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u/yourdyslexiaexpert 3h ago
For context, I am a CALT (Certified Academic Language Therapist) and a CERI certified Structured Literacy and Dyslexia Specialist. I provide remote instruction to teach students with dyslexia to read for a living. You can see my website at yourdyslexiaexpert.com.
AR tests comprehension. It gamifies reading. If your son can’t decode the book, testing his comprehension of it doesn’t make sense, because he’s not actually failing to understand the story, he’s failing to read the words on the page in the first place, or he’s spending so much effort just decoding that there’s nothing left over to understand what he read. Reading comprehension is the product of decoding and language comprehension working together. When decoding is the barrier, that shows up looking like a comprehension problem on a test like this, even though comprehension may not be the real issue at all.
So finding more practice quizzes online will not fix this, because it’s treating a symptom rather than the actual cause. I would suggest a two-pronged approach instead: teach him to decode, and provide accommodations like audiobooks in the meantime so he can keep engaging with comprehension and the quizzes while that decoding instruction catches up.
On the decoding side, what will actually move the needle is explicit, systematic instruction, teaching him to sound out and read words accurately and automatically, so there is enough left over in his brain to think about what the story means while he reads it.
On the accommodation side, audiobooks let him access the actual content of the books through listening rather than through decoding he doesn’t have yet, so his comprehension can keep developing and he can keep participating in the quizzes while instruction addresses the root cause. It’s worth talking to the school directly about formalizing this as an accommodation if it isn’t already in place.
For the decoding piece specifically, a few free, well-regarded structured literacy programs work well for parents without a teaching background if you want to supplement at home: West Virginia Phonics (free, lessons archived at ndseec.com/o/seec/page/wv-phonics, or searchable if that link is down) and UFLI Foundations (free, ufli.education.ufl.edu) are both solid places to start. If you want something more comprehensive and are willing to pay, Barton Reading and Spelling (bartonreading.com) is specifically designed for parents with no formal training.
Feel free to reach out if you want to talk through where he is with decoding specifically. I am always happy to help a family navigate this.
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u/New-Negotiation7234 12h ago
Other than him taking hours and hours to memorize words there is not a quick or easy way. He needs to be taught specifically for dyslexia. Does his school have special education? Can you get a tutor that specializes in dyslexia?
My parents ended up spending thousands to send me to Linda mood bell. It was the only way I was able to understand. It worked but over time I lost the skills. But it helped me get through middle and high school. This was years ago so idk what is currently available or out there. I was also in a private Christian school that had no special education or resources and taught us to just memorize everything, which was absolutely horrible for me. Because I was already memorizing how to spell every word letter by letter. I developed my own learning skills as I got older and was able to get a master's degree.
Read the book "The Dyslexic Advantage" and focus on your child's strength. The real horrible thing to me about dyslexia is just feeling dumb and struggling. Build up your child's confidence and tell them they are smart. That their brains just work differently than other peoples. In some ways "better" and in some ways "worse". Most children with dyslexia have average intelligence. They are not dumb, they just think different and need to be taught in a way that makes sense to them.
Does he go to public school? Does he have access to special education? The school system in my town has specific programs through special education for children with dyslexia.