Dyslexia is defined as “a general term for disorders that involve difficulty in learning to read or interpret words, letters, and other symbols, but that do not affect general intelligence” (Oxford). It is estimated that 15% of the U.S. population has dyslexia. Dyslexia cannot be outgrown. It can, however, be compensated for, and Dyslexia Gold aims to do just that.
But it’s not just for students with dyslexia. Dyslexia Gold is a unique online program that helps students ages 4-16 who struggle with reading (regardless of why they struggle). It gives them a step up in spelling. And, of course, it helps students overcome the problems dyslexia creates for them (even if they’ll never “outgrow” the disorder).
Let’s discuss the six programs that make up Dyslexia Gold.
Engaging Eyes
One of the causes of poor readers is an inability to focus their eyes on the words on the page. Through the Engaging Eyes game on Dyslexia Gold, students work in both 3D (with the fun red-blue glasses) and 2D (using just their eyes) to learn how to focus both of their eyes together. This helps them later, when they’re reading rather than looking at images, to keep things from “floating” away from each other as they decipher the letters into words. There are a total of 8 different games in Engaging Eyes. Examples of the games include:
- Target practice is done with the 3D glasses. Students look through the glasses and aim the shooter (both by pointing it in the right direction and making sure it’s on the same “plane” as the target) and then shoot the target.
- Eye Tracking is a 2D game. It looks a lot like a word search. As the cursor moves across the page, students press the space bar when the focus letter is highlighted.
- Whack an Alien is another 2D game. Students focus on the center of the screen. When an alien pops up, they click it with the mouse. Then, moving only their eyes (not their entire head), they continue to click on more aliens as they appear.
By playing the games for just 10-15 minutes per day, your student will subconsciously learn to focus their eyes in a way that will ultimately make reading easier for them.
Fluency Builder
Students with dyslexia (or even just some early learners) struggle with reading fluency. This happens for many reasons, including that they get some similar-sounding sounds mixed up (F and V, for example) or that they can’t separate the sounds from one another in order to decipher them. Fluency Builder helps with all of those problems and more. In a series of 50 lessons, each covering a specific phonics sound or spelling, Fluency Builder is scientifically designed to work with the way a dyslexic brain reads (which is not the same as a non-dyslexic brain) and teach students everything they need to become fluent readers.
Just like Engaging Eyes, Fluency Builder takes about 10 minutes per day and is designed specifically to increase and improve speed, accuracy, and comprehension in struggling readers.
Spelling Tutor
A lot of kids struggle with spelling, not just those with dyslexia. The Spelling Tutor in Dyslexia Gold will help all of those kids! Start by reading a passage. Then the student is instructed to write down a sentence from the passage, doing the best they can. It’s not expected that everything will be perfect the first time through. In this self-grading program, children mark their own work. Any word they got wrong is practiced several times that day, and again over the course of the program (which includes 1000 of the most common words in English). By coming back to the words over the course of the days, weeks, months, the words are committed to both short- and long-term memory. Spelling Tutor is available in British or American spelling and British, American, Scottish, or Australian pronunciation.
Times Table Tutor
Do your students struggle with their times tables? You’re not alone! By playing this highly personalized game, children will memorize their times tables easily and stress-free. There are no timers or competition – only learning.
Dyslexia Screening Test
Do you suspect your child has dyslexia, but aren’t sure? This is the place to start. The quick screening test helps you determine whether your child has the key indicators for dyslexia and can provide a lot of valuable information for parents.
Reading Unlocked
Reading Unlocked from Dyslexia Gold is a very simple program that can teach even very young children to read. (My own son learned to read at 4 years old using Reading Unlocked.) This phonics-based program provides children a solid foundation for the beginning of their reading and spelling journey.
Now that we’ve gone over all the different options you have with Dyslexia Gold (each is available to purchase individually or in a variety of different buddy packs), you can click through the different reviews of the program to see how it worked in an actual homeschool setting for several families. And that information is just as important as what the program is and how it works!
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Thank you to Wendy Robertson of Ladybug Day Dreams for writing this article.
Wendy has been married to her high school sweetheart since 2001. They have five amazing boys, and her greatest joy as a mother is the ability to school them at home. In addition to taking care of the children, she loves crafting, cooking, and writing, which is taking the form of blogging at this time in her life. Her favorite things include having a clean house (though not the pursuit of making it so), a new project to work on, and making fresh-baked goodies for her family. Things she dislikes include putting away the laundry, processed foods (although her family eats their fair share of them), and single-use plastics (especially plastic bags).
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