Parent Reviews of Easyread
Our most recent reviews:
A significant improvement…
Koutaro has really improved in his reading during the last 12 months and I am so pleased. He got ‘AT’ for his year 1 report and this is a significant improvement. A big thank you to Easyread!
– T
He is above average!…
Dear David and team,
Just to let you know Joseph’s school report was very good and it said he was above average for his spelling and reading!
He had a break over the summer but we’re getting back into it again. He isn’t as enthusiastic as before but I’ll try to get him to soldier on.
– E
A huge improvement…
Catelin has been doing increasingly well. She went up to just under age appropriate reading level by the end of the last school year, which is a huge improvement! (She was previously reading at a Yr 1 entry level at beginning of Yr 3). She is sometimes still reluctant to push herself when choosing books to read, but is capable of reading increasingly difficult levels.
Thank you.
– M
Case Study: ADHD, dyslexia, low confidence
Having ADHD, dyslexia and chronic low confidence, Cameron had the odds stacked against him when it came to reading and spelling. With Easyread he was finally able to begin closing the gap…
The Problem
Cameron was a bright toddler and reached all his speech milestones without issue. But when Mum and GP Natalie thinks back, the symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder were there from the start.
At nursery Cameron was very overactive compared with other children his age, and his concentration span was minimal. This continued as he grew older. Natalie was scrupulous in helping her son to manage his attention difficulties over the years. For instance, upon discovering that visual processing problems can cause concentration problems they had an assessment with a Behavioural Optometrist. This lead to the discovery that Cameron was dealing with some pronounced eye-tracking problems. The expensive glasses that followed made some difference, but his level of energy continued to be off the charts.
The main obstacle Cameron faced once he started school was his attitude towards learning, and reading in particular. The eye-tracking difficulties and ADHD combined to make his ability to sit still and focus very limited indeed. This then fed into a feeling of low confidence. As the children around him progressed ahead with their reading, he fell behind. And the more he acknowledged this fact, the further behind he fell. He felt alone, and it was hard for Natalie to watch as this spiral played out in the early years of his education.
Natalie wasted no time in having Cameron privately assessed and as a result, by age 7 he’d been diagnosed by an Educational Psychologist as displaying key symptoms of dyslexia. The school responded brilliantly quickly – referring him to the SpLD unit straight away where he was provided with additional reading and writing support for over a year.
During that time his reading improved a lot. He could identify a wider range of words much more quickly and his guessing reduced. Nevertheless, he was still behind compared with his peers by approximately 2 years. When we consider that Natalie read to Cameron every evening, this disparity seems even more stark. It was like a lid had been firmly placed on his progress.
His writing meanwhile was nothing short of atrocious. At the end of every week when Natalie flicked through his school books she felt like she was reading hieroglyphics, not English! That’s not to say that there hadn’t been some improvements in this area, however – unlike a year ago, Cameron could now spell the 100 most common words and his cursive writing had really progressed. But there was still plenty of room for improvement.
As long as they carried on as they were, Natalie knew that further meaningful progress with both reading and writing was unlikely. In fact, if anything the gap would widen even more, given that pretty soon he would begin the transition into secondary school, which would be challenging enough without these setbacks. Cameron’s problems with motivation, attention and confidence were leaving him feeling angry and frustrated with the world. For Natalie it felt like everything was pointing to the fact that there was a clear need to act now if she wanted to ensure that reading and writing weren’t going to hold her son back during his adult life.
So, Natalie looked on the internet for some ideas on how to confront his motivation and attention difficulties head on. During this search she came cross Easyread. She could see that the structure of the Spellmagic program was aimed at abetting such difficulties. Plus it would mean replacing their painful daily real book reading practice with a session on the computer – a trade that she knew Cameron would be happy with!
Natalie tried the sample lesson. There was a no-nonsense, encouraging and rapid fire feel to it, which she felt he would like. Cameron still only managed to focus for half of it, however he requested to come back to it later on, at which point he proudly worked through until the end. And then, they were off…
The Solution
From the word go, Cameron’s favourite thing about Easyread were the games he got to play each day! They engaged him in a way that a normal reading book had never been able to before. He also enjoyed receiving the certificates and prizes through the post, which motivated him enormously.
