My son is 13 years 10 months and has just been diagnosed as dyslexic - he can read but it is a slow process and because his attention is engaged in decoding the words his comprehension is less than it should be. He would benefit from developing phonemic awareness skills - can anyone recommend software/programs for this which they have used with adolescents? I have found plenty of products on the web but the majority are geared to younger learners. Our goal is to help him move closer to being an automatic reader in the hope that this will allow him to focus on comprehension.
Re: software or programs to develop phonemic awareness
Besides Sound Reading Solutions, Earobics also has a version for older kids. But I agree with Marie, the reading program is the key to teaching him the phonemic awareness skills he needs. I also highly recommend AbeCeDarian as I think it combines some of the best principles from both Phono-graphix and Lindamood-Bell. I’ve been trained in all three and I use AbeCeDarian the most.
Janis
Re: software or programs to develop phonemic awareness
My fifteen year old son says that the thing that has helped him the most this past year is his ability to listen to a book on his iPod while he follows along with the actual book. His fluency has improved slightly (he had extensive remediation in the past but fluency remained an issue) and since he is now reading grade level books, his vocabulary has improved as well. His exposure to grade level multisyllabic words where he doesn’t have to decode has actually improved his vocabulary and ability to participate in class discussions.
He is much more willing to read assigned books and he is independent with this method once the book has been converted to MP3. I want him to see himself as a reader who WANTS to read and enjoys reading. We have a lot to overcome!
Re: software or programs to develop phonemic awareness
Our son’s biggest and most lasting growth in his fluency was with Read Right. He was tutored over the phone twice a week to read text to “excellence”. In tenth grade he struggled in class trying to read a paragraph aloud from the text. He had the same teacher again in twelfth grade after Read Right and she was amazed at the improvement he had made. They have a web site www.readright.com, I think.
Re: software or programs to develop phonemic awareness
The web site is good, just get rid of the comma I put on the end. www.readright.com/
Re: software or programs to develop phonemic awareness
Another excellent program is Lexia Learning’s Strategies for Older Students 9 www.lexialearning.com - they have home editions.
Sound Reading Solutions has phoenemic awareness software for adolescents. The software is good, but many here do not care for the reading program that goes along with it. You can buy and use the software on a standalone basis. As for reading programs parents use with their dc with LDs, Reading Reflex is often mentioned. Abecedarian is said to be just as good and more parent friendly program. You should look into one of these, once your ds finishes the SRS software. (It takes about 15 hours to complete.)