First sorry this has nothing to do with the band...I don't know where else to go to ask this question and I know that there are a lot of great minds out there so...

My friend just moved in with me and she has a ten year old son who is having major difficulties reading. I would guess he's reading at a first grade level. It took him over ten minutes to read one paragraph! He has to sound out every word! I don't have kids and have never been around kids. His mom doesn't read much, she's a high school drop out and has NO patience for his reading. I offered to help but I'm CLUELESS! The one thing that I did was tonight when working on his spelling words I made him say the word then spell the word and say the word again and write the word. I'm hoping the repetition helps.

Does anyone have any ideas, what else I can do with him to help get him up to speed? She has talked to his teacher and will be getting help at school. Any ideas on rewards for doing a good job? I really want to try to stay away from the typical food rewards that he's been getting from his gma. Don't want to teach a new generation bad eating habits ya know?

I would appreciate any and everyone's thoughts.

Thanks,

The best suggestion i can give you is figure out what he's really interested and get him some book's on the topic. Whether it's skateboarding or video games you should be able find something he's gonna enjoy reading. the more he reads the easier it will become for him. Maybe take him on a trip to barnes & noble with him would be a good place to start.

I would suggest going to your local library and talking with them about their reading programs. They should also have great ideas about how you personally could help him at home. It's never too late to learn to read. Good for you for helping him out. Good Karma!

That young man is lucky to have you in his life! You need to know if his reading delay is simple lack of parental interest or if he has something going on [such as dyslexia]. Then as Jenn suggested find out what he loves and let him read aloud to you anything on that subject. You might also try having him use an index card under each line he's reading, it will help him stay on track.

I would definitely request that the school test him for a learning disability.

I was really slow to learn to read because I was dyslexic. Unfortunately I wasn't diagnosed until College. I had someone managed to teach myself ways to cope.

While it all worked out well in the end (I am an editor - who would have thunk it?), I still can't spell to save my life because I learned everything wrong. Life would have been easier had I had help much earlier.

The main question is is he not reading well because he has no interest in it and merely requires practice, or does he have a learning disability? At ten he should be reading decent sized books of about an inch thick. Stay far, far away from the Harry Potters! Those are a nightmare for teaching English reading because there are far too many words that are changed or clipped for accent. Don't choose any book that he's already seen the movie to or you run the risk of having him tune out because he already knows how it's going to end.

If he's just moved in with you then you may be able to establish the bedtime reading routine, but instead of reading to him, have him sit beside you and read to you. That way you can help him with struggling words easily. It really breaks up the concentration to pass the book back and forth so if he never lets go of the book he will stay more focused. Plus there is less of a "show" of him not knowing the word. I agree you should get him anything that he'll like, even if you hate it.

Ten is still young enough to enjoy being read to. You could have a more difficult book on hand that you know is way above his reading level but that he can get into. You can have him read to you for 10 or 15 minutes from the easier book and then you can read to him for 15 minutes from the book he really wants to hear. That can be his reward.

If his mother is not a reader, not enough practice in general could be a big component, even if he does have a learning disability. A big thing is not to drag lessons on for much more than a half hour because the attention span just won't be there and he'll come to dread reading practice.

As a person who very recently was in a position of being 100% illiterate (not in English though) I remember well the hell of trying to learn to read. Every. single. day. was tough. If I had somebody to go to the grocery store with me to point out words and say "that says PORK" I would have been overjoyed. You just have to stop and consciously think about your day and where you read. Because you are fluent, you don't think about it. A trip to the grocery store for him could be a lesson if you make him read the boxes. Take him to the movies and get him to read the listings and times, how much does popcorn cost, etc. Is the pool open? When does it open? I nearly peed my pants with joy when a notice showed up in my mailbox that said my Water was going to be turned off Tuesday afternoon and I actually understood it! Stupid every day stuff piles up to a whole lot of lessons.