Becoming easily frustrated was inevitably still a problem for Cameron given his ADHD and temperament, and so to say that Natalie and her son never argued about Easyread would be a lie! Nevertheless, she was happy to see overall growth in his tolerance and confidence as the weeks went by. Natalie was also grateful that the support team could provide a good deal of flexibility in terms of the content of his lessons. By the final months, they had a quick, simple and effective battery of activities which suited him nicely.
Despite some characteristic opposition along the way, Natalie was determined that Cameron would see the program through until the end. And thanks in large part to her dedication, perseverance and the excellent support she provided during every lesson, they did just that!
The Result
After eight months on Easyread, the most significant change that Natalie can see in Cameron has to do with the mammoth issue of his attitude. He still finds reading hard for sure, and is not quite ready to do so for pleasure. Nevertheless he is definitely a happier learner. Whereas previously Cameron felt that his struggles with written words defined him, now he is willing to give almost anything a go when it comes to producing work and attempting spellings.
He has improved on his reading age by 13 months. His reading accuracy meanwhile has massively improved by 28 months over a 12 month period. And his reading comprehension is now exceptionally good. His spelling age hasn’t changed a great deal, yet the school have remarked on a clear improvement in this area. What’s more, Natalie is confident that it will progress more with time. Although his spelling is still very inaccurate, a clear contrast from this time last year is the fact that it is much more “phonetically permissible” now, which is a huge step in the right direction.
Aside from all the improvements in his confidence, reading and writing, Natalie also feels that she now possesses a renewed understanding of how best to help her son deal with challenges he faces. The excellent support provided by his teachers at Windhill School in Hertfordshire has had a fundamental part to play in recent years too, and she knows that they still have a long way to go. But thanks to Easyread they have now scaled the first in a series of mountains that a year ago seemed unscaleable.
—
Laura O’Sullivan has had the pleasure of working with Cameron and Natalie over the past year and is thrilled with their success. She works as a Reading Specialist for Morgan Learning Solutions, publishers of the Easyread System. Easyread is an online course for struggling readers and spellers that uses a highly visual approach to phonics suitable for children with dyslexia, auditory processing disorder, short-term memory weakness and more.
I cannot believe the difference…I cannot thank you enough…
I just wanted to let you know that we have had a breakthrough with Aiden and his reading.
I had a long chat with him about his attitude towards reading and it seems to have gone in! At his secondary school they do something called D.E.A.R – Drop Everything And Read – and it is literally that. They stop what they are doing and read for 20 minutes. He hasn’t moaned about it at all.
They also read books and then do a quiz on what they’ve read. Aiden read his first book from start to finish without having a break and then scored 100% on the quiz. I couldn’t have been more proud.
We’ve just read another book without stopping and I cannot believe the difference. I cannot thank you enough.
Many thanks again.
– S
We have seen improvements in both reading and spelling…
Milan is happy to have completed the course. He has found it very useful and we have seen improvements in both reading and spelling. He would however, like to push his spelling into the new level and so will be starting the level 5 option soon to help with that.
– D
Nothing but positive experiences with Easyread…
William has really loved doing the Easyread. He is motivated to do it everyday and enjoys it very much.
Will has taken longer to shift from reading from memory to decoding the words and although he still from time to time reads from memory, I’m seeing it less and less.
I have nothing but positive experiences with Easyread and I’m looking forward to moving to the next stage.
– N
She wants to do more!…
Rhiannon is really enjoying doing Easyread. I never have to motivate her to do it and if anything she wants to do more!
I think starting off easy and gradually increasing has really worked well for her, and has developed her confidence. The games and eye-tracking exercises have also been good.
The experience has been very positive and painless so far.
– N
A dream come true…
Just to let you know that Emma received her helicopter and is mastering her pilot skills! She is so very proud and says it’s a dream come true so a big thank you to you all.
Emma continues with the Spellmagic exercises; Easyread has become such a big part of our daily routine that we both feel a bit lost without it.
Please pass on our thanks to the whole team for all the support.
