Day 2: Yesterday we marched through /ah/ words ending in ‘t’ (bat, rat) and ‘p’ (cap, map), contrasting them without much difficulty. I was sure that we would have no further trouble with /ah/. But I was very wrong. First thing this morning, Daijon fell apart on /ah/ words ending in ‘g’ (bag, rag).
Below is a short video in which it is obvious he cannot rhyme or blend with /g/. It is a perfect example of phonological awareness deficit. THIS is what severe dyslexia looks like.
I checked on the ‘rat’ and ‘rap words – still mostly solid from yesterday. But ‘rag’ was a mystery to him. The only way forward is to drill until his missing skills are learned.
But watch how fast he retreats from a difficult task. As Daijon struggles, he starts to fall asleep. I thought it was a defensive strategy I have seen him use at our first meeting to sabotage difficult situations, but it also turned out he stayed up till midnight to watch a basketball game, and then skipped breakfast because he slept in.
Daijon having breakfast.
We took a 30-minute walk out to a breakfast diner to wake him up. Daijon ordered eggs, bacon and sausage, and we drilled some more using my phone while we waited for the order. Afterwards, we drilled again while we waited for the bill. And when we got home 30 minutes later, we drilled a bit more.
Screenshot of using the Word-Spinner on a smartphone.
The ‘g’ words are still not smooth. I was hoping to append a triumphant video snippet, but we aren’t there yet. We will attack /g/ again tomorrow. And keep at it until Daijon is smooth, confident, and automatic.
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