Recommended Dyslexia Resources

Barton 

This is a program to help kids with dyslexia. Like most (maybe all?) programs, this one doesn't seem to work for everyone. 

Benefits 

• "I'm teaching my son with Barton at home. It's super easy to teach as a parent and love it."

Tips for using it: 

• "Barton can sometimes feel like it takes a while to get "off the ground", but you're honestly just getting to the good part! Level 4 will take much longer, but you'll also see a HUGE amount of growth during that book." 
• "My daughter completed all 10 levels. She started in third grade and finished in 6th. So a little over 3 years with a master certified Barton tutor. No breaks for summer. Going 3 days/hours a week most of the time (2 days for the first year until we  realized things weren’t sticking). Level four took the longest. Maybe 7-8 months."
• "You can't rush through Barton. They have testing at the end of each lesson. If you have questions about Barton call them. They are a wealth of knowledge and extremely helpful." 

Contributors

• C.J., D.S., C.R. 

Reading Simplified (Info Site)

This is a speech-to-print approach, similar to Reading Simplified and SPELL-Links. Speech-to-print approaches are good for FAST progress in reading specifically. Not as great for spelling, morphology, or comprehension. But quick and impressive reading gains for many kids. 

Benefits 

• “My daughter jumped to reading grade levels after only 3 months of EBLI (which is a speech-to-print approach)."
• "We saw more benefits with EBLI than we did with Barton" (CB). 
• "It doesn't have to be a huge time commitment. Most students show progress after the first 4-5 sessions." (KR)

Tips for using it: 

• "We did do 2 sessions a week with our EBLI tutor... [and] did make amazing progress in the few months we worked with our tutor" (AV). 
• You should see obvious improvements within the first month or so. If you don’t, switch tutors." (HH)

Fast ForWord

This is

• A system that aims to retrain kids' hearing, to help them overcome dyslexia

Good for

• It seems to help with phonological awareness

Benefits 

• “My son spent about a year and a half using this and it did seem to help him with his reading. Now he's reading really well." 

Tips for using it: 

• "It's expensive and a little tedious for kids. Maybe very tedious." 

Contributors

• Tim

Orton-Gillingham

This is

• "A structured literacy approach"

Good for

• If your child is struggling with the phonic basics. It has a large evidence base and a wide range of resources. 

Benefits 

• “OG was critical for supporting my daughter to gain the basics for reading and spelling. Critical for her performance in school (British system…) but more importantly critical for her confidence in herself and with her peers.” 

Tips for using it: 

• Regular sessions. BUT it is important to note that this can be really expensive and it can be difficult to find qualified support, particularly in Africa where we live. 

Contributors

• Thanks to (Erin M. in Kenya) 

The NOW Programs

This is a program to help kids with dyslexia. One member said, "It is basically Lindamood Bell." Someone else descibed it as "a speech to print program."

Like most (all?) programs, this one  doesn't seem to work for everyone. 

Benefits 

• “My kid's phonemic awareness deficits were cured and brought in line with their IQ. My kids decoding skill deficits were cured and brought up past grade level. Same for math and writing deficits, all above grade level now." 
• "Incredible program. My son was reading at a 1st grade level as a 12 year old and in 5 months of intensive he was reading at a 6.5 grade level. Changed his life!!!"
• "The gains in comprehension, sequencing, retelling and the ability to get thoughts on paper was the most empowering."
• "My son did three of their programs. It's fantastic. He reads 5-6 grade levels ahead per the school testing this school year."

  " I 10/10 recommend NOW over any other program. It is life changing!

Tips for using it: 

•  " I do feel communication about progress could be more specific and more insightful about the estimated number of sessions remaining based on the child’s current rate of progress."

Contributors

• D.D., E.N., M.S., A.D., A.T.

Toe by Toe

What is it:

• Toe by Toe. This is a phonics reading program for Dyslexic children (phonological dyslexia).

Good for:

• Children struggling to read

Benefits: 

• Our son gained 2 years reading age within one year

How to use it: 

• "It is boring , best done by a parent and done 5 days a week." 

Contributors (so far):

• Thanks Lucy W!

Wilson

This is a program to help kids with dyslexia.

Like most (all?) programs, this one  doesn't seem to work for everyone. 

Benefits 

Tips for using it: 

• "I tossed away close to $100,000 on Wilson with certified instructors for my kids with limited results." 

Contributors

• D.D. 

IDA Dyslexia Handbook

• Good for: 
  • Families that are new to dyslexia. 
• Understanding   
• Tips for using it:

• Audiobooks can help you kid learn a lot and maintain their love of learning. Audible and Libby, if your library has that. (Tim)
• It’s hard, but try to stay patient. It can take a few years. For example, phonics is boring, but eventually it works. (Thanks C.W.)

• Understanding what dyslexia is and how it works: 
  • Dyslexia and the Brain (Understood, YouTube). Vox Video on Why the Dyslexic Brain is Misunderstood (Youtube)

• The Dyslexic Advantage
• Contributors (so far): Thanks Megan N.!

None recommended yet.

Made for Math 

• What is this
  • math for dyslexic students (in OG style)
• Good for: 
  • Math
• Benefits:  
  • Builds conceptually from the ground up, structured, multi sensory approach
• Tips for using it: 
• Contributors (so far): 
  •  Anonymous

Kiddvokit

• What is this
  • App that answers questions about special education and automatically organizes your school communications and docs
• Good for: 
  • Understanding the special ed system and your parent rights
• Benefits:  
  • Quick reliable info
• Tips for using it: 
• Contributors: 
  • Anonymous