– G
"I can't guess any more can I mum"…
I am very happy with Charlotte’s progress to date, she is decoding all the words and coping well with the exercises. She said to me the other day – “I can’t guess any more can I mum.” I was happy to agree with her.
– J
I was sceptical at first but Easyread has been the only program that has made any lasting change…
Noah’s reading has really taken off! For the first time EVER he has asked for books for his upcoming birthday. Of course they are all about his favourite subjects – Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Angry Birds! But that is okay with us. He’s reading!!!
The school have been very impressed with the change in his reading fluency. Spelling has improved, and so has his vocab.
I was slightly sceptical at first, as we have tried a couple of other things to improve his reading, and nothing seemed to make a difference. Easyread has been the only program that has made any significant and lasting change.
Thank you so much for all your support.
– W
I would highly recommend this system to anyone who wants a recommendation…
I am very pleased that Aiden has finished the course. It can still be a struggle to get him reading as he still doesn’t believe that he can. Nevertheless I am amazed at the difference from this time last year.
I would highly recommend the system and if anyone wants a recommendation please feel free to pass on my email address and I’d gladly get in touch.
Thank you for such a great system.
– S
We have one little boy with a big smile on his face…
Dear Easy read team,
Thank you very much for the first prize, spy glasses, which we just received through the post. Fantastic prize, fantastic motivational letter – we have one little boy with a big smile on his face playing with the glasses and excited about the prospect of getting the helicopter at the end of the course!!
– S
Thank you for the amazing support you have given me through the process so far…
We just did David’s next lesson and he was thrilled to get a codeword this morning and very excited to get his next prize in the post, hopefully before the weekend.
Lesson 42 I think has been the best reading and re-reading so far. He insisted on reading the whole text set, which he did very well and with minimal sounding required and then re-read the whole set fluently.
The scrambled text went very well as well with some words read almost without sounding, with only the longer trickier words requiring sounding. Sounding and blending now happens naturally with almost no difficulty, an amazing improvement on the problems we were experiencing on this front a few weeks ago.
So, in essentially 42 days we have achieved the following:
1. He knows all the characters and can almost fluently read the text and scrambled text
2. He can sound and blend successfully
3. He is confident in attempting any games or text and he enjoys every lesson
4. AND I have seen glimpses of spontaneous reading out and about!!
5. Most importantly, we have identified the eye-tracking issue, I now understand the impact of this problem and am able to deal with it.
I would also like to thank you for the amazing support you have given me through the process so far. Somehow you know what to say or what information to give just when I need it and like this morning, I have often felt like you were reading my mind…
– L
He is now figuring out words that he reads in "real life"…
Charlie doesn’t seem to find the story any harder than the games in his lessons. He does, however, usually like the games more than the story… unless there is the word poo or bum involved, in which case the story is a talking point for the day! He is using his decoding on an everyday basis and is figuring out words that he reads in “real life”. He has really taken to it and, while he is not reading very fluently yet, he is doing well!
– S
Case Study: Autism, dyspraxia, visual issues
For dyspraxic Isaac, reading was a game of luck before he started using the Easyread System. Now, he is a thriving reading machine!
The Problem
Isaac’s difficulties with balance and coordination first became apparent when he was 4 years old. The staff at day care commented to his mum, Julie, that he was generally less able to engage in activities that the other children found very straightforward, such as playing a game with a ball in the playground or holding a pencil. Julie didn’t want to waste any time and so had an assessment done with a Clinical Psychologist and Paediatrician. This confirmed that Isaac was displaying clear symptoms of both an Autism Spectrum Disorder and Dyspraxia. They also saw a Behavioural Optometrist to aid his suspected eye-tracking problems, continued to attend sessions with an Occupational Therapist and as well as hiring a tutor to help with his schoolwork.
Despite all these interventions, Isaac’s biggest problem was the fact that he continued to find it very difficult to decode words when reading, and by the time he was 8 years old, it had become very problematic indeed.
For Julie it felt like they were locked in a vicious cycle. For years their reading routine had unfailingly involved the same formula: first, Isaac would look at the first letter of a word – particularly short words – and then guess what the rest of it might be. This produced mixed results and a downward spiral of confidence ensued with every incorrect guess. He would then painstakingly sound out each word (even if he had seen it only a few minutes before). Next, Julie would cajole, beg and cheer her son to keep trying, even though he would by now be fidgeting in his seat and rubbing his eyes. Finally mother and son would feel so exhausted by the whole experience that they would have to give up.
