Parent Reviews of Easyread
Our most recent reviews:
Where would we be without you?…
I need to tell you about the end of year 7 results Andrew achieved. He has now reached a level 6c in maths & science, having started yr7 as a level 4. The reason? He can know read and understand the questions. Thank you Easyread!! Where would he be without you??
– L
I have been extremely impressed…
I have been extremely impressed with the Easyread system, which has completely transformed my son’s, Noah’s life.
Noah completed the Easyread system at the age of 11 in his last year of primary school. He had attended a private school with a reputation for specialising in children with dyslexia and at this age was accessed with a reading age of 6. The school were unsupportive of your system and incapable of teaching Noah literacy despite their reputation and I consider the amount of money we spent on his education to be a complete waste of time.
I desperately wanted him to enter secondary school with the ability to read and write to an accepted level. When he entered a state secondary school he was put into a special needs class, which totally knocked his confidence and caused embarrassment and bullying by his peers.
We completed the Easyread course together and I am pleased to say that with a bit of pushing and his own hard work in his second year of school he was moved to the main stream classroom.
He is now 14 years old and in his first year of his GCSE courses. I am very pleased and proud to let you know that he is now in the top band for all his chosen subjects and is on target to achieve 9 GCSE’S.
Noah and I attribute his success totally to your Easyread system and wouldboth be happy to talk to other parents and children about our journey.
Kind regards
Andrea
The tears are coming less often…
I am very happy with the support you have given and with the slow progress Mikayla has been making in her fluency and confidence. It has only been a few weeks but already she is decoding a lot more, even in her normal reading.
The tears are coming less often and her resistance to read books that are new to her is decreasing. Hopefully things will just continue to progress, even if it is at a slow but steady rate.
– J
Thank you for helping my child to embrace his reading potential…
New beginnings and a new burst of energy as we enter Level 3 of the Easyread system and I now see us as being on the home stretch with the reading.
Thanks for being here for me over the past 18 months. Matthew and I appreciate it very much. I have noticed a change in Matthew’s general attitude to learning. He appears to be more motivated and self directed. I don’t nag him any more to do his homework. he comes to me for help when he needs it.
This week we moved house, which has been positive all round. Come tomorrow morning, he will have his dream of being able to walk to school! Yay!
Thank you David, Laura and rest of team for your love and support in helping my child embrace his reading potential.
LOve
Tania
He has come on leaps and bounds…
Jackson’s reading ability has come on leaps and bounds in normal books. He is reading his school books without much difficultly and is getting 5/5 in the reading comprehension tests that he does at school. And to top it all off, his dad found him in bed tonight reading when he should have been asleep – he said he couldn’t sleep so thought he would read for a bit. Difficult to tell him off!!
– N
Such a useful tool!
Hi David,
Thanks so much for the link to this site, www.helpingeverychildtoread.com. The eye tracking exercises have made such a difference for Charlotte. Charlotte has benefitted greatly from Easyread. Since beginning the easyread system less than 8 weeks ago, Charlotte’s belief in her abilities has snowballed and this was reflected on Monday, as a piece of her work made it on to the achievements board – a first for Charlotte! I too have a greater understanding of how to help her by using the resources available, many thanks David and Sarah – for providing such a useful tool!
– J
He is desperate each day to do his lesson…
Dear David and the Team,
Connor would like me to thank you for his amazing spy glasses and the important information you gave him about his Easyread Mission.
The effect it has had on Connor has been remarkable. His recent diagnosis of dyslexia and dyspraxia helped him realise that he wasn’t, in his own words; “the biggest loser or stupid”. He now knows why he was having difficulty reading, but as parents we were still at a loss as to how we could help him.
Easyread has been fantastic – its early days, but Connor has remembered all of the characters and is desperate each day to do his lesson.
Thank you so much from all of us!
– Mark and Connor
Improving all the time…
Rafferty was completely thrilled with the fart machine you sent him! It had him and his sister in complete hysterics for about 2 days! He continues to improve all the time, and is doing really well.
