Reading Success Plus

Reading and Math Tutoring for Children and Adults

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Jump Start – Intensive Summer Tutoring 2018

Is Your Child Frustrated with Reading? Are You at Your Wit’s End? – 

Boy discovering the magic of reading.
Jump Start Your Child’s Reading with Intensive Summer Tutoring!

We can help Jump Start your student’s learning this summer. Our intensive summer tutoring program is taught one-on-one by specialized reading tutors.  We offer two options, either one or two hours per day – four days per week for four weeks in the summer.  One hour is spent on reading and spelling, and if you choose, the next hour on learning additional skills, depending on the area in which your student struggles most: handwriting, keyboarding or math concepts.

Why We’re Different

Our programs incorporate the Orton-Gillingham method of instruction, the only research and evidence based proven method to teach struggling readers and dyslexics. Orton-Gillingham is a powerful instructional language approach to teaching reading, spelling and math. This method engages all learners by presenting concepts in ways that visual, auditory, kinesthetic and tactile learners can grasp.

Lindamood LiPS

The Lindamood LiPS program for reading, spelling and speech is for the students who aren’t “reading-ready”.  LiPS is for students who are missing the pre-reading skill of phonemic awareness, and need a specialized program prior to starting the Barton System. The need for this program is determined through our placement screening process. It takes from one to three months to master these concepts, and then students are ready for The Barton Reading & Spelling System.  For students who struggle with reading comprehension, we also offer the Lindamood-Bell Visualizing and Verbalizing program.

The Barton Reading & Spelling System

Our team of specialists utilize the widely-acclaimed Barton Reading & Spelling System, “an Orton-Gillingham influenced, simultaneously, multisensory, explicit and systematic phonics program”. Orton-Gillingham based programs are the only method of tutoring proven to teach dyslexic students to read. Tutoring is conducted one-on-one, two times per week, sessions are 50 minutes. This program takes students 2-3 years to close the reading gap, depending on their age.

Orton-Gillingham Math 

This learning method of mathematics is modeled after the Orton-Gillingham approach for language instruction. Students learn the why of math in an explicit, direct, multi-sensory manner. The introduction of concepts and math facts are presented in a sequential and cumulative method. Students learn addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and strategies for solving story problems using math manipulatives.

Intensive Summer Tutoring is only the beginning.

Traditional tutoring for students needs to be continued two days per week, year-round, in-person or online, until your student has attained the skills they need to reach their full potential.

Change your child’s future with the Intensive Summer Jump Start Program.

Enrolling now.  Space is Limited.

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9 Ways to Boost Reading Confidence

Accommodations are Fair
Accommodations Boost Reading Confidence  
“Interaction Institute for Social Change | Artist: Angus Maguire.” Interactioninstitute.org and madewithangus.com

If your child struggles with reading, they probably struggle with learning on a daily basis, and this takes a toll.  This constant struggle with academics from a young age leaves a lasting impression on their self-esteem (feelings of self-worth and value).  Helping your child feel successful, despite their reading struggles, will boost your child’s reading confidence, and will support life-long healthy self-esteem.

We all want to be recognized for doing something well. A pat on the back, a heart-felt thanks, some kind of recognition that we have value. Children who struggle with reading hear more about things they don’t get right, than what they do get right.  Struggling readers often have poor handwriting, and terrible spelling as well. What makes it even more difficult is that other children seem to pick up reading with very little effort, soaking it up like a sponge. These 9 tips will help you boost your child’s reading confidence, and will help them be more successful throughout their life.

  1. Realize that your child’s reading struggles are NOT your fault.

    Parents often think they should have read more with their children to improve their reading. This simply isn’t true for some children. The sooner you recognize that you did not cause your child’s reading difficulties, the sooner you can start helping them.

    Reading comes naturally for many children. Most children begin to make sense of letter patterns, and their corresponding sounds from an early age. Rhyming is easy, simple signs make sense, sometimes children are even beginning to read before starting Kindergarten. However, at least 1 in 5 children need more structured reading instruction. In fact, some children cannot differentiate the different sound patterns, and will need specialized instruction, before they can even begin learning to read.

  1. Seek professional help.

    Testing can identify students who are at-risk readers as young as 5.5 years old (with 92% accuracy). But that is only part of the story. If your student is found to be at-risk, they need specialized Orton-Gillingham based reading instruction, instead of the traditional classroom instruction.

  2. Remove barriers to learning with classroom accommodations.

    Many people struggle with the idea of accommodations. They think a child is being given an advantage in learning. Are glasses for a child who has poor vision an advantage? Or a box, for a short child to stand on, so they can see over the fence? These are not advantages, they help a child do what all the other children can do easily. Classroom accommodations merely provide a student with the tools they need to become a successful student in the classroom.

  3. Feed their “reading” and learning appetite with audio books.

    Make reading and learning as easy as possible. Audio books are available through your local library, YouTube, through subscriptions to services like Learning Ally or Audible, or if your child has a documented reading disability – they may qualify for a free subscription to Bookshare through their public school.