In the space of fifteen minutes, they were lucky if they managed to get through half a page of the most basic reading book. Sadness and a lot of tiredness were always guaranteed.
Julie was desperate to get them out of this rut and as such they tried a variety of tactics. First they attempted to develop Isaac’s memorisation of certain word lists in an effort to reduce his guessing, but it didn’t help. Next they trialled the Bannatyne Program; which involved a set of workbooks intended to improve reading comprehension. Again, progress was minimal. Also, the eye-tracking exercises they had been offered were simply too complex, and so they were forced to abandon ship on that too.
It was becoming increasingly clear to Julie by this point that her son just didn’t learn things in a conventional way. Every attempt they made to push him towards a standardised learning technique, especially in regards to phonics, was an utter failure. So, she took him along to a Davis Dyslexia Centre for an assessment, where she was told he had clear dyslexic tendencies. Julie believed in this result, and yet she wasn’t totally bought by the approach that the Davis program seemed to take. If they were going to give Isaac a bespoke learning intervention, it had to be just right. So she took this new information and used it to fuel further research.
The Solution
It was during a routine scout around the internet one day that Julie came across the Easyread System. She was very keen to understand the reasons behind the various systems she was researching, and so it was satisfying to find a site that went into the methodology and reasoning behind it very clearly. It all seemed refreshingly well thought out. And when she saw the unconditional guarantee, she figured it would be foolish not to try it.
Isaac meanwhile loved every minute of the trial lesson! It was so incredibly rare to see him feeling enthusiastic about something that involved reading that Julie signed up without delay.
As Isaac worked his way through his daily 15 minute lessons in the coming weeks, he was approaching the computer with a sense of joy and purpose. It didn’t feel like work in the slightest, he was just having fun!
What’s more, it so easily fitted into their daily routine – despite the commitments they had with the Occupational Therapist and Isaac’s tutor, there was always time for his Easyread lesson. For Julie, this was a massive advantage. What’s more, she knew that even though they were based in Auckland, she could touch base with the support team in the UK and USA over the phone or online whenever she needed to. This amount of support was, for her, utterly invaluable. It lead them to make discoveries and strides in progress that she never would have expected.
One such example of this was when she was in touch with the team about Isaac’s well-documented eye-tracking weakness. They immediately offered her a course of exercises to do with him at home – which were much more straightforward than the ones the Optometrist had given them (not to mention free!). In a matter of days they had seen an astonishing impact. He was no longer squirming in his seat or scrunching up his face in discontent when he read; instead he glided through a page of text totally unfazed. What a breakthrough!
Julie started noticing other exciting changes in her son too. For instance even though his dyspraxia was clearly still a challenge for him, it was now not standing in the way of his daily life as much. His confidence in reading books was at a totally different level as well and some of the symptoms of his ASD also seemed to be abating. Isaac really was coming out of his shell in every way possible!
The Result
Of course, this was all just the icing on the cake! As far as reading was concerned, Isaac was in a totally different zone. ‘Two steps forward and one step back’ has been replaced by great strides in the right direction.
Week by week Isaac has moved up through the ranks with his school reading level. Indeed, in less than 6 months, and before he has even finished the Easyread program, Isaac’s guessing habit has been eliminated by 90% and he can read fluently – whether it is with large or small text. He is still behind his peers, but nevertheless the level of personal progress has been phenomenal – having moved from a level 5 to a level 10 in the school’s metric. When we put this in the context of Isaac’s previous rate of progress it is even more remarkable; given that it had taken him almost 4 years to move up to level 5. He has literally doubled his reading ability in just 5 months.
As far as mum Julie is concerned there are no coincidences here – Easyread has changed her son’s life: “I feel quite emotional hearing Isaac read now, and for all the right reasons! After all his efforts it’s such a pleasure to see. I am so excited for our future of reading together.”