– H
Lucy loves the fart machine!…
Thank you for Lucy’s latest prize- the fart machine-she loves it. Just thought I would let you know that she is progressing well and has more confidence in her reading. Thank you!
– R
Easyread is well worth the money!
All I can say is a huge Thank You! Landon’s reading has improved tremendously since doing Easyread! So grateful for finding it on the internet. I would recommend this to anyone with a child who is struggling with reading. It is well worth the money!
Thank you again!
The B Family
THANK YOU!!!
Hi just wanted to let you know that we did the exercises you sent us. If I’m truthful we didn’t manage to do ten tens more like 15 days of 6. However, the point is that we have just come from the opticians and Robert has been given the all clear with his tracking. When we went last autumn he said to day that his tracking was so off the scale that he didn’t put a score against. The optician was very impressed with how Robert had progressed so much. While I’m writing to you I would just like to say how we continue to be very impressed with easy read. Robert has gone from being able only to read the odd basic word to very nearly catching up with his age group. THANK YOU!!!!!
Case Study: Genetic syndrome, poor memory, poor executive function, bilingual
Medical marvel Michael had always been a survivor; but it wasn’t until Easyread that he was able to experience the joy of a life with books in it can provide…
The Problem
It’s fair to say that 10 year old Michael has faced some obstacles to learning in his life.
Having been born with a rare genetic syndrome; he has significant medical problems as well as some learning difficulties, which include short term memory issues, poor executive function and dyslexia. What’s more; before age 8 Michael had lived both in the UK and then in Argentina, where his father is from.
Whilst at school in Argentina, Michael was the only English speaker and therefore he became fairly fluent in Spanish. He was very happy at the small rural school he attended but soon his reading and writing problems became more and more apparent. Kate did not want to push her son too hard with reading English, given that he was already working so hard on his second language. As such, reading of English books was not something they factored in too heavily, although they did read to him each day. Upon returning to the UK in 2011, parents Kate and Robbie discovered some further heart treatment was necessary, which involved further major and lengthy open heart operation.
Despite all this, everyone who worked with Michael agreed that he was a bright boy, with a wide range of interests and a clear determination to succeed in life. However, it was inevitable that such environment and remedial shifts would impact on Michael’s learning.
With all this behind him; Michael began at a new school in Scotland at age 8, where he was deemed to be significantly behind with his reading. The school were reluctant to “label” him as dyslexic because he had so many other issues, so no formal diagnosis was sought. Nonetheless, Kate knew that this was the pool they were swimming in. It was a difficult time for Michael; being thrust into an entirely new class, culture and set of expectations. He became acutely aware of his inabilities compared with his peers. He missed his life in Argentina too, where he had been happy and confident. Kate found it equally hard too. Her son was floundering and she didn’t know how to help him. The school meanwhile were supportive but also quite perplexed by how to help. An 8 year old who couldn’t do the most basic letter blending was not something they had come across before. So they gave him one to one and small group support and hoped they could build things from the ground up.
Kate was on a real budget at the time, given that the move back to the UK had been unexpected and sudden. Following some research online she came across Reading Eggs. It was relatively inexpensive, and so they decided to give it a go. Michael enjoyed doing it for a few weeks but it soon petered out. It also lacked any sense of a clear structure, and so Kate lost hope.
A lot of the coming year was a waiting game for the family, what with Michael’s continuing heart surgery. By the summer of 2012 the treatment was finished and he was almost back to full health.
Not taking into account numerous medical absences, Michael had been at school in Scotland for a full academic year and was still struggling to read books aimed at 4 year olds. What’s more, aside from obvious concerns about his school work, Kate was increasingly sad at the realisation that her son would probably never enjoy reading, despite the fact that he had a bookshelf full of books, which he loved to thumb through, but never wanted to read. This was important to Kate, for whom reading had been a big part of her life, especially in childhood. She vividly remembered the thrill of being transported to another world and leaving the everyday frustrations of being “just a child” behind. The fact that her son would never experience this was a gloomy thought indeed.
