Next week my daughter will complete her year of dyslexia tutoring with Lexercise. When I first started this venture back in July, my main goal was to get my daughter reading near or at grade-level, and to enjoy reading! I can now say that it has become a reality!
Our first step in the whole process was to see if she even had a problem. I wrote about the beginning of our journey here: Screening for Dyslexia. After a couple of months I posted another Dyslexia Tutoring (October update) and yet another update in January. I have been so pleased with our results from Lexercise!
Dyslexia tutoring at home:
Every Wednesday for the past 9 months, my daughter has met with Scott, her reading specialist. Each clinician at Lexercise is trained in the Orton-Gillingham approach. The 31 Lexercise lessons are based on this approach.
Every session Scott worked through various phonics or spelling rules with my daughter. They also fit in fluency reading, writing, and a joke or two. She didn’t just sit there and listen– she was required to participate in various way. Both Scott and my daughter could see each other via Adobe Classroom Connect. She could see his whiteboard or desktop. He often had her tell him sentences or stories. If she needed to write something, she would write it and then snap a picture on our iPad and email it to him to check. It was just like an in-person tutoring session except I didn’t have to leave my own home!
After each session, I would get online and Scott would review what they did and share what I could do at home to help her that week. He would often send me spelling lists, reading fluency selections, and writing exercises. I appreciated that I could share any concerns I might have and that he kept me informed on her progress.
Why I think Lexercise worked for us:
One of the biggest keys to success was that Lexercise brought consistency and accountability for my daughter. She knew that she needed to play her Lexercise games everyday and that every week she would review that information with her tutor. This was also a perfect option for us since we added another sibling into the mix this year. With all the changes in our family, her Lexercise sessions stayed consistent because I did not have to leave the house.
Another key was that the lessons built upon each other with a very specific, systematic sequence. Even though there was a certain order, Scott still worked with my daughter in areas that she continued to struggle with while still moving through the lessons. For instance, she struggles with sentence writing. He incorporated that element into many of the lessons and gave her tips and tricks to remember when she is asked to write.
The third key was that it was not me. Seriously, sometimes my child needs another person to help push her to grow. She looked forward to having her own special class time each week.
Now What?
I feel that my daughter now has a good foundation in reading and spelling. We will continue to reinforce what she has learned with All About Spelling, partner readings (she reads a page aloud and then I read a page aloud), and writing. I plan to incorporate more audio-learning options into her schedule (i.e. her textbooks as audiobooks) and continue doing dictation exercises. My daughter feels confident in her reading and I sometimes find her reading on her own– which is something that she never did before.
If you are wondering if your child might have a reading difficulty, I would encourage you to take the free screening. You might also follow the Lexercise blog, Facebook page, or Twitter stream for more dyslexia information.
Sandie Barrie Blackley, one of the founders of Lexercise, often holds webinars on various reading topics, dyslexia strategies and more. On April 18th her team will be presenting a webinar on “Summer Brain Boost for Spelling and Writing.” Scott, our clinician, will be sharing at this event. It might be a good thing to check out even if you don’t have a struggling reader!
Kris from Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers is also sharing her thoughts on Lexercise today. Be sure to stop by her blog and read her perspective.
Disclosure: I was thrilled to work with Lexercise. I did receive a reduced rate in exchange for advertising space and reviewing this service. All opinions are my own and I was not required to post a positive review. See my complete disclosure policy for more details.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! My son is 7 but since I have dyslexia, I’m already seeing signs of it in his reading ability. I’m glad to know there’s extra help out there when he needs it!