S.P.I.R.E. for Learning Disabilities

Homeschooling can be a challenge and a lot of work but it is filled with rewards for the children, the parents, and society.  It becomes even more challenging when learning disabilities are thrown into the mix.  I have two children (so far) who have been diagnosed with learning disabilities.  We are dealing with a whole array of learning disabilities.  A few of them have a lot of support and suggestions on how to deal with them.  Some do not.

It seems there is always trial and error involved in trying to find out what works best to help these children with extra challenges.  There are also differing schools of thought on how to approach things.  What one school of thought says works another will say is worthless.  The real test, however, is really what works, what brings results.  I am one who believes that the Orton-Gillingham approach seems to have the best results.  S.P.I.R.E. is based on that approach.

One thing that one must take into consideration when dealing with learning disabilities is that there will be what seem like set backs.  One day your child will seem to finally get it and then another day seem as if they haven’t picked up a thing.  Perseverance is the key.  Keep plugging away and do not let yourself grow weary.

Whenever I begin to find myself getting frustrated with my children I put myself in their place and realize how much they are struggling.  Being aware of how difficult the task is for them helps me to keep my frustration in check.

I have recently found a curriculum that seems to be helping my daughter.  It is rather pricey.  But I think it is well worth the price.  It does tend to get on my nerves a little bit only because of the amount of time and repetition involved but that is exactly what my daughter needs.  It takes more time than I would like but then again my daughter takes more time to “get it” than I would like.  It does take about 45 to an hour per lesson.  The lessons may seem redundant but again the repetition is what she needs.  It isn’t simply repetition though.  The program tackles reading from several different angles.  This helps to attack all different areas of possible mis-connects and cement the concepts for the child. Even though there is more involved with the program it is amazingly easy to implement. The teachers guides are very easy to understand and give step by step instruction which is easy to follow.

What program am I referring to?  It is called S.P.I.R.E. and can be purchased from EPS.  S.P.I.R.E. takes a ten step approach to teaching.  Each lesson contains ten steps.

S.P.I.R.E. is a comprehensive and multisensory reading intervention program. It is designed to prevent reading failure and to build reading success through an intensive, structured, and spiraling curriculum. It integrates phonological awareness, phonics, handwriting, fluency, vocabulary, spelling, and comprehension in a 10-Step lesson plan that is specifically designed for the way struggling readers learn. via website

S.P.I.R.E. has eight levels and each level follows the ten step lesson plan. With each concept taught there is an introductory lesson with one or more reinforcement lesson. With my daughter I have found that she needs each and every reinforcement lesson but that may not be so for your child. The ten step lesson plan is as follows. I share this to give you an idea of how they attack each new concept from several angles.

1. Phonograms Cards
2. Phonological Awareness
3. Word Building
4. Decoding & Sentence Reading
5. Prereading
6. Reading
7. Sound Dictation
8. Prespelling (orally)
9. Spelling
10. Sentence Dictation

There is also independent work and additional readers to reinforce what has been taught.  For more on the ten step program, GO HERE.

If you have a struggling reader I would highly recommend the S.P.I.R.E. program.  It is a bit time consuming (about an hour a day) and it is a bit pricey. I think I spent about $2200 for all eight levels and the preschool program for one child.  If you purchase it one level at a time though it isn’t so hard on the budget.

The thing that I love the most is the fact that it tackles the same concepts from all different angles and helps you see where your child is struggling the most enabling the parent to better address the issue.

You can learn more on their website.  They even have a sample video lesson demonstrating the ten step program.  You can also look at the scope and sequence for each level.

Do you have children who struggle with learning disabilities?  Have you found something that seems to work?  Have you ever tried or even heard of S.P.I.R.E.?  After looking it over, is this a program that you think you might try? Please leave me a comment and share your thoughts with me.

Weblink Education Launch

My good friend Valerie has launched a NEW homeschool resource website.

• Educational Links
• Parent/Teacher Resource Lists
• Unit Study Help
• Homeschooling State Law Information
• Family Support
• Top Homeschooling Curriculum Choice Information
• Homeschooling Help Through High School
• Homeschooling with Special Needs
• …and Much More!

Weblink Wednesday – Special Needs

This week Miss Valerie asked for some special needs resources so that is what I have listed. I hope they are useful to you. Check out more of the links at Weblink Wednesday.

NATHHAN National Challenged Homeschoolers Associated Network
Christian Families Homeschooling Special Needs Children

What is ADHD . . . of the Christian Kind?

The Institute for Multi-Sensory Education – ideal for dyslexia.

AVKO Educational Resource….ideal for learning disabilities.

Where Am I Today???

Today I am posting on two other sites. Stop by and check them out. Leave me a comment so I know you were there; it is always great when others add to the discussion!

The Heart of the Matter Homeschool Magazine March issue is up and running. There are a lot of wonderful homeschooling articles. This month in my column Ducks in a Row, I write about five ways to make school run more smoothly.

Come on by and see how we organize our homeschool….HERE…

Over at The Well Drained Mind I write about struggling with the “perfect homeschooler syndrome” and how the Lord gives us little glimpses to encourage us as we teach our children.

Head on over and read about my Boggle Blessing.

Kinderart

KinderArt ® is the largest collection of free art lessons on the Internet. It is an enormous collection of resources featuring thousands of tried & tested free lesson plans, ideas & resources which have been contributed by people from around the world. In addition to the thousands of free art lesson plans, they offer printable activity pages, the art kitchen, educational links & articles, early childhood education resources & much more. There is a wonderful variety of lesson plans & educational tips complete with an online children’s art gallery. Take a moment and browse through KINDERART.

Weblink Wednesday Sponsored by: Valerie @ Just4homeschoolfamilies

Homeschooling Children With Special Needs

NATHHAN National Challenged Homeschoolers Associated Network is a website for Christian parents who are homeschooling special needs children. This site offers many things, including discussion boards, articles, book reviews, support groups, and many other things. One thing of great interest here is that they have their own speech therapy program, Straight Talk, for homeschoolers to purchase at a reasonable price for those who cannot afford therapy or need additional therapy. We have serious considered purchasing this ourselves if and when our insurance no longer provides the therapy our children need.

Their goal and purpose, as per their website is as follows:

To encourage homeschooling families with special needs children, in ways that glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and equip parents to confidently raise their children with special needs or disabilities.

Weblink Wednesday Sponsored by: Valerie @ Just4homeschoolfamilies