Reading Help for a Teen?

[TeaElle]

Tonight I had the sad occasion to meet with a young man who was recently arrested on a drug charge. His guardians asked me to speak to him about what his arrest (and possible conviction) might mean to his future, and to help elicit some information from him (he’s reticent to talk to them at all, and moreso since his arrest) about what he wants for his future, in hopes that he can be encouraged to get onto the right path. After speaking for a while, the young man, who has just turned 16, admitted to me that he has great difficulty reading, and that though he is in special education classes, he doesn’t feel like he’s receiving the help that he needs to learn how to just “pick up a book and read it and understand all the words in it.”

I asked him if he’d indulge me in a little “pop quiz” and asked him to write down some words, to the best of his ability, as I recited them. I gave him a shopping list. His rendition of the word turkey was “trig” and cake became “ka” after which he said he knew that there were more letters but he didn’t know what they might be at all. With a little prompting, he divined my name as “Traes.” (It’s Tracey.) He was able to recognize simple words like “boy” and the bat-cat-fat-mat-rat sequence of rhymes, but when I tried to see if he was capable of separating out syllables he clearly knew on their own, recognizing them, then putting them back together into one word, his ability was very limited. He managed “batboy” (possibly because he’d already identified “boy” and “bat” on the same sheet of paper) but “attack” and “pancake” were beyond his capability.

Neither the boy, his guardians or his mother (who lives nearby, she’s disabled and not up to caring for a teen) had any idea what learning disability or particular problem was diagnosed in order to place him in special education. The school doesn’t seem particularly interested in discussing the specifics of his particular diagnosis or his education plan with the guardians, even though their custody of the boy has been legally transferred. (The school in this situation is worthy of a Pit rant of grand proportion but I haven’t the energy.)

In any case, I want to help this young man somehow. He has big dreams, and he’s a sweet kid whose disengagement with school led to his recent arrest. (He was hanging out with a bunch of older, dumber boys on a day that he ditched, and made the choice to go along with a really dumb plan to earn some money for some fast food by acting as a minor delivery mule for the local crack dealer.) I don’t know how much help I can give him, which I told him, as I’ve never really taught reading and I’m not a learning disability specialist. I’m looking for other options for him, but he’s limited by the terms of his bail, which require him to be under home detention outside of school hours. Until he’s able to go out and about, and so long as he has this time when he has no choice but to be in the house, he wants to get a head start on improving his reading ability. He’s desperate to catch up, he’s sick of being the dumb kid, he’s sick, in his words, of being “sixteen with a six year old’s brain.”

To me, it seems like he’s lacking basic phonics knowledge. I’m going to visit the library in the morning for phonics and beginning reading books, and I’m looking into programs like Hooked on Phonics.

All this to ask – has anyone had any experience in teaching a teen to read, or helping a teen to gain reading proficiency? Does anyone have any advice to offer about Hooked on Phonics and similar programs? Do any of the homeschooling parents have a beginning reading curriculum that you’ve found effective?

I’m open to any and all suggestions. I’m hoping that Dopers can help me to help this young man get a second chance.

[Tuckerfan]

Has he had his eyes checked recently? I read that reading problems can be caused by vision problems. It might be that he has trouble seeing.

If you spend some time with him, it should be fairly easy to figure out why he’s having problems reading. (From your post it sounds like folks haven’t done that with him to much extent.)

[TeaElle]

His eyes were checked, and they’re fine.

My quick and dirty take was that he has never been given any extended teaching on the work of vowels. He knows what they are, he just doesn’t know how to make them work in words. Hence my thinking that some basic phonics would help.

I’m ready to begin with alphabet primers (“This is A. A can sound like aaaaaaaay or aaaaaaaaah.”) and Dr. Seuss, which he’s okay with, he knows that he needs really simple, beginning reader stuff, but I’m wondering if there’s anything else I should or could be looking for?

[Lissa]

*Originally posted by TeaElle *
**I’m ready to begin with alphabet primers (“This is A. A can sound like aaaaaaaay or aaaaaaaaah.”) and Dr. Seuss, which he’s okay with, he knows that he needs really simple, beginning reader stuff, but I’m wondering if there’s anything else I should or could be looking for? **

I’d suggest contacting an adult literacy program. There are a lot of them on the 'Net, (just do a web search for "Adult Literacy) or you may be able to find a local group.

One of the things I would urge is to try to find materials which aren’t insulting to the young man. “Baby” books may just make him feel bad about himself. There are some adult learn-to-read books available which don’t have all of the cutesy pictures.

[tomndebb]

I’m wondering if there’s anything else I should or could be looking for?

How about asking his (court appointed?) lawyer in the criminal case if he knows someone who does civil work and would like to savage a school district?

The level of disability you are describing demands an IEP in every state that I have encountered. (I will back off excoriating the school district if it turns out the guardians are just not following through.) This is not a matter of what the school would like to do. I am really loathe to join the sue-happy members of our increasingly litigious society, but there is a reason for our court system. (If suing the bastards is not your first choice (understandably), how about finding out whether he can be transferred to a more responsible district in the county or getting the state to lean on the jerks?)