—
Laura O’Sullivan is a Reading Specialist for the Easyread System, an online course that uses innovative Guided Phonetic Reading technique to help struggling readers and poor spellers. Find out more at www.easyreadsystem.com
The increase in her confidence is amazing…
We are 6 weeks into the course and things are going well with Easyread. Most importantly, Bethan loves doing it each day and really believes she will learn to read. The increase in her confidence is amazing.
– J
A fascinating journey…
I feel that this course has been a great help to Jude and has definitely given him the confidence to approach any word of any size undaunted, even if he doesn’t always get it right. This has been a fascinating journey following his learning.
Jude started school very late as a 7 year old, and prior to this showed very little interest in reading. His lack of reading was soon apparent at school, but I wasn’t sure whether he was dyslexic or just behind his peer group. He only lasted a term and a half and since then we have been home-educating him. Having worked through this course, I can see that Jude doesn’t process words/letters easily (in comparison to his older sisters) and that a test would probably confirm him as dyslexic. However, having completed this course, I feel Jude has the basic building blocks and confidence (if not enthusiasm) to enable him to progress with his reading. Now, its a matter of regular practise.
This course has been great for us as home-educators, providing us with a structure and enjoyable tasks for Jude to complete ( the prizes have been a great motivator too, we liked your theme, and the fact they weren’t trashy).
Thank you, once again for your support.
– H
It has helped immensely…
We have finally finished! We have really enjoyed the program and feel that it has helped Molly immensely.
– A
We are thrilled to have found this program!
I am happy to report that I have seen a BIG boost in confidence in J while reading and improvement in her fluency as well.
On the first page of the story portion of the lesson that has both words and characters she reads over that 2-3 times.
I am very happy with this program. J thoroughly enjoys doing the lessons and is beaming with pride when she is done! Now that school has started, reading the assigned story or book isn’t as stressful as it was last school year and she has been amazed, excited, and proud when she finishes the assigned reading that she was able to do so with very little -if any- help!
We are thrilled to have found this program!
~R
Enjoying the Easyread program
Logan and I have enjoyed the Easyread program so far. He never argues with me about doing his work and that is a HUGE plus for us both! Thank you and I look forward to seeing my sons growth in the next 6 weeks!
~ M
He feels good…
Dylan is doing very well with the new level, and he feels good about it. We have really noticed an improvement in his reading in recent weeks, and have been trying to read more books with him, when he is happy to.
– D
A good sign…
Noah’s fluency in reading has definitely improved. He also really enjoys it now and has said recently on a few occasions that he enjoys his silent reading time in class very much, so that’s a good sign!!
I like that the new game in the lessons -Scribe-it is getting him to write letters carefully with their correct heights/below the line/above the line etc as he definitely needs this practice with his writing. He has also commented that he feels he is writing faster and neater at school, so once again that’s great.
Spelling and writing continue to be a challenge for him at this stage. I know you have said that I should not be expecting to see many results in his spelling as yet so unless you have any further suggestions, we are happy to just keep going.
– L
Very impressed with his progress…
Noah was reading the email that you sent me and got very excited by the suggestion of a fart machine! The fact that he read this message in the first place highlights the great progress he is making. Indeed he only struggled with one word, and managed to sound it out by himself. I am very impressed with his progress.
We manage 4 – 5 lessons a week and because they are short, and he is usually completing the lesson in around 5 – 8 minutes, it is not a chore at all. I thought he may be bothered by the Snow White story, but he is very interested in the mean queen, and keen to know the rest of the story. Perhaps this is because we haven’t read many Disney story’s too him, so they are all new and exciting!
As mentioned above, I’m very happy with his progress. His spelling is coming along too. Slowly, but surely.
His mid-term school report has said that Noah now meets the standard for Reading, Writing and Spelling for the year already. This is great news! His first school report for the year said that he was not expected to meet the standard in any areas by December. So to met national standards by July is brilliant.
We also visited a Behavioural Optometrist who feels he processes information very well and is amazed at the progress Noah is making.
I look forward to the fart machine arriving in the post. 🙂
– W
Sooooo happy!
He was soooooo happy yesterday, we are reading more and more everyday and am thrilled with his current progress. Even his B and D identification is improving with a little help from some tricks we have learned!
– D (J, aged 9)