At Dynamic Therapy Specialists, our dedicated team is committed to helping children not only overcome challenges but also develop a love for reading and writing that lasts a lifetime. For more information or to schedule a consultation, call us at (225) 767-5032 or reach out to us online. We can’t wait to help your child learn to love reading and writing!
Signs My Child Might Need Reading or Writing Intervention
At Dynamic Therapy Specialists, we understand the importance of addressing these challenges early on before the child’s confidence is lowered and the reluctance to try becomes stronger. Our goal is to empower your child with the skills needed to not only tackle their current difficulties, but to thrive in the world of words. If your child struggles at all with reading, spelling, or writing, or if they simply don’t enjoy these activities, our team can help them overcome these challenges. Reading or writing intervention might be appropriate if your child is struggling to:
- Figure out/sound out words during reading, especially new words and longer words
- Read or spell the right words without substituting words or mixing up letters
- Understand the meaning of words they are reading
- Read out loud smoothly (pausing appropriately, using different inflections, etc)
- Understand what they have just read
- Understand stories read out loud to them
- Predict, anticipate, or make inferences about text
- Keep their place while reading
- Spell beyond the weekly spelling tests
- Start a writing assignment without delay
- Think of writing topics
- Organize their thoughts when put down on paper
- Use proper punctuation, grammar, and spelling in free writing tasks
- Complete reading and writing assignments without complaining or delaying
What Skills Are Needed to Successfully Read and Write?
1. Word identification
is the process of connecting the printed word to its sounds, whether or not the child understands the meaning of the word. It is simply being able to figure out how to pronounce or sound out written words. This is called decoding. This requires an understanding that symbols have sounds that are associated with them and that when put together and mixed around they can create a variety of different words.
2. Language comprehension
is the ability to figure out the meaning of a word using context clues or drawing from an already established understanding of the word from previous exposure. This relies heavily on vocabulary and the ability to think about words flexibly.
3. Print processing
involves everything else that is required to read silently with comprehension including the importance of having mental representations of words to speed up the process, an understanding of word parts (morphology), adequate use of grammar (syntax), an understanding the pronunciation of a word (stressed/unstressed), and understanding the meaning of a word, when reading silently.
Being a proficient writer employs all of the same skills as a successful reader, but in addition we must also consider a person’s fine motor skills.
Our Approach to Reading and Writing Interventions
Current reading and writing research, including brain imaging studies, points to a Connectionist Word Study approach, as the most effective and efficient reading and writing intervention strategy. It’s approach is a multi-linguistic, meta-linguistic approach that ultimately builds the skills needed for silent reading comprehension and effective written expression.
At Dynamic Therapy Specialists in Baton Rouge, we examine the five building blocks in the Connectionist Model in order to determine your child’s specific challenges which are preventing them from reading and writing successfully at the next grade level. These are: phonological awareness, orthographic knowledge and pattern awareness, semantics, morphological knowledge and awareness, and storage and retrieval of orthographic representations in long term lexical memory. Simply stated, we focus on the intervention at the sound, letter, and meanings levels. We gather this information through a comprehensive assessment and then use proven and research-based strategies to address reading and writing difficulties. This method of assessment and intervention planning often results in progress that is above and beyond improvements noted with traditional therapies or therapies relying on outdated science to drive their intervention planning.
Our Reading and Writing Intervention Methods
At Dynamic Therapy Specialists, We give each child a comprehensive assessment and develop a personalized program to address their reading and writing challenges. We employ a variety of programs at our clinic that include but are not limited to:
- SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing
- Whole To Part Method
- Lively Letters
- Story Grammar Marker
- Seeing Stars
- Visualizing and Verbalizing
- Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing Program (LiPS)
- Alphabetic Phonics
Benefits of Reading and Writing Intervention
Increased Confidence
As your child develops the necessary skills to navigate the world of words, their confidence in both reading, spelling, and writing will grow. This newfound confidence becomes a solid foundation for tackling academic challenges as they move on to each new grade level.
Love for Learning
Our compassionate team strives to instill a genuine love for reading and writing in every child we work with. By making these activities more enjoyable and based on discovery not rote memorization, we help children develop a positive attitude towards learning that lasts even after they’ve completed their intervention program.
Effective Communication Skills
The abilities to read and write are important for effective communication. Through our interventions, your child can develop the ability to express their thoughts and ideas more clearly and improve their overall communication skills.
Preparation for Future Success
Reading and writing are fundamental skills that pave the way for success in school and beyond. Our interventions equip your child with the tools they need to achieve their educational and career goals with confidence.
Strengthened Cognitive Abilities
As your child builds their reading comprehension and writing skills, they will also strengthen other vital cognitive skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, memory, and focus.
Schedule An Evaluation Today
Our team at Dynamic Therapy Specialists is here to empower every child to reach their full potential. Our reading and writing interventions are the key to unlocking a world of opportunities. Call us at (225) 767-5032 or fill out the form below, to discuss how to jump start your child’s reading.