The mother needs to talk to the school about having her child tested for a learning disability. He may be having a really hard time because he is not viewing the words or hearing the sounds the way everyone else did. I am speaking from experience. I struggled through school and was then tested in college and was found to be dyslexia. Step in for this child and be his voice before he starts to feel that he is lazy or stupid when he may have a legitimate reason for not understanding. Good Luck

If he isn't reading because he doesn't enjoy it, then I suggest having him listen to audio books. Once he learns how he can loose himself in a story, it may be easier to get him to pick up a book so he can read at his own pace. When my mother had several strokes she had to relearn how to speak, read and write. Also, her short term memory was shot. I bought her an iPod and loaded a bunch of books on it. You would never know that three years ago she couldn't speak, read or write. And, she continually learns new words and is always looking them up. The audio books have also helped her short term memory incredibly! This may be a bit off topic, but perhaps they audio books can help. Also, I recommend the Harry Potter books as they are great for the imagination, which in turn will hopefully want to help the little boy want to read more books.

Hi, Bashful. First of all, you must be an angel sent by God to help this family!! I’ve read the responses here, and think they are ALL wonderful suggestions.

I’ve been racking my brain trying to decide if anything might have been left out. I’m a high school English language arts teacher/reading coach, and one thing I do know is that the family has a great influence upon the child, and as the mother is illiterate, his problem could stem from lack of expose to literature –as well as a possible learning/emotional disability. Didn’t you once mention that his mother was impulsive and has a disregard for the nutritional value of the foods she eats? (Hey! Just because I know not to eat Twinkies, doesn’t mean that I didn’t eat them!)

Another idea is that sounding out words will not entirely help reading comprehension. It is what we call calling the words, but not making meaning of the sentences.

This is what I’d do if he were my child:

• Consider all of the other posts- they are spot on!
  
• Take him to a pediatrician for a complete physical exam.
  
• Call the school and make arrangements with a certified diagnostician, not school counselor, for testing.
  
• If he attends a good school (meaning heavily funded), I would request remedial classes, but if the school is over-crowded, please know that there is just so much that teachers can do for a child this far behind, sorry.
  

Like I said, if he were my child, I might consider taking him to a private tutor. However, if the family, like me, has a limited income, that will cost quite a lot. So, at this point, I would have him placed in the school’s reading recovery program and do as you are-work with him one-on-one every single day. Begin with basic reading and check his comprehension frequently. (You are going to be a great mom someday. J)

oh yes -spelling- great idea, the repetition is a good thing for him. Also,you might try flash cards. One more idea is that he might be a kinesthetic learner, which means that motion is helpful. What I did when I taught the lower grades was put shaving cream on the students' desks and have them 'finger paint' trace the spelling words. They enjoy this activity. Another idea is to use colored sidewalk chalk -(outside on the sidewalk : ))<<<my double chin smile

Edited August 30, 200917 yr by denouement

Thanks for the great ideas and thoughts everybody. I think possibly part of the reading problem is actually a vision problem. I've been watching him lately and even playing his psp he holds it pretty close to his face. Then I asked him if he could read the letters on my cell phone and he said he couldn't see them. I think that's the next step.

We did speak with his teacher and asked her for extra help for him. He is attending a brand new school and the classes have been over crowded, they are in the process of making a new class. We went to barnes and nobles Friday night to pick out books and the only thing that he wanted to buy was the picture books for pre k...I did find out that he likes to draw so I was thinking that if I bought him some books that teach how to draw that he would actually have to read the words and then make it happen...thus increasing his comprehension level...What do you think?

It's going to take some work... Thankfully, I've got a lot of patience when it comes to teaching people.

Thanks again for all the replies!~

Bashful,

You've had some great suggestions; one more I'd like to add: when my grandson was about six months old and in love with Thomas the Tank Engine I started using the Closed Caption feature on all videos and TV he watched. By the time he started school his reading was off the charts. Just an idea, but it worked for me. I also like Closed Caption for myself because have you even noticed how much actor mumble? My grown son, of course, hates CC and complains every time he's watching my tv, but hey, I'm in charge of my own tv--I'm still the Mom :wub:!