Reading Corner

We homeschool year round but are gearing up for our new books right now. After we finish up our current fun pirate unit study, we will embark on a fresh school year with brand new books. I have written up the children's goals for the coming year which I will post soon. 

Today, I am going to share about a change for Goldilocks (8). She has many special needs including FASD and RAD. Because of FASD, reading comes very hard to her; and because of the RAD, she has no interest in trying anything that is hard. To make a long story short, we are stuck on the reading thing. Progress is SO SLOW!!!! Goldilocks very much likes the world to center around her, to be in control of all that is going on, and for others to do her bidding. She does not see why others cannot read for her for the rest of her life. She even suggested that her brother, Tom Sawyer, be assigned to read to her whatever she might need read (computer games, etc.). Up to this point, I have been gentle with her and taught her phonics for short periods of time each day.  Well, I am really tired of spinning our wheels! Also, I feel like she is beginning to accept that she will never read and does not really mind. She also sees it as an opportunity to have a conflict with me. I'm not one to believe that everyone must read at a particular age, but I do think there are windows of opportunity. I feel like Goldilocks is at that place where reading is becoming a ball and chain instead of a delight. 

This year Goldilocks has the goal of learning to read. It is her only goal outside of being a well-behaved family member (another BIG challenge). I decided to make her a reading corner with lots of fun phonics games, videos, self-correcting puzzles, and the Leap Pad. Having her own corner that she spends time in gives her the power to decide what she is going to do. I want her to understand that we are here to support her, but she has the power to make her reading time a successful experience. She will do one-on-one reading lessons with me for 20 to 30 minutes each day and then off to her reading corner for 45 to 60 minutes. She may invite someone to play a game with her, and I will stay close to make sure she doesn't just turn on and off the machines. She has already tried that!

I will be adding other things into her reading basket as we go along. I am still thinking about an award system of some sort. Award systems for her have been a disaster in the past, as is often the case with RAD children. Some people have suggested that, because of her learning differences and low IQ, I'm asking too much of her. (Yet others have suggested she be placed in public school so that she will start progressing!) Even Goldilocks saw this as a punishment when I introduced her to her corner. However, if she were in school she would start getting lots of special services this year. She is technically in 3rd grade, and our state's public school system starts learning resource in 3rd grade. She would be pulled out of her regular class for reading resource, speech, occupational therapy, and other help every day. She would be missing music, physical education, art and all the fun stuff. So this is not meant to be a punishment but simply the reality that if you are struggling in an area you must spend more time working in that area. She is starting to warm up to the idea. I hope I'll be able to report progress soon. Has anyone else found special techniques to help a struggling reader with a bad attitude?





Blessings, Dawn