  4. Reinforce their love of listening.

    Allow your child to listen to audio books when “reading” for pleasure. Listening to books encourages your child’s imagination, as if they were reading. It helps them build vocabulary, reinforces good language structure, and enhances their ability to comprehend the spoken word. Learning to listen well also has other merits, which may aid them as they get older.

  5. Boost reading confidence; Find books at their reading level, not grade level.

    Find books with words/sounds your child has already learned, and reinforce these patterns and sounds until they are mastered.

  6. Read the difficult words to your child, and move on.

    Children that struggle with reading, or have a reading disability such as dyslexia, need to see and hear a word pronounced correctly many times before it becomes part of their working memory. Expecting them to sound out difficult words frustrates them, hampers their comprehension and does not help with long term memory storage.

  7. Read together.

    Reading should be a fun, relaxing activity to do together. Teach your child that reading is a fun choice, even when there are other options for entertainment. This will instill the idea that reading can be pleasurable, and associates reading as a special time with you!

  8. Support your child’s strengths.

    Children who struggle with reading need to be reminded that reading is only ONE part of their life. Encourage your child to try new things, this may include sports, visual or performing arts, or other creative endeavors. There is more to life than reading and academics, help your child find their strengths and support their success.

There are many reasons a child may not learn to read as quickly as their peers. If your child seems bright and curious, dyslexia may be the cause (see the Warning Signs).  This is an inherited learning disability. It is caused by a neurological difference in the brain.  With early identification and testing, and appropriate reading remediation, your child can close the learning gap. While reading is certainly important, remember, it is only one part of raising a confident child, with good self-esteem who is prepared to face the world.

Kristin Clark is a contributing author to Reading Success Plus, and is a member of Decoding Dyslexia – Michigan. Kristin is the parent of a high schooler who is dyslexic. Please contact us or subscribe to learn more at: www.readingsuccessplus.com.

© Reading Success Plus

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School to Prison Pipeline

Reading is Essential –

Reading is essential to increase graduation rates and decrease incarceration rates. The ability to read and write is essential for an individual’s success in school, employment and in life.  Reading difficulties impact student’s learning in all subjects including, Math, Sciences, English and Social Studies.  At least one in five individuals have dyslexia or a related learning disability.  “Dyslexia is neurologically-based, often familial disorder which interferes with the acquisition and processing of language.  Varying in degrees of severity, it is manifested by difficulties in receptive, and expressive language including phonological processing, in reading, writing, spelling, handwriting and sometimes in arithmetic.  Dyslexia is not the result of lack of motivation, sensory impairment, inadequate instructional or environmental conditions but may occur together with these conditions” (International Dyslexia Association).

Dyslexia Does Not Discriminate

Dyslexia is a hidden disability which has no boundaries.  Dyslexia affects individuals regardless of race, gender, culture and socioeconomic standing.  Dyslexic individuals have average or above average intelligence but are often seen as being inattentive or lazy because they are not reading at grade level. Dyslexia often causes poor self-esteem, lack of confidence and a poor self-image of themselves as a student.  Dyslexia is a life-long disability with no cure but with remediation and accommodations dyslexics can lead successful lives.  Some dyslexic individuals also have AD/HD or other learning disabilities such as dysgraphia (handwriting disability), and dyscalculia (math disability).  Dr. G. Reid Lyon, the former chief of the Child Development and Behavior Branch within the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development states that “substantial research supported by NICHD shows clearly that without systemic, focused and intensive interaction, the majority of children” with dyslexia “‘rarely catch up’.  Failure to develop basic reading skills by age nine predicts a lifetime of illiteracy.  Unless these children receive appropriate instruction, more than 74% of the children entering 4th grade who are at risk for reading failure will continue to have reading problems into adulthood.”

Decrease Incarceration Rates

According to the National Right to Read Foundation, “people who read poorly often end up in low paying jobs, on welfare rolls or in jail, at a cost to the country of $224 billion a year.”  Dyslexic individuals are “at risk of joining the ranks of the 90 million U.S. adults who are at best, functionally literate, meaning they can read just well enough to get by” (Star Telegram).  Learn to read or go to jail is unfortunately a true statement for some.  The Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report on the Educational and Correctional Populations by Caroline Wolf Harlow, PhD. states that the percentage of state prison inmates who have not completed high school or obtained their GED include 66% of inmates with a learning disability and 59% with a speech disability (can be a symptom of dyslexia).  According to the Citizens Alliance on Prisons, the state of Michigan incarcerates nearly 44,000 people and spends $2 billion a year on corrections.  Education Week states that 75 percent of the crimes committed in the United States are committed by high school dropouts.

Reallocate Dollars

“Michigan’s high school graduation rate is almost 4 percent below the national average and is trending downward, according to the latest annual report on graduation rates from Education Week, a specialty newspaper for educators. Michigan graduated 70.9 percent of public school students in 2010, ranking the state 40th overall” (Mlive.com).  We have a choice to make here in Michigan.  We are currently facing a crisis where we are increasingly spending more money on incarcerating people than we are on educating them.  We have an opportunity to make a bold move in reversing this vicious cycle. We can choose to reallocate millions of dollars currently being spent on corrections and launch a daring new initiative to ensure that all of Michigan’s students are reading by the 3rd grade through innovative programs to assess and remediate dyslexia and related learning disabilities.

