Effective dyslexia remediation specifically designed for older struggling readers (age 7+).
We're excited that you have completed Dynaread! A job well done! Now that you have finished our program, there are several things you can do to keep on improving. Please read through these tips and suggestions, and use them to your benefit. If you have questions, do reach out to us. We're here for you!
Our #1 recommendation is very obvious, but none the less very real: Keep on reading. Keep a discipline of at least 30 min a day of reading. Initially, when reaching Dynaread graduation, keep rereading all Print outs, until A levels are obtained. Thereafter, make sure to keep on reading. Several tips there:
Continually strengthen your reading Comprehension: You will likely have accessed this article before, but its advice is relevant. Especially the recommendations on visualizing what you read, reading thought by thought or paragraph by paragraph, rebriefing or teaching yourself what you just read, and revisiting or rereading sentences or paragraphs which proved difficult to read. You can access the full article here: https://www.dynaread.com/comprehension-strategies.
Reading at or below your level: Emphasize speed. See https://www.dynaread.com/high-speed-reading-role-in-fluency. You could even do this with your Print outs. Or any other book that is relatively easy reading material for you.
Reading at your level: Stress accuracy and avoid guessing. Drill tough words in the same way as Dynaread has been doing (point/watch whilst parroting; adding them to flashcards; word walls). Make sure to do this e.g. with reading materials necessary for your schooling, such that you keep building up your vocabulary for those topics. Since many of you like to work by yourself, consider using https://www.cram.com (free). This flashcards tool allows you to make flashcards on the computer (where it is easy to type), and then be able to drill them on the computer, or on Android or iOS mobile devices.
Reading beyond your level: It is also excellent reading practice to deliberately read beyond one's level. It forces further development of proper Comprehension tachniques (https://www.dynaread.com/comprehension-strategies), and also exercises our decoding abilities. Some people never read beyond their level, and that can be compared to Sports: You don't really grow in performance by never having muscle pain.
How to find books at proper levels? This tool may prove to be of use: https://lexile.com/
Be open to use Text to Speech technology when needed. This is nothing to be ashamed about. It's sometimes plain handy. I e.g. listen to Audiobooks when driving or even when desirous to close my eyes after a day of desk-screen work. There are very many resources out there. TTSReader is a free tool: http://ttsreader.com/. Paid tools can be found as well. Simply search for TTS Readers.
Reading will provide you with access to interesting information on topics you care about. Achieving progress at school will not seem impossible, but rather feasible. This article (see link) will provide you with possible input to share with school authorities as well.
https://www.dynaread.com/accommodating-students-with-dyslexia
Obviously, not all of the tips in that article are relevant for you anymore, but go over the list and you're bound to see several that are.
As you continue improving in reading, you will be able to pursue college or university studies, get your driver's license, and/or get the job you have always dreamed of.
Search Online for Graded Readers or Graded Books. A good librarian should most definitely also be able to help and make proper books available.
The best way to practice reading fluency is reading aloud. Ideally, also do sessions with somebody reading along, so they can precisely verify that the words read are the actual words on the paper. When mistakes are made, they should be gently and lovingly corrected by giving it away, and exercising it as described above as in the manner you've been doing with Dynaread.
Choose short passages (about 200 words or half a page of text on letter-size paper), yet long enough that you do not memorize them. Any topic will help, but try to pick things that interest you.
You can also make a list of words that you find difficult to read from your school reading materials and then audio record someone reading the list. Listen to the list a couple of times while reading it silently and then try to read it aloud. Do it a couple of times. This will help you in practicing hard-to-pronounce words and previewing materials you need to read for school.
We never close accounts. So feel free to keep on coming back, keep on working on the phonics module, and keep looking for new modules. We're always working on new tools, or improving existing tools. And always feel free to contact us with any questions you may have. We want to help children succeed! and that includes you.
The Dynaread Team
Our Dynaread team members are required to hold themselves accountable for serving our clients in adherence with our core values...
Contribute with scientific and overall integrity.
Retain the focus on the needs of each individual child.
Dynaread has been developed in the trenches of actual remediation, with our feet firmly planted on the ground. Scientific research is essential (and we consistently use it), but we also understand the realities at home and in school. Not all homes have two parents, not all Dad's or Mom's are always home, there is oftentimes no money, schools lack staff or funding. We listen, we observe, we discuss, and we build the best solutions we can for older (ages 7+) struggling readers.
