Does My Child Have Dyslexia?

Does My Child Have Dyslexia?

 

Because dyslexia is primarily associated with difficulty in learning to read, it cannot be reliably diagnosed until your child is the age at which reading typically begins.  For most children this happens around the age of six.  The following are some common characteristics that may be signs of dyslexia in preschool-age children:

 

 

  • Jumbling sounds of words in speech, such as saying “pasgetti” for spaghetti” or “mawn lower” for lawn mover.”
  • Confusing words signifying direction in space or time, such as “up” and “down,” “in” and “out,” “yesterday” and “tomorrow.”
  • Forgetting or confusing the word for known objects, such as “table” or “chair.”
  • Delayed speech development.
  • Unusual speech patterns, such as frequent hesitations or stammering.
  • Difficulty with learning.
  • Difficulty remembering and following directions.
  • Difficulty learning nursery rhymes and rhyming words.
  • Difficulty in learning (and remembering) names of letters.
  • Enjoys being read to but shows no interest in letters or words.
  • Difficulty with clapping a simple rhythm.

 

In most cases you will probably not be aware that your child has dyslexia until he is in first or second grade.  When reading instruction begins in earnest, your child is likely to lag behind and will begin to show signs of frustration at school.  After several months, you may realize that your child simply hasn’t caught on to reading in the same way as his peers.  He may still have difficulty recognizing letters of the alphabet, or he may know the letters and their sounds but seem unable to put them together to form even simple words.  You may notice that he seems unable to remember words that he has seen before and struggles to sound out every word he sees.

 

The surest sign of dyslexia is simply the fact that your child seems bright and capable at home and at play, yet he struggles with reading, writing, and spelling.  School-aged children with dyslexia will exhibit many of the following symptoms:

 

  • Confusing letters with similar appearances, such as “b” and “d” or “e” and “c.”
  • Writing that contains frequent reversals, transpositions, or inversions.
  • Difficult remembering common sight words, even after repeated practice.
  • Stumbling, hesitating, or making mistakes or omissions when reading small, easy words like “and” or “from.”
  • Spelling phonetically and inconsistently such as writing “foniks” for “phonics” or “skul” for “school.”
  • Complaining of dizziness, headaches, or stomachaches while reading.

 

Your first indication that something is wrong may be complaints from your child’s teacher about his behavior and problems he is experiencing at school.  Many behavior problems stem from the dyslexia itself; your child’s teacher may complain that he doesn’t pay attention or follow directions, or that he is slow to complete class work.  These issues may be the direct result of your child’s confusion and inability to understand much of what is going on around him.  Other behavior problems may be deliberate and could be an expression of his frustration and anger; he may intentionally try to disrupt the class to create distractions so as to avoid having to complete his work.  He would rather be known as the class clown than the class “dummy.”  He may even want to incur punishment, if punishment means being sent to sit in the hallway or principal’s office.  To a child with dyslexia, such punishment can be a welcome reprieve from the torture of the classroom.  Some common behavior problems that your child’s teacher may report are:

 

  • Laziness, carelessness, or immaturity
  • Daydreaming
  • Disruptive behavior
  • Being easily distracted
  • Resistance to following directions
  • Reluctance to work on assignments

 

If you suspect that your child has dyslexia, you will want to seek testing and a diagnosis.  Diagnostic testing will help you better understand your child and may guide you to make better choices.  Ideally, testing should give you a map of your child’s strong and weak points, and a set of recommendations as to how best to meet his educational needs.

 

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Karina Richland, M.A. is the Founder of PRIDE Learning Centers, located in Los Angeles and Orange County.  Ms. Richland is a Certified reading and learning disability specialist.   Ms. Richland speaks frequently to parents, teachers, and professionals on learning differences, and writes for several journals and publications.  You can visit the PRIDE Learning Center website at: www.pridelearningcenter.com

 

Redondo Beach Tutoring Center Welcomes a New Director!

Redondo Beach Tutoring Center Welcomes a New Director!

Kami Weinstein, M.Ed., has been selected as the new Director for the PRIDE Learning Center in Redondo Beach.