Tackle Michigan’s Laws

In order to improve the graduation rate and lower the incarceration rate in Michigan, we must tackle the issue of dyslexia which affects approximately 20% of the population.  Dyslexia laws must be passed by the Michigan Legislature to identify and remediate dyslexia in students so they can become productive and successful citizens. The State of Michigan needs to make a financial commitment to ensure the success of this endeavor.  This can be accomplished by:

  1. State recognition of dyslexia as a learning disability and assessment of all students. Test all new students by the end of kindergarten and test all transfer students as they enter their new school.  Those students who are identified as being at risk for dyslexia must receive immediate, appropriate and continuing instruction.
  2. Provide training for all teachers and certify (additional training) a dyslexia teacher/specialist for each school. Establish dyslexia and learning disability instruction in the colleges and universities within the state which provides teaching degrees.
  3. Implement technology to aid dyslexic students such as text to speech software, books on tape, IPads, Kindles, etc.

Dyslexia does not have to be a prison sentence. With Orton-Gillingham based reading remediation programs, dyslexics can be very successful.  In fact, 35% of all dyslexics are entrepreneurs including Sir Richard Branson, Charles Schwab, Barbara Corcoran, Steve Jobs, Bill Hewlett, Ted Turner and Tommy Hilfiger. The key to success is early screening and proper remediation.

 

Anne Kloth is a co-founder of Reading Success Plus, a tutoring center for struggling readers and dyslexic students.  She is also a founding member of Decoding Dyslexia – Michigan, and is a Board member of the Michigan Branch of the International Dyslexia Association. Learn more at: www.readingsuccessplus.com.

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Labeling and Learning Disabilities

Fear of Labeling

Labeling is the missing piece.
Labeling is the missing piece.

Do you struggle with the idea of labeling your child with a learning disability? If so, you’re not alone. Often parents are concerned that labeling will be harmful and will stigmatize their child.  Some parents fear that their child will become the target of other students, possibly face bullying, or exclusion. Other parents worry that a label will limit their child’s opportunities for the future. We believe believe labeling does just the opposite. Labeling provides you, and especially your child, with an explanation for their reading and learning struggles, freeing them of the stigmas, opening a world of possibilities.

Relief for Students

You can be sure that your otherwise bright child, even at young age, understands and recognizes that they aren’t learning to read like their peers. One family told us that their kindergarten aged son told them “I think my brain is broken”.  Another family explained that upon seeing a commercial for a tutoring center on T.V., their third grader insisted they call immediately so that he could learn to read. Children know they can’t read or don’t learn like their peers, and often think it is their fault.  Providing a label explains to your child the reason they struggle. They need to understand that their brain is not broken, it is just wired differently than the other students, and different can be good.

Dyslexia Facts

Research from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that dyslexics are bright, and often have higher than average intelligence.  They are not lazy or unmotivated, instead they are exhausted from trying so hard. Dyslexics expend from 5 – 20 times as much energy reading, and comprehending than traditional learners. They struggle with each new word until it becomes hard-wired in their brain. Because their brains are literally wired differently, they struggle extracting words from their long-term memory. Dyslexic students are often thought to be daydreaming and not paying attention, drawing or doodling.  Instead, they are occupying one part of their brain, while the other is listening intently (just ask them). Additionally, dyslexics tend to have other conditions along with dyslexia, including anxiety, depression and Attention Deficit /Hyperactivity Disorder.  Understanding your child through labeling helps children and adults understand that there is an explanation for their difficulties, and there is help.

A Learning Difference

Dyslexia varies from mild to moderate, to severe to profound and may include difficulty with reading and spelling, poor handwriting, trouble with comprehension and fluency, and difficulty with math.  What is important, when you learn through formal or informal diagnosis, is to share this information with your child, even at a young age.  Teaching a child about dyslexia is like teaching them that they have a heart condition. If a child suffers from a medical condition, surely you would share with them the reason for their exhaustion, and struggle. You would also provide them the accommodations they need to lead a healthy and normal life.  The same applies to learning your child has a learning difference, or dyslexia.

Learning that your child is dyslexic provides parents an opportunity to understand their student and their needs.  Naming the condition, you provide an explanation and can learn to focus on the gifts, and “sea of strengths” that come with being dyslexic.

Labeling Gives it a Name

We say label and learn. Free your child (and yourself) from the myths and misconceptions about dyslexia, and embrace the strengths and gifts your child has been given.

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Kristin Clark is a contributing author to Reading Success Plus, and is a member of Decoding Dyslexia – Michigan. Kristin is the parent of a high schooler who is dyslexic. Please contact us or subscribe to learn more at: www.readingsuccessplus.com.

 

 

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