If you are teaching a child to read, All About Reading provides an inexpensive, research-based program that is easy to use and highly effective. It may be a perfect fit for your dyslexic child.
I am passionate about encouraging parents of dyslexic learners not only that they can teach their children to read, but that they are the best person to teach them if it is at all within their power.
My 87 year old neighbor, Dave, grew up dyslexic. Â Occasionally we talk about his school experience; about how he struggled to learn and how nobody knew why he struggled. Â My husband grew up with dyslexia. Â His school teachers in England wanted to put him in classes with severely mentally disabled kids. Â No body had a clue as to why he struggled so.
What is Dyslexia?
We now know much more about this phenomenon called dyslexia;  why otherwise bright people struggle learning to read, write and spell.  We know through scientific studies conducted at Yale University that dyslexia is real, that it is genetically based (which explains why 7 of our 8 kids are dyslexic!) and that it never goes away.  It is not caused by a lack of intelligence, poor diet or watching too much television.  Dyslexia is a processing issue that causes intelligent people to struggle with the written word.  For more information on what dyslexia is, see my Dyslexia FAQs Page.
How to Overcome Dyslexia
People with dyslexia can be taught to read and spell.  Research has shown that an early start is better (dyslexia is not outgrown) and that the way in which reading and spelling are taught is critical.  There are a lot of reading curriculums out there – many of them well done.  But they are not  multi-sensory, nor are they explicitly and sequentially taught.
Dyslexics need to engage all of their senses when they are dealing with the written word –Â multi-sensory.
Everything needs to be taught – nothing can be assumed. Â The ‘penny’ just doesn’t ‘drop’ for many dyslexics and reading never ‘clicks’. Â Everything meeds to be taught –Â explicitly.
Everything must be taught in order. Â From phonemic awareness (knowledge of individual sounds) to phonics and decoding – reading instruction must be taught in order –Â sequentially.
All About Reading
I discovered All About Reading a 2 years ago when my 5-year old son was beginning Kindergarten.  He had many of the early signs of dyslexia. Â
We worked through Pre-Level 1 and were thrilled with the results.  The people at All About Learning Press really get reading instruction.  They know how important phonemic awareness is to becoming a fluent reader and every lesson included a fun activity that taught phonemic awareness.  After Pre-Level 1 our son was fully prepared for learning to read with All About Reading Level 1 the following year.
Edited to add:  We finished All About Reading Level 1 last year and are continuing to be happy with what he is learning and how the information is sticking!  All About Reading is fun as well as effective.
If you are teaching a child to read, whether your students are dyslexic or not and whether you homeschool, tutor or otherwise, All About Reading and  their spelling program, All About Spelling provide inexpensive, research-based programs that are easy to use and highly effective.
Visit the All About Learning web site for placement tests, videos and more information on the All About Reading program.
I’m quite pleased with the inrtmfaoion in this one. TY!
I have been looking into All About Reading and am glad to hear it works well with kids with dyslexia. My son was just diagnosed and is finishing up 1st grade. He can read some but definitely isn’t fluent. What level would he start with? I looked on the website for a placement test and couldn’t find anything. Maybe I am missing it!
I used All About Reading Level 2 with my son repeating first grade due to his reading. I really like it and he went from. Pre-k level reader to 1st grade with in the first 3 months. I will be using level 3 next year. I ordered the spelling for next year too.
For what ages is this program appropriate? How does it compare with Barton Reading?
It is good for ages 4 and up I would say. Compared to Barton: They are both based on the Orton-Gillingham approach to teaching reading. The both are ‘open and go’ meaning you can read the book to your child and there is little prep work. Barton is more sterile with less variety in reading materials and hands on activities. It may work better for older struggling readers for this reason. AAR has beautifully illustrated and engaging readers. Barton costs about $300 per level and AAR is about $100 per level.
Marianne, at what age do you think Barton would be a better fit than AAR? My son is nine. I am wondering if he will feel that AAR is too babyish, he is my youngest and so is used to older kids’ activities. I like that AAR separates reading and spelling and that you don’t have to start at level 1, my son’s previous school did teach reading with an OG approach so I am worried he will be too bored starting at Level1. However, I like that Barton is more thorough and that it goes up to a grade 9 reading level.
It’s hard to say. If he begins to be really bothered by AAR, you can switch. Another program that is quite good for older kids is Reading Horizons Elevate. It is recommended for ages 10+. Here’s a link to my review.
I will have a 9 year old going into 3rd grade who is dyslexic but also has a brain speech disorder and I’m struggling with which program is best for him. He can’t spell at all and some sounds are hard for him to even pronounce which is a double learning deficiency we are working with. I’m thinking either LOE or AAR/AAS and I’m stumped. Any suggestions would be so helpful. He knows many words especially 3 letter words but I’m still having to guide the beginning sound and then he is usually able to get it. He started working on cursive this year and we will continue that next year as well. Thank you for any help.
I am interested to know based on your comparison of the four programs if you would recommend AAR over Logic of English? They both seem similar. I have a 7 year old son.
If I was starting over, and with a 7-year old boy, I would probably choose Logic of English. There are more kinesthetic activities and I like that handwriting is included.