 

In her role, Mrs. Weinstein will direct the daily operations of the tutoring center to provide quality instruction and evaluation as well as interact with staff, children and parents and promote the goals and objectives of the programs.

 

PRIDE Learning Center offers one-on-one tutoring and reading therapy sessions for students with learning disabilities including dyslexia, auditory and visual processing, ADHD, autism and other learning differences. PRIDE Learning Center offers reading, writing, comprehension and math tutoring programs for students of all ages.

 

“What a privilege it is to help lead the Redondo Beach team here at PRIDE Learning Center” states Weinstein.  “ I look forward to an exciting new year in the South Bay community. I am confident that our multi-sensory based teaching methods will help many students soar to new heights in their reading and writing. What an honor it is to be a part of their development and growth in literacy.”

 

Weinstein earned her M.Ed in Reading and Literacy from Sam Houston State University in Texas with a TEFL teaching certification.  She is certified in the Barton Reading and Spelling System, an Orton-Gillingham based reading program.  She recently returned from Nairobi, Kenya where she used her Orton-Gillingham expertise with learners struggling with dyslexia and learning disabilities.

 

“I saw great reading success with my students in Kenya using the Orton-Gillingham reading and spelling program just as I have seen huge progress with those using our programs here at PRIDE.” says Weinstein.  “ A learner’s confidence and future really is changed when they can learn to read and write; I love being a part of that change.”

 

There will be an Open House for the public to come meet PRIDE Learning Center’s new Director, Kami Weinstein on Thursday, January 23rd from 1:00pm – 3:00pm.  PRIDE Learning Center is located at 1603 Aviation Blvd., Suite G, Redondo Beach, CA 90278.  For more information contact Kami Weinstein at 310-322-2800 ext. 6 or you can visit the PRIDE Learning Center website at: www.pridelearningcenter.com

 

Dyslexia Tutoring Center in Newport Beach Celebrates Dyslexia Awareness Month

Dyslexia Tutoring Center in Newport Beach Celebrates Dyslexia Awareness Month

October is National Dyslexia Month and a local tutoring center in Newport Beach is helping spread awareness by offering free assessments, resources and special events throughout the month of October.

Owner of PRIDE Learning Center in Newport Beach, Karina Richland, reports, “Dyslexia is a learning disability that affects about 20% of the nation. That means that one out of every five children in the Newport Beach classroom struggles with dyslexia.”  Richland, a dyslexia specialist and owner of 5 dyslexia-tutoring centers throughout Los Angeles and Orange County says “Most children with dyslexia in this area go undiagnosed for years.  With early detection, proper intervention, and certain accommodations in school, dyslexics can actually improve their reading skills dramatically.”

Warning Signs in School-Age Children

•   Child uses memory skills in reading not decoding strategies

•   Reads a word on one page but doesn’t recognize it on the next page

•   Confuses look alike letters like b and d, b and p, n and u, or m and w

•   Makes many reversals

•   Substitutes a word while reading that means the same thing

•   When reading leaves out or adds small words like “a, the, to, are, of”

•   Reading fluency is poor

•   Avoids reading as much as possible

•   Misspells many words

•   Writes illegibly

•   Appears lazy, unmotivated, or frustrated

“The sooner a child with dyslexia is given proper instruction, particularly in the very early grades, the more likely it is that they will have fewer or milder difficulties later in life” states Richland.

PRIDE Learning Center provides one-on-one reading help for students with learning differences, including dyslexia, auditory and or visual processing disorder and ADHD.  PRIDE specializes in an Orton-Gillingham reading approach for students struggling with dyslexia.

Throughout the month of October, parents or grandparents can bring their child in for a free assessment that will measure their reading abilities.  To schedule an appointment contact the Newport Beach PRIDE Learning Center at 949-891-0125 or visit the website at www.pridelearningcenter.com

Dyslexia Awareness Month

Reading with Dr. Seuss: From Easiest to Hardest

Reading with Dr. Seuss: From Easiest to Hardest

I LOVED reading Dr. Seuss books when I was a kid reading them over and over again.  I couldn’t wait for the day when my own children could finally read all those wonderful Dr. Seuss books from my childhood.  I learned very quickly though that Dr. Seuss books are not all clumped into one reading level.  As a matter of fact they span all the way from Kinder to Third and even Fourth grade reading levels!  To help other parents and teachers find the right reading levels for their kids, I put together a list of Dr. Seuss books by grade level.  I have linked the titles if you would like to purchase any of these books, So here it is:

Kindergarten:

The Foot Book: Dr. Seuss’s Wacky Book of Opposites

The Ear Book (Bright & Early Board Books(TM))

Great Day for Up (Bright & Early Books(R))

The Eye Book (Bright & Early Board Books(TM))

Bears in the Night

Beginning of First Grade:

The Berenstain Bears Inside Outside Upside Down

Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb (Bright & Early Board Books)

Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now! (Bright and Early Books for Beginning Beginners)

The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree

Snug House, Bug House (Bright & Early Books(R))

Fred and Ted Go Camping (Beginner Books(R))

Fred and Ted Like to Fly (Beginner Books)

Go, Dog Go (I Can Read It All By Myself, Beginner Books)

Wacky Wednesday (Beginner Books(R))

Old Hat New Hat (Bright & Early Board Books(TM))

Middle of First Grade:

Put Me In the Zoo (Bright & Early Board Books(TM))

The Nose Book

Green Eggs and Ham

Hooper Humperdink…? Not Him! (Bright & Early Books(R))

Hop on Pop

Are You My Mother? (Bright & Early Board Books(TM))

The Bike Lesson

End of First Grade:

A Fish Out of Water (Beginner Books)

Little Black, A Pony

Sam and the Firefly

The Big Honey Hunt, 50th Anniversary Edition (The Berenstain Bears)

The Shape of Me and Other Stuff: Dr. Seuss’s Surprising Word Book

I Want to Be Somebody New! (Beginner Books(R))

Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You : Dr. Seuss’s Book of Wonderful Noises (Bright and Early Board Books)

Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!

Robert the Rose Horse

The Berenstain Bears and the Missing Dinosaur Bone

A Fly Went by (Beginner Books(R))

The Bears’ Picnic

The Berenstain Bears on the Moon

The Berenstain Bears He Bear, She Bear

In a People House (Bright & Early Books(R))

One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish (I Can Read It All by Myself)

Beginning of Second Grade:

Flap Your Wings (Beginner Books(R))

I’ll Teach My Dog 100 Words

Mrs. Wow Never Wanted a Cow (Beginner Books(R))

Stop, Train, Stop! A Thomas the Tank Engine Story

The Bears’ Vacation

Dr. Seuss’s ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book!

Fox in Socks (Beginner Books(R))

Have You Seen My Dinosaur? (Beginner Books(R))

I Am Not Going to Get Up Today!

Middle of Second Grade:

The Cat in the Hat

The Cat in the Hat Comes Back

The Tooth Book (Bright & Early Board Books(TM))

There’s a Wocket in My Pocket! (Dr. Seuss’s Book of Ridiculous Rhymes)

Thomas and Friends: Trains, Cranes and Troublesome Trucks (Thomas & Friends) (Beginner Books(R))

Because a Little Bug Went Ka-Choo

I Can Read With My Eyes Shut! (Beginner Books)

I Wish That I Had Duck Feet (Beginner Books)

Please Try to Remember the First of Octember! (Beginner Books)

The Bear Detectives

End of Second Grade:

Babar Loses His Crown (Babar (Harry N. Abrams))

The Bear Scouts

The Digging-Est Dog (Beginner Books(R))

Honey Bunny Funnybunny (Beginner Books(R))

It’s Not Easy Being a Bunny (Beginner Series)

Beginning of Third Grade:

Dr Seuss’s Sleep Book

Oh, the Places You’ll Go!  

And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street

Middle of Third Grade:

The Lorax (Classic Seuss)

The Sneetches and Other Stories

End of Third Grade:

Horton Hears a Who!

If I Ran the Zoo (Classic Seuss)

Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (Classic Seuss)

Happy Birthday to You!

 

That about covers it.  I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post, and you might also enjoy my post Phonemic Awareness Explained.  Thank you so much for visiting my blog today!


