My 7 year old daughter isn't reading and can't remember past lessons! What could the problem be?

Question

I home school my children. ADD does run in my family! I have a mild case of dyslexia. Should I have her tested? If so, Where?

Answer 1

Oh boy can I realate to this! I homeschool my children also and my daughter at 7 years old was not reading either. She couldn't read for quite a long time. Nothing I did worked for her. I knew she was able to do it, but for some reason, wouldn't. I got the book "Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons"by "Siegfried Engelmann", and I have to say, I recommend it to anyone. Good Luck!

Answer 2

First, talk to her pediatrician for a referral to get her tested. If you're homeschooling, the public school may or may not allow their counselor to test her, so check with them and see what they say.

If they find no problems, try reading to her and, after each page, ask her to "narrate" the story back to you in her own words, not just repeating what you said. Start with books that have just one or two sentences per page and work up from there. Then, start asking her to narrate the whole (short) book. When you get to chapter books, ask her to "narrate" each chapter and when you finish the book, to narrate the whole book. By this point, she should be able to recall much of what has been read.

Most public schools don't really begin to teach reading until 1st grade (about 6yo), so a 7 year old wouldn't be very proficient. Make sure she knows the basic phonics rules - this will help her decode new words or words she doesn't remember. A great series is "Explode the Code" available through most homeschool distributors.

Answer 3

First take her to the well being practitioner and get an entire actual, blood and urinalysis. save bowls of fruit and vegetable sticks interior the refrigerator with low cal dip. verify labels on meals for saturated fat, sugars and salt (sodium) . i does not point out to her approximately being obese as this could lead on directly to low self-well worth themes. Many youthful babies now are anorexic or bulimic using fact lots emphasis is placed on being skinny. Why no longer tell her and the full family members which you're attempting to cut back down on spending and there will be extra of the above interior the residing house and you is basically unlikely out to quickly nutrition eating places for awhile. She possibly is definitely no longer skinny and that doesn't be healthy for her physique variety yet some weight help is important. sounds like the countless meals she's eating have those hidden energy. bear in ideas if the label says low cal or decreased sugar it does not continuously recommend that, so study the record of ingredients. She might get a number of those extra energy from college or eating at friends properties. desire this can provide some ideas.

Answer 4

Maybe she isn't ready.

Normal? What is normal?

Hmmmmm..... I know a boy that didn't read until age 12. He will graduate from highschool this year with NO disabilities. Nobody can tell that he couldn't read at age 7.

Does your daughter play video games or watch very much television? These things can be a deterrent to learning.

Is she in public school? Peer distractions can make it difficult to read and remember.

Be sure to have an optometrist test her vision.
If you are homeschooling --- what method do you use?

Please contact me if you would like some independent communication. If I can't help you I do know many that are willing to try.

Barb

Answer 5

I agree, what on earth does normal mean? Perhaps there is a problem, but (since you asked) I would start with what you can do first, then go to outside help. I mean, do you really want to jump on the medication bandwagon first, or do you want to try to see if it is something you can do on your own.
First, yes, the video game and tv thing is big. If she does, limit this exposure. Then it could be maturity level. My son will be 8 next week and the difference in him so far this year compared to last year is HUGE. I was beginning to wonder about him too. Something I did was catered to his interest level, as far as reading went. He HATED the reading books we were using, so I went to the library and found books about Star Wars, and stuff like that, all his interest areas, and he all of a sudden became interested in what we were doing. i also picked up a bunch of funny books. He loves humor (most kids do) so he could really remember the funny books we read together
Next, take a look at your schedule. I school my son in small sections, and give him plenty of wiggle time; I also tackle the most difficult subjects first, so he is fresh.
For example, if we are having a hard time with handwriting, then i give him a 10 minute lesson, then a "break" then maybe 5 more minutes of handwriting, then he can get a drink of water or something, then we sit down for reading for about 10 minutes or so, and we go on like that if we need to. Sometimes i will plan 10 minutes, but he's interested, so we keep going. Also plan lots of hands on type things, art, crafts, kitchen crafts, cooking, nature hikes, going to the library, stuff like that.
All children learn differently, maybe you just need to find her learning style. Maybe giving her a puzzle to work while you read to her will help. I did a lot of math fact drills in the car with him on our way to different things. He really retained those sessions much better than the ones at home.
After a year of working at that pace, this year, he is able to sit and study with me for about 45 minutes at a time, which is much easier on me! But I'm glad I catered to his pace and his learning level. I think my expectations of what he could handle and what he was ready for were too high.
but before you go the med route, consider other options, first. A good website about treating things like ADD without medications is www.littlegiantsteps.net
I've seen remarkable things in children with this approach.
good luck hon, and don't give up!

Answer 6

This could be a serious problem or it could be just lack of motivation and not understanding the concept of Home Schooling.

I found many answers on Home Schooling at this fantastic site:
http://www.choosehomeschooling.com

Answer 7

i'm a psychologist just graduated, i think you should have her tested and see an educational psychologist. Go to the doctor and inform the school she may need special needs for her education. Best of luck.

Answer 8

She has a learning disability and needs to be diagnosed in order for you to learn how to help her. Find someone who can help you diagnose and evaluate her problem and find a learning process for her.

Answer 9

my son was reading at 2 take her to the doctor that aint normal