Our Suggestions for Homeschool Curriculum for Children with Visual Concerns
In today’s age of COVID and the very real possibility that our children will have to return to online school, we are hearing some parents look to homeschool curricula as an alternative education option. It got me thinking, what programs would be best for the kiddos I see in my office, who have vision problems. Problems such as:
Letter reversals
Loss of place when reading
Difficulty learning letters and numbers, sight words or memorizing formulas
Poor reading comprehension or fluency
Dyslexia with a visual component
At our office, we are blessed that our head of vision therapy, Karla, was a homeschooling mom. She has a heart and the knowledge base to help families who choose to educate their children in this way. She has been working on a list of the best current resources for children who have visual deficits. Here are a few of her suggestions:
For the Younger Learner (Age 4-7)
Read Well Programs
Read Well is a beginning reading program designed for kindergarten through second grade students as well as third grade students in need of remediation. Lessons focus on mastery or concepts in a flexible and guided way. The program includes decoding practice and reading duet and solo stories. Focus is on low-frequency letter/sound associations, word parts and multisyllabic comprehension skills.
Logic of English
This is a thorough, easy-to-use reading program based on the Orton-Gillingham approach to teaching reading. It includes highly multi-sensory teaching ideas and includes instruction in cursive or manuscript (your preference). It also has a component for children over the age of 8 and can be used in higher levels, including the study of Greek and Latin roots, prefixes and suffixes.
Reading Made Easy
Scripted and illustrated, parent and child work together from the book. This program uses a unique coding system to identify vowels, silent letters, etc. Children practice reading words, then sentences, then stories. Easy to use, straightforward, very minimal preparation needed.
For Older Students
Barton Reading and Spelling System
A scripted, open and go Orton-Gillingham based curriculum that was designed to improve spelling, reading, and writing skills of children, teenagers or adults who struggle due to dyslexia or learning disability. All students begin in Level 1 and progress to level 10. Barton uses color-coded letter tiles to make syllable types obvious and simplify syllable division.
Wilson Reading System
Wilson is an intensive program for students in grades 2-12 and adults with deficits that are not making improvements in their current interventions, have been unable to learn with other teaching strategies and require multisensory language instruction. It is based in phonologic coding research and Orton-Gillingham principles.
Corrective Reading
For older students, typically 4th grade and above, whose reading is characterized by misidentified words, confusion of similar words, word omissions or insertions, lack of attention to punctuation and poor comprehension.
For Reading Fluency Concerns
Six Minute Solutions
This is a reading fluency program that can be used to supplement a school’s core reading program or as an intervention. It includes three levels of instruction, with manuals clearly written, user-friendly and contain all the necessary information for you to implement.
Of course this list is not exhaustive. But, if you are considering homeschooling for your child, we hope this list will be helpful to you. And, if you have a child with identified or suspected vision issues, one of these options may be just the right thing to help your child take off with his/her reading.
Stay safe and be well!