Swift Solutions for Your Child’s Reading Success

In this episode of Empowering Homeschool Conversations, host Peggy Ployhar is joined by Stephanie Buckwalter, a fellow co-host, experienced homeschooling mom, and mentor with over 20 years of expertise in helping families navigate unique learning challenges. Stephanie has developed innovative approaches, including the ELARP™ Method and Spell As U Go™ curriculum, designed specifically for students who struggle with communication or are behind grade level. Together, Peggy and Stephanie discuss effective strategies for teaching children with learning and communication barriers. This episode will equip you with practical tools to create a customized, effective, and encouraging learning experience at home for a nonverbal child. To connect with Stephanie and her resources, visit: Adapted Home Education: https://adaptedhomeed.com/ or Art of Special Needs Parenting: https://artofspecialneedsparenting.com/ Viewers like you funded similar episodes, and other free resources from SPED Homeschool. To learn how you can support the nonprofit work of SPED Homeschool and this broadcast, visit https://spedhomeschool.com/donate/ NEW to SPED Homeschool and the Homeschool Heroes platform: Consultations and Cognitive Testing. Here is Now What's Available for Your Family through SPED Homeschool: One-on-One Consultations – Get expert guidance in homeschooling a struggling student, curriculum choices, accommodations, behavior strategies, executive function support, high school planning, and more. Our consultants provide personalized recommendations to help you move forward with confidence. https://www.spedhomeschool.com/consultants MindPrint Cognitive Assessment – Finally, a strengths-based approach to education. This easy, at-home cognitive assessment provides unbiased insights into how your child learns best. It helps you understand where they’ll naturally excel and where they may need extra support—allowing you to tailor your teaching effectively with data that tells you exactly how your student learns best! https://www.spedhomeschool.com/store/products/4344/mindprint-student-assessment MindPrint + Consultation Bundle - When you bundle the MindPrint test with a consultation, you unlock a database of MindPrint teaching resources only accessible to our consults, which gives you even more in-depth and personalized homeschooling help to help your student learn successfully. https://www.spedhomeschool.com/store/products/4345/mindprint-student-assessment-plus-consultation You don’t have to struggle through this journey alone. We’re here to give you the tools and confidence you need to create a home learning environment where your child flourishes. To find out more about SPED Homeschool, visit our website at https://spedhomeschool.com/ To learn about the other Empowering Homeschool Conversations Co-Hosts and their resources, visit: https://annieyorty.com/ https://www.leilanimelendez.com/ https://adaptedhomeed.com/ https://solimaracademy.com/ Join our mission to empower homeschool families!: https://spedhomeschool.com/donate/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

By Kathy Kuhl What if you didn't realize your child was dyslexic until they reached high school? That’s exactly what happened to a family I spoke with recently. Their bilingual high schooler had struggled for years, and the experts kept saying, "She's only struggling with reading because she's bilingual." It was an easy mistake to make — but it cost them precious time. Now, while taking online high school classes, this teen’s frustration has soared. She feels overwhelmed and discouraged. My heart aches for her and her parents, who have been trying to find her help while living abroad. This can happen whether your student uses an online curriculum, attends a traditional school, or homeschools. Often, a learning disability becomes more apparent when the pace and complexity of education intensify — during transitions into middle school, high school, or college. For years, some students manage to compensate for their learning challenges through intelligence and hard work. But eventually, the struggle can become too great to overcome without customized support. Here’s how you can help if you discover your teen is dyslexic: 1. Understand Educate yourself and your teen. Visit Dyslexic Advantage and watch their videos. They offer practical help, an online community, and insight into how dyslexia often coincides with strengths in specific areas. Read The Dyslexic Advantage by Drs. Brock and Fernette Eide. This book, written by medical doctors and former homeschoolers, reveals the hidden strengths tied to dyslexia. The final third offers practical advice for educational accommodations, but the first two-thirds will change how you and your teen see dyslexia. [Link to my review here.] Be compassionate. Reading can be physically painful for dyslexic students. I know two successful adults — one with an M.Ed., the other an M.D. — who both say that reading hurts. It's essential to understand and empathize with your teen's daily struggles. 2. Curriculum Effective reading instruction matters. Here are some options that can work from home: Barton Reading and Spelling System — Sue Barton’s program is parent-friendly and offers excellent video resources. Alphabetic Phonics by Aylette Royall Cox — an Orton-Gillingham-based program parents can use (not to be confused with Alpha Phonics). All About Reading by Marie Rippel — another strong, multi-sensory option. Lexercise — a pricier choice offering online tutoring with trained therapists. Note: There are many other programs; see the resource list below. 3. Experts Consider a Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT) or an Orton-Gillingham-trained tutor. Though expensive, this support can be life-changing. In hindsight, I wish I had invested earlier in an academic therapist for my son rather than saving for college. Explore alternative online learning options. If your current online program isn’t working, platforms like Time4Learning might offer more flexibility. (They offer a free trial — worth investigating, though I don’t personally know families who used it at the high school level.) 4. Tools Use audiobooks and text-to-speech options. Any PDF can be read aloud using Adobe Acrobat Reader (under the "View" tab). Sites like Audible, Bookshare, Learning Ally, and Librivox are great sources for audiobooks. Tap into assistive technology. PCs and Macs have accessibility tools built-in — often hidden under “Accessibility” settings. Many states offer free training through centers like Virginia’s T/TAC system. Experts like Joan Green also offer online resources on assistive tech (Innovative Speech). 5. Strategies Focus on your teen’s strengths. Morale is crucial. Let the bulk of their day center on their strengths and interests. Reserve time for structured reading intervention using methods designed for dyslexia — not traditional approaches. Customize learning approaches. If online curriculum is necessary, find ways to include hands-on or interest-based learning. For example, I know a family whose teen shut down academically during a family crisis — but loved Japanese manga and anime. They built a year’s curriculum around anime, including Japanese history, language classes, and art. That teen later caught up academically and graduated from a prestigious art school! Even small customizations — like weaving hobbies into assignments — can make a huge difference. 6. Resources Dyslexic Advantage — videos, articles, community The Dyslexic Advantage by Drs. Brock and Fernette Eide — [My Review] Barton Reading and Spelling System — [Bright Solutions website] Alphabetic Phonics by Aylette Royall Cox — webinars available All About Reading by Marie Rippel Lexercise — online therapy support Finding a Certified Academic Language Therapist or Wilson-trained tutor — [See my blog post] Audiobook sources: Audible, Librivox, Bookshare, Learning Ally Assistive Technology Resources: Joan Green at [Innovative Speech] Virginia’s T/TAC Centers Georgia Project for Assistive Technology Search “Assistive Technology” + your state/province for local help This article was originally published on Learn Differently: http://www.learndifferently.com/2017/09/07/help-teen-dyslexic/ It is republished here with permission. Please note: Some links are affiliate links.