 

Karina Richland, M.A., is the Executive Director of PRIDE Learning Centers, LLC, an educational company that works with children in special education and focuses on reading, writing and comprehension help. She is also the author of the PRIDE Reading Program, a multisensory Orton-Gillingham reading, writing and comprehension curriculum that is available worldwide for parents, tutors, teachers and homeschoolers of struggling readers.  You can reach her at info@pridelearningcenter.com or visit the website at PRIDE Learning Center.

To learn more about Karina Richland and The PRIDE Learning Center click on the video link below:

 

 

 

 

 

Avoiding the Summer Learning Loss at Pride Learning Center

Avoiding the Summer Learning Loss at Pride Learning Center

 

As the school year ends, many students are busy during the summer months with camps, play dates, recreational activities and vacations. Some students might even be bored during the long summer months. When summer ends, students go back to school and often forget much of what they learned the previous year. This is what we call the summer learning loss.

Studies show that summer loss for all students equals about a month of academic learning. For students with learning disabilities, this loss may amount to as much as 3 months! Weaknesses in memory, processing speed, attention and language cause valuable skills to weaken rapidly. As a result, students will have to spend more time reviewing at the beginning of each school year in order to catch up.

Continuing instruction during the summer months can help greatly reduce learning loss as well as gives students the opportunities to dedicate more time than is possible during the school year to remediate and get ahead. Students can make amazing progress during these long summer months!

Pride Learning Center offers Reading and Writing Summer Programs for students of all ages. We offer an intensive Orton-Gillingham reading and writing program (3 hours M-F), as well as standard sessions (1 hour once or twice a week) between June and August.

Summer Catch – Up Program

Do in 4 weeks what would normally take 30-40 weeks!

Our Pride Intensive offers the most dramatic results. Our reading specialists will provide the needed support to get students at grade level during the long summer months. Your child still gets a summer break, as sessions are typically only 3 hours a day five days a week depending on family choice and goals established at the initial consultation. There are still plenty of hours in the day to play, go to the beach or just relax.

Sample Daily Schedule:
9:00 – 10:00 Orton-Gillingham Reading Instruction
10:00 – 10:30 Technology Based Reading Instruction
10:30 – 11:00 Snack, Fun and Movement
11:00 – 11:30 Writing Instruction
11:30 – 12:00 Orton-Gillingham reading Instruction

Summer Get-Ahead Program

Summer is such a great time to review material and get ahead on next year’s curriculum! We offer programs in reading, writing, spelling and comprehension for those students who want to attend Pride once or twice a week.

Reading Readiness at Pride Learning Center
Pre-K – Kindergarten

Pride’s early intervention program will teach your child to read and get ahead in school. By working through our multisensory, Orton-Gillingham reading program step-by-step, your child will learn alphabetic knowledge and understanding of the alphabetic principles in a fun yet structured environment. Your child will receive a strong and solid reading foundation that will last a lifetime.

Reading and Spelling at Pride Learning Center
Grade K – Grade 8

Pride’s multisensory, Orton-Gillingham reading and spelling program is action oriented and involves constant interaction between our Reading Specialists and your child. Each student at Pride learns to read in a systematic, cumulative, structured and step-by-step process. Each lesson encompasses the skills of decoding, encoding, fluency and reading comprehension. Your child will become a strong and independent reader.

Reading Comprehension
Grade 2 – Grade 12

Pride’s highly successful research-based Reading Comprehension Program teaches students to draw meaning from text and to verbally express their understanding of it. Utilizing nonfiction-reading passages on a variety of subjects, the skills that are taught prepare students for standardized tests and provide valuable practice in nonfiction reading knowledge on a wide range of subjects.

Writing Skills
Grade 2 – Grade 12

Pride’s writing skills program effectively teaches essential skills in careful order: from parts of speech, to sentence structure, to paragraphs, to complete essays. For the reluctant beginning writer, our program provides the essential foundation in thinking and writing skills. For the more proficient and advanced writer, it offers opportunities, strategies, and techniques to apply them.

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Pride Learning Center has locations in Los Angeles, Redondo Beach, Newport Beach and Mission Viejo. For more information visit www.pridelearningcenter.com or call 866-774-3342 ext. 1

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