Kate decided to try ‘Bal- a –Vis’; an exercise regime based on integrating the right and left sides of the brain, which is meant to be helpful for dyslexia. Kate didn’t see any immediate results, but Michael did enjoy doing it and so they stuck with it for several months. Come the autumn however, the long drive to Edinburgh to see the teacher each time became too much. Michael became tired easily on account of his heart, and so they had to abandon the sessions.
Michael was becoming increasingly reluctant to even try to encounter words at school and at home. Kate meanwhile, was at the end of her tether; the more impatient mum became, the more reluctant Michael was, and so every incidence of reading ended with both parties feeling dreadful. They had to break the vicious cycle somehow.
Kate had come across Easyread during her research before. The price had seemed high when she originally came across it; but she now saw that the cost of doing nothing was much greater. And so they signed up.
The Solution
The first wave of emotion for Kate was that of sheer relief. The explanations from the website and the team on the phone finally allowed her to understand some of the reasons why Michael was struggling so much with something that came as naturally to Kate as breathing! The team clearly cared; and Kate appreciated the regular contact over the phone.
Something which both mum and son liked equally was the fact that the lessons were so short. One of his early comments was “it’s so much better with Easyread because he (David) is always cheering me on”!
Apart from a trip to Argentina visiting dad, Kate and Michael were fiercely loyal towards their daily lesson routine, even after 4 months they were logging in each morning feeling raring to go!
The Result
Just after they began Easyread, Kate had a meeting with the literacy support teacher, who advised her that Michael was highly unlikely to learn to read by the time he finished primary school. They also conducted the long-awaited neuropsychology assessment, which confirmed that he was officially dyslexic. For these reasons, alongside other clear medical impediments, Kate knew it was unlikely Michael would ever read at the same level as his peers.
But on his own terms he has made a massive leap in progress…
His confidence has experienced a huge spurt too, and his teachers have been positively amazed at the transformation. What’s more, Michael had always been intensely reluctant to read story books, preferring factual stuff. But just last week, Kate found him laughing aloud as he worked his way through a Horrid Henry book. He also now works his way through a level 10 book fluently and quickly. Prior to Easyread, he was on level 1, meaning a ten-fold improvement.
So does Kate have any regrets?
If I had one, it would be that I didn’t sign up for Easyread when I first came across it because it is well worth the money – reading & confidence = priceless!”
—
Laura O’Sullivan has enjoyed watching kids like Chris leap into success for a few years now in her role as Easyread Coach. Easyread is an online phonics course for kids who need support for spelling and reading problems due to dyslexia, auditory processing weakness, highly visual learning styles and more. www.morganlearning.com
We are very happy…
We are very happy to have got to the end of Easyread. It has been quite a challenge but the rewards concept have been fantastic. Auley really liked the stories particularly Mr Crappe and the Ungar story. We also loved the jokes. We rarely got to the game selector but when we did we would check for a joke. We also love this final section with riddles, jokes and facts.
Thanks Easyread your support and encouragement it has been amazing.
A breakthrough…
We seem to have had a breakthrough with Joseph; he is now decoding each and every word in the story whereas it used to be a real struggle to get him to do this. It’s taken him a while but we got there in the end. He’s not making as many mistakes now either!
– V
He now likes to read for fun!…
Alex is doing really well. His books at school have gone from a level 9 to a level 15 since he has started the Easyread program and his confidence has grown heaps which is the best part. He now likes to read for fun!
– R
More great news…
I thought I’d drop you a line regarding some more great news from Cameron and his school.
Cameron completed the Easyread course in April this year and has grown greatly in reading ability and confidence, however the best news was when I went to see his SENCO at school. She stated that after assessing Cameron’s reading level he is now 8 years – not bad for a child of 8.5 years old, who had a reading age of under 6 years before we stated Easyread.
One other point is that the teacher said Cameron has various strategies for decoding words now and uses them all when he finds new or difficult words and this is something else Easyread gave him.
