Lewis’s Story

Lewis made a particularly strong impression to us at Easyread by sending us a piece of writing, called The Great Stink, which got him to the district final of a public speaking competition. It is all about the gross smells that used to invade the streets of London in Victorian times. We thought that it was right in line with our humour, so we put on our Easyread system library for other users to read!

Lewis has been a great student. Him and his mother worked together to write about his reading journey. Here it is:

1. What was reading practice like before Easyread?

What was reading practice and spelling like for Lewis before Easyread?

Prior to Easyread Lewis found reading practice boring and dull. It was also very frustrating and upsetting for both he and I. We would practice diligently for up to an hour a night with little or no progress to show for it.

2. What patterns were you seeing?

Did any of the patterns you saw fit the causes of reading difficulty we describe on the site (Optilexia, eye tracking weakness, auditory processing weakness, stress spirals, auditory memory weakness, contrast sensitivity, fluency block and attention deficit)?

As I read the initial overview information describing a child who might benefit from Easyread on the site it was as though I was reading a thumbnail of Lewis and the difficulties he experienced.
We definitely experienced stress cycles on an almost daily basis. Lewis also experienced difficulty with Optilexia and eye tracking weakness.

3. Previous interventions done

What types of reading and spelling support had been tried with him before Easyread?
We had tried a vast range of interventions with Lewis both at home and at school for five and half years. Lewis has gone through the Reading Recovery program, specialised tutoring (for two years), intensive spelling training, phonemic training and a full psychometric assessment. Lewis and I practiced his reading daily. In addition I, as a trained teacher, did additional research into reading problems, dyslexia, phonemic deficits and working memory issues. All to no avail.

4. The Easyread Experience

How was the day to day experience of working through the DM Easyread process like for you both? (the highs… and the lows!)

Working through Easyread has been interesting and fun. Lewis has loved the games. The overall experience has been enjoyable for him and for me. It has only taken 15 mintues each day. The code words and prizes have kept him motivated. He has particularly liked receiving the personal letters from David in the post. Lewis agrees that it has been very beneficial to work towards clear goals and to complete the course from beginning to end as it has taught him the value of commitment and perseverance. These have been side benefits but extremely worthwhile.

5. The Outcomes

What have been the outcomes so far for Lewis, including any remaining frustrations?

Lewis is now able to read a range of texts with confidence. He is now beginning to read novels for pleasure and can tackle everyday instructions independently. We have also seen improvement in his mathematical problem solving as he can now read an understand the word problems.
Lewis has the ability to sound out unknown words now. This means that he is not overwhelmed when reading more challenging texts.
Spelling continues to be a challenge for Lewis. However, we are seeing almost daily improvement in this area too. he will now attempt writing tasks such as letters to friends, emails, texts, shopping lists and homework independently along with growing confidence and success.