The reason that I am pushing to abuse the school system is that you have been forced to come to this board with a non-professional assessment of the kid’s problems looking for advice (without any way to know how many suggestions will be rooted in 30 years of developmental teaching and how many will come from cranks). The school (district) has actually (in theory) performed the tests to identify his actual problems and should have an Indiviualized Education Program already in place to guide his education.
[http://arkedu.state.ar.us/pdf/rr_iep_forms_speedu.pdf](Individualized Education [url)]From the Arkansas state IEP form: (.pdf format)

Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team – means a group of individuals composed of the parents of a student with a
disability; at least one regular education teacher of such student (if the student is, or may be, participating in the regular education
environment); at least one special education teacher, or where appropriate, at least one special education provider of such student;
a representative of the local educational agency who is qualified to provide, or supervise the provision of, specially designed
instruction to meet the unique needs of students with disabilities, is knowledgeable about the general curriculum, and is
knowledgeable about the availability of resources of the local educational agency; an individual who can interpret the instructional
implications of evaluation results, who may already be a member of the team; at the discretion of the parent or the agency, other
individuals who have knowledge or special expertise regarding the student, including related services personnel as appropriate;
and whenever appropriate, the student with a disability. The public agency shall invite a student with a disability of any age if
a purpose of the meeting will be the consideration of the statement of transition services. The public agency also shall invite a
representative of any other agency that is likely to be responsible for providing or paying for transition services.

Legal responsibilities of school boards.

3.01 GENERAL RESPONSIBILITY TO CONDUCT CHILD FIND
3.01.1 Each local educational agency is responsible for ensuring that all children
with disabilities from birth to twenty-one (21) years within its jurisdiction and
in need of special education and related services are identified, located and
evaluated, regardless of the severity of their disability, including -
3.01.1.1 Children with disabilities attending private schools;
3.01.1.2 Highly mobile children with disabilities (such as migrant and
homeless children); and
3.01.1.3 Children who are suspected of having a disability and need
special education even though they are advancing from
grade to grade.

They have an obligation to help the student and, if the guardianship has passed from the mother to other persons, they have an obligation to keep the guardians in the loop. (In Ohio, the schools are forbidden to do anything with the IEPs unless the parents/guardians are present. I don’t know about Arkansas.)

It’s fine to come to the SDMB for further suggestions of assistance, but the school (district) should be a primary partner in this activity.

[tomndebb]

I’m wondering if there’s anything else I should or could be looking for?

How about asking his (court appointed?) lawyer in the criminal case if he knows someone who does civil work and would like to savage a school district?

The level of disability you are describing demands an IEP in every state that I have encountered. (I will back off excoriating the school district if it turns out the guardians are just not following through.) This is not a matter of what the school would like to do. I am really loathe to join the sue-happy members of our increasingly litigious society, but there is a reason for our court system. (If suing the bastards is not your first choice (understandably), how about finding out whether he can be transferred to a more responsible district in the county or getting the state to lean on the jerks?)

The reason that I am pushing to abuse the school system is that you have been forced to come to this board with a non-professional assessment of the kid’s problems looking for advice (without any way to know how many suggestions will be rooted in 30 years of developmental teaching and how many will come from cranks). The school (district) has actually (in theory) performed the tests to identify his actual problems and should have an Indiviualized Education Program already in place to guide his education.
[http://arkedu.state.ar.us/pdf/rr_iep_forms_speedu.pdf](Individualized Education [url)]From the Arkansas state IEP form: (.pdf format)

Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team – means a group of individuals composed of the parents of a student with a
disability; at least one regular education teacher of such student (if the student is, or may be, participating in the regular education
environment); at least one special education teacher, or where appropriate, at least one special education provider of such student;
a representative of the local educational agency who is qualified to provide, or supervise the provision of, specially designed
instruction to meet the unique needs of students with disabilities, is knowledgeable about the general curriculum, and is
knowledgeable about the availability of resources of the local educational agency; an individual who can interpret the instructional
implications of evaluation results, who may already be a member of the team; at the discretion of the parent or the agency, other
individuals who have knowledge or special expertise regarding the student, including related services personnel as appropriate;
and whenever appropriate, the student with a disability. The public agency shall invite a student with a disability of any age if
a purpose of the meeting will be the consideration of the statement of transition services. The public agency also shall invite a
representative of any other agency that is likely to be responsible for providing or paying for transition services.

Legal responsibilities of school boards.

3.01 GENERAL RESPONSIBILITY TO CONDUCT CHILD FIND
3.01.1 Each local educational agency is responsible for ensuring that all children
with disabilities from birth to twenty-one (21) years within its jurisdiction and
in need of special education and related services are identified, located and
evaluated, regardless of the severity of their disability, including -
3.01.1.1 Children with disabilities attending private schools;
3.01.1.2 Highly mobile children with disabilities (such as migrant and
homeless children); and
3.01.1.3 Children who are suspected of having a disability and need
special education even though they are advancing from
grade to grade.