Thanks again so much for all your guidance and assistance last year. As for his helicopter his Dad has improved greatly as a pilot and Cameron is loving this prise when he can get a look in.
Very best wishes to you all. xx
We have tried different overlays to see if this helps with her reading. She favoured the yellow tint but it didn’t really help her that much so it is interesting to hear that she may have eye tracking problems. This may be one of the reasons why she has difficulty reading words correctly that have suffixes. She usually misses off or misreads the suffix as well as misreading quite simple words.
Thank you for sending a pack of exercises that we can use to help with this problem. As it’s half term I haven’t seen them yet but I look forward to using them when we return.
I must say that I am most impressed with the Easyread programme so far. The two children really enjoy the activities and it’s good to see their enthusiasm and increased self esteem when reading.
Kind regards
– M
To dear David and Easyread…
To dear David and Easyread
Easyread has been awesome and i really enjoyed doing it.
I think I can read a lot better now, before I stated Easyread i couldn’t read very well, but i can read a lot better now, but sometimes i found it hard.
My writing has gotten better too, i liked reading the story about Ungar, and my favourite game is Fighter Mission.
We are thrilled that we discovered this for him…
Luca is really enjoying the program and we are thrilled that we have discovered this for him.
With the Stage 2 exercises that we are currently doing; initially Luca really resisted decoding with just the visuals characters. However I am pleased to say he is no longer showing any resistance and is actually getting quite fast now at reading without the letters. He is quite pleased with himself!
– J
I can't begin to tell you what a difference…
I can’t begin to tell you what a difference Easyread has made in our lives. P was once struggling significantly in both reading and spelling. After just a handful of weekly Easyread lessons, I noticed a difference. School is now out for summer break and report cards have been delivered. P can proudly say he received a 94 in reading and comprehension and a 96 average in spelling! Thank you Easyread!
I have been working hard…
I have been working hard. I have just finished the end of grade test I was not very successful last year. I did not feel good about it last year. But this year, I rocked it! I have been working hard in easy read and “its working.” I no longer get mad or frustrated because I couldn’t do it, I am doing it. Hopefully, we can get online again and meet each other.
Thank you for your help and encouragement,
M
She has really turned a corner…
Mikayla is progressing really nicely at the moment. I am scared to say it, but I think she has really turned a corner. Fingers crossed!!!!
– J
Case Study: Anxiety, family history of dyslexia, atrocious spelling
Wills had been running away from reading his whole life. Nowadays, thanks to Easyread, he’s the leader of the pack!
The Problem
When it came to reading, Wills had always managed to ‘get by’ rather than really enjoying it. As far as phonics was concerned – he just never got it. From age 6 he would only read when he absolutely had to. As soon as a reading or writing activity was proposed Wills could instantly become anxious and surly, and would begin guessing regularly.
All in all, reading and writing were a drag.
Despite this, his reading age was about the same as his natural age and so the school were not concerned. What Mum Jacky found odd however was the fact that in every other area of his learning Wills was way ahead of the curve, positively excelling in all non-language related subjects. Why should reading be any different?
Then from Year 3 of primary school Jacky noticed that Wills’ spelling had begun to fall badly behind. Given that there was a history of dyslexia in the family, she wondered if this was what they were dealing with here. However his teachers felt this was not the case. They said she was best not to worry too much about the accuracy of Wills’ writing, lest it “stunt his imagination”. Ultimately he would catch-up. Jacky was far from keen to have her son tested and “labelled” as dyslexic, having seen first-hand the negative repercussions this could have on a person’s confidence. So she accepted this hopeful view, and let things carry on as they were.
In no time at all, the Year 6 SATs had come round and boy were they tough. From then on, anything and everything that related to reading and writing began to spiral out of control. Every literacy assignment or piece of reading homework ended with tears of frustrated anger and Wills’ confidence plummeted with every defeat.
Reading and writing were no longer just a drag; literacy was standing in the way of everything.
