves the problem.
If not, I do think you need more work to detrigger the "r" -- but the trigger for him could be something else besides the letter. It's possible that he has a motion trigger -- that is, he might get disoriented by the movement involved in writing. Or if he is writing creatively rather than merely copying, the creative process itself may be causing the disorientation.
Remember -- the reversal is a symptom of disorientation, so the reversal could happen even with letters and symbols that he has absolutely mastered if and when he gets disoriented, no matter what the trigger. There are some kinds of disorientation where the individual literally does see backwards. I'm not sure how to explain it with reference to alignment -- but visually if the mind's eye is positioned in a certain spot above and in front of the body, it will cause reversals. So with a kid who was using an orientation point, I'd also advocate doing a fine tuning session to make sure that his point wasn't drifting too the front. (I'm not sure whether the same drifting problem can come up with alignment or not, so I don't know how to advise you there other than to continue to reinforce the method you are already using).
I do want to emphasize that your son will always disorient at times. There is no way to prevent a dyslexic person from ever getting disoriented -- it is simply their natural reaction to any sort of confusion. That is why merely teaching orientation or alignment doesn't fix dyslexia, but only gives us the opportunity to get to the source of confusion by doing the symbol mastery. Our long term goal is to eliminate the triggers associated with reading, writing, or other necessary tasks and activities.
There are also many different things that can cause disorientation. It may be the letters on the page, it could be the act of writing them, it could be another distraction in the environment, it could be other circumstances in life.
However, over time, the more he experiences being aligned, the more it will be natural for him to self-check and easily realign himself.
Again, there is something of a delicate balance between your helping him and allowing him to remain in control --so you will need to find gentle ways to remind him about his alignment, and keep a sense of humor so that your son doesn't feel his confidence being challenged. Perhaps you might find ways to make a game of it with you playing the role of the student making mistakes. That is... maybe its time for your son to help you model your own alphabet, and you can see whether he spots the letters that you make backwards. (If not... you could role play the process of finding them on your own, so that he sees you making mistakes, fixing them, and laughing about your own mistakes. As they say, pobody's nerfect.)
-----
Abigail Marshall
Webmaster: www.dyslexia.com
|
Bemileab
New member
Username: Bemileab
Post Number: 8
Registered: 02-2010
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 24, 2010 - 10:16 pm: |
|
Hi Abigail,
Thank you for your response. It does make sense to me that if he were really concentrating on something else that he may slip into some of his dyslexic disorientation. He was actually trying to figure out a secret code and was doing a fabulous job -even separating the code which ran together into individual words. His only mistake was two backwards r's. Now that I think about it, I am not even sure that he would have attempted the code before.
Also, he is reading more and more at one sitting. He actually read over 20 pages tonight with full knowledge that he was doing it before handing the book over for me to have a turn. He would never have done that before.
So I am seeing a lot of positive. Patience . . . see the progress . . . keep it fun. . . be proud of him. Whew, somtimes it is hard not to want to rush ahead.
We have been looking at the punctuation marks. I am trying to think of some sort of game for him to play with them. He is sort of bored by them. However, I think it has helped him to go over some of the ones that he did not understand before.
Thanks again, |
|