They have an obligation to help the student and, if the guardianship has passed from the mother to other persons, they have an obligation to keep the guardians in the loop. (In Ohio, the schools are forbidden to do anything with the IEPs unless the parents/guardians are present. I don’t know about Arkansas.)

It’s fine to come to the SDMB for further suggestions of assistance, but the school (district) should be a primary partner in this activity.

[tomndebb]

Lost in editing:

You might see if the school (district) will arrange for a transfer to a place with a responsible staff. They might be willing to go long with it, since they will lose one head count (for state disbursement purposes), but they’ll also get rid of a lot of the grief of actually doing their jobs.

[Primaflora]

Go Tom! Bloody hell that is so dreadful :(. His IEP should have details of what his reading disability is.

I used Reading Reflex to teach my dyslexic kid to read. For a teen, they would have to be really committed to learning and accepting that this is a way of teaching them. There are some stupid wee pictures and some dumb stories but it also is a structured method of teaching which for me made sense.

But the poor guy. How can kids fall through the cracks like this?

[TeaElle]

Tom – I am a lawyer, and though this is hardly my area of expertise, I have been empowered to contact the school on the boy and his guardians’ behalf. There is, presumably, an IEP in place because he is in special education classes. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be much happening with regard to said IEP.

I should note that the problem here could be that the school is simply unable to do much because he’s been obviously educationally neglected for years, and that comes from another district. (We’re in suburban New York City now, but until a year ago he went to public schools in the Bronx.) I don’t know. That needs to be determined. From what I know of the mother, her disability really kept her from being very involved in the years since the young man’s learning disability was officially uncovered.

Unfortunately, due to the legal situation and the setup of schools in this area, transferring to another public school doesn’t seem to be a feasible solution. The guardians and I are also going to investigate private school options, as there are at least two schools in the area which provide special ed programs and allow students in the program to participate in sports. Being a part of sports teams is the only thing which has prevented this young man from dropping out altogether and it would be disastrous to rob him of those opportunities.

The possibility of transfer to one of these schools at this point in the school year is questionable, and there’s also the question of whether or not either will accept a kid who currently stands accused of a pair of mid-level felonies, and the court date which will determine his fate will not occur, quite likely, until close to the end of the spring semester.

This is just a big, stupid mess. Blast.

[Kallessa]

I second the adult literacy suggestion. He sounds like he has never been taught to de-code letters and so needs help with the mechanics of reading (as opposed to having reading comprehension problems). Hooked on Phonics certainly concentrates on the mechanics, but I worry about him staying motivated if all the material is aimed at much younger learners. Adult literacy programs have dealt with this and would have the best resources at hand.
One way children become ready to read is by being read to. Unabridged books on tape, which he can follow in the book, may be useful. Because his listening comprehension is so much more developed than his reading ability, books on tape would allow him access to books at his interest level. Music can also be a tool–if the liner notes (are they still called that?) include the lyrics, have him concentrate on the written words as he listens to the songs.

Good luck with this, and thank you for caring enough to go the extra mile for this kid.

[tomndebb]

I should note that the problem here could be that the school is simply unable to do much because he’s been obviously educationally neglected for years,

OK. I was responding to what I inferred was the lack of information the school was sharing with the guardians. Having two kids in the system in what is purportedly a decent area, I know how difficult it can be to make headway when everyone is trying to help and the idea that a district was somehow not sharing information with the guardians set me off.

I got some training in the Laubach Literacy program (the typical adult program), one time, and it seemed to be pretty good stuff. However, my (wholly not professional) opinion is that it sounds like a genuine learning disability rather than simply not yet having learned. All the “hooked on Phonics” and “Laubach” programs in the world are going to have a limited effect if a professional is not working with any disability issues.

When you get his IEP, check the date of his last MFE, Multi-Factored Evaluation. If it does not have any tests for Learning Disabilities, have them re-issue it. (The MFE uses general tests to see where the student stands, but it can be augmented with additional tests tailored to specific problem areas to give a better understanding of what approaches will work.)

Here is New York’s IEP

[Lynn_Bodoni]

My daughter has dyslexia, and for years would not read for pleasure. Her schoolwork was a real chore. I kept reading her bedtime stories, though, and as they got longer and more complex, I would purposely “stop for the night” and give my throat a rest. Lisa was so caught up with the story that she would take the books and attempt to read them herself. I always chose books that were just about her reading level, maybe a smidgen harder, and I allowed her to read for an extra half hour or so after I had done my stint for the night.

There are some really great graphic novels/comic books out there. Perhaps this young man would enjoy one or more of them. Libraries carry them nowadays.

For that matter, start him on the comics page of the newspaper. Most of the comics have fairly simple words in them.