Jacky’s first thought was to recruit a tutor, and as such they found an absolutely lovely lady to conduct a weekly session with Wills. Every week he complained bitterly, avoiding the task at hand desperately. One particularly bad week he actually ran away in an attempt to avoid the problem; but of course it didn’t go away.
In spite of many trials and tribulations, Wills did manage to scrape a level 4 in his year 6 Literacy SATs. However upon being retested at secondary school, it was revealed that whilst his reading age was age appropriate, his spelling was 5 years behind. This was despite being an A student in all other subjects. Finally Wills and Jacky acknowledged that he had significant problems with spelling. What’s more, by this point Wills was refusing to read in front of anyone.
Aware now that the problem wasn’t going to get better by itself, Jacky did some hunting around online and accidentally stumbled across Easyread.
For the first time, she could see that her son’s literacy problems weren’t unique and that in fact the the solution was obvious; in order to spell, Wills needed to relearn how to read phonetically!
What’s more, rather than finishing the trial lesson a crying mess (which was the norm) Wills was sat tall in his computer chair with a beaming smile on his face. Jacky signed up in a New York minute!
The Solution
Jacky and Wills instantly liked the fun format, regular prizes and the fact the sessions were short – 10 minute lessons 5 times a week was totally manageable. Wills knew that despite their hectic schedule, he would be guaranteed Jacky’s undivided attention for the Easyread slots, and so they both started looking forward to this time. To be facing the problem together really spurred him on.
A few weeks into the course, Wills suddenly revealed that words moved on the page every time he read, and that he was always the slowest in his class at reading. How could Jacky have never known this! She spoke with the support team, who provided helpful practical suggestions such as investing in some coloured overlays and improving his eye-tracking ability with a few simple physical exercises, all of which made a noticeable difference.
The Results
Sure enough, day by day Wills’ reading sped up. By lesson 100 his confidence was soaring and by lesson 180 his spelling had improved too. After a year on the program he was moved into the A stream at school.
Wills and Jacky stayed with the program for 15 months in total. The Easyread staff kept in touch the whole way through and their wealth of experience with children like Wills was hugely reassuring for Jacky.
It had never occurred to them that in order to improve Wills’ spelling they needed to change the way he was reading. But by the end of the course Jacky was left in no doubt that this was the process her son had undergone, and which had saved him.
And now?
For the first time in his life, Wills reads for pleasure. His confidence has dramatically improved too, and his teachers have noticed a step-change in the range of vocabulary he uses in his written work. Now he has the expertise and self-assurance to spell complex words; nothing can hold him back!
For Jacky and 13 year old Will, the journey has been a long one. So was it really all worth it? Well, this April saw Wills’ being presented with the “Star in English Award” in his class. For Jacky, there is no question.
—-
Laura O’Sullivan enjoys coaching students and parents like Wills and Jacky in her role as a System Coach for Easyread, an online course for children who need support for spelling and/or reading problems due to highly visual learning styles, dyslexia, auditory processing disorders and more.
Great progress today!…
I just had to write to tell you that Joseph had a fantastic lesson today. He didn’t struggle with the story and he then whizzed through the Mushroom Picker game without any mistakes. For the first time he was talking throughout the whole game about the words and reading them aloud. Great progress today!
– V
There are no battles any more!…
Andre is still happy to do Easyread. We have a good routine of him reading a few pages of the book series Boyz Rule with his Dad in the morning, and then we do Easyread together. Andre is not guessing with Easyread at all because he knows he will only loose a life on the game if he does!
We are very happy with Easyread and we feel that it is making a difference. We are all working together happily now, there are no battles any more and Andre is reaping the rewards. Ralf even came to me the other morning and said that Andre wanted to keep reading, and so asked me to take over since he had to go to work. Never before has Andre wanted to keep reading himself!
Also, I am buying the Boyz Rule series from a bookshop where, after buying so many books, you get a voucher for another purchase. I told Andre he could have the voucher for being so great all the time, and he could choose anything he wanted. I presumed it would be a science or craft book but he said he wanted another Boyz Rule book…a reader! I nearly fell over.
So, all is well here and thank you.
– T