Advice for Parents

Advice for Parents

The following tips are adapted from Susan Barton's video Advice for Parent's Who Homeschool.

Don't use any other English, reading or language arts curriculum. Tutoring with Barton Reading & Spelling will replace all language arts curriculum. It is complete for reading, spelling, grammar, vocabulary, fluency, prosody, comprehension, and written expression at the sentence level. At the end of Level 4 you can add writing/composition instruction. Many families choose IEW, but there are other options as well.

Do teach penmanship, if needed. Many people with dyslexia have dysgraphia. During our tutoring session, I will focus on spelling rather than penmanship. I will correct reversals, however.

Handwriting Without Tears Use the Writing Wizard app (available in android and apple) to use when letter formation and sounds needs practice and reinforcement. In the settings, change the font to HWT. You can unlock all the features for $5.00 to access customizable word lists (great for practicing heart words) and more! 

Peterson Directed Handwriting There is a lot of research coming out regarding the benefits of teaching cursive and its impact on literacy. 

Don't criticize or grade on penmanship. If writing by hand is difficult or painful, they can stand up and write on a chalkboard/whiteboard or sit with a large whiteboard on their lap (this uses the arm and gross motor skills). You can also let them type with spell check turned off. 

Do consider teaching keyboarding. While learning to type may not be easy to master (requires memorizing arbitrary layout and up/down directionally), it will help much later, especially if they dislike writing by hand. Learn more: Penmanship and Typing.

Touch-Type Read and SpellYou can enter your students sight words into TTRS for more practice reading and spelling these irregular, non-phonetic words. 

Don't require outside reading. Unless it is a book with "controlled text" (contains only words they can sound out according to the level they are working in). Books with words above their instructional level will encourage them to keep guessing. No more guessing! Learn more: When to read uncontrolled books and How to stop the guessing habit.

  • No pleasure reading until middle of Level 4 and ONLY if the child initiates it, does it independently/silently, and does it just for fun (no reading out loud to you or Grandma). 
  • No textbook reading until at least the end of Level 6. Textbook reading is the hardest kind of reading (new material with little or no background knowledge, uses more multi-syllable words, the student is trying to figure out new vocabulary meaning by context, and they need to read accurately and effortlessly enough to retain the content of what they are reading). Please read the textbook aloud to them or get audio textbooks. You can find many textbooks in audio form at Learning Allyor from the publisher.
Do READ, READ, READ to your child daily! Continue to read to your child at their intellect level or just above to grow vocabulary, knowledge or the word, and the love of reading! They can "listen and follow along" if they want. But, if they prefer to just listen, let them decide. Continue reading nursery rhymes, stories and books with rhymes and alliteration. You can find many good suggestions at Read Aloud Revival. 

Do listen to audio books. Allow Audio books while playing, during quiet time, while your other children have independent reading time, or while riding in the car. Check the resources page for good places to find audio books.

Don't require writing if spelling counts. Grade on content only. Ignore spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. Or let them dictate to you and you write it down. They can also use speech to text software to dictate their composition.

Do allow students to watch DVD's and do hands-on activities for history and science. Do not give them the textbook to read (see above). Read aloud the end-of-chapter questions and let them dictate their answers.

Don't ask your student to copy or do copywork. Copying down text can be frustrating for those with dyslexia.

Do be your child's talent scout. Spend as much time finding and developing their strengths as you do working on their weakness. Look for strengths in the arts (drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, landscape design, etc.), athletics, music (look for a teacher that teaches by ear with no printed music), people skills, animal skills, mechanical skills (anything they can see, touch, build, manipulate, or put together), logic, science, design, repairing, 3-D visualization. Students with dyslexia are often extremely curious and creative, out-of-the-box thinkers! Learn more: 

How to find your child's gifted areas. Read these: The Dyslexic Advantage by Brock Eide andThe Dyslexia Empowerment Plan by Ben Foss. 

Add writing composition instruction after Level 4 of Barton Reading & Spelling.