Screening

Prior to beginning The Barton Reading and Spelling System, ALL STUDENTS will be administered a short screening in order to determine whether or not they are ready to begin the program. Students will be assessed in the areas of auditory discrimination, auditory memory, and auditory sequencing. If a student does NOT pass the screening, they will work through a program called Foundations In Sounds which will help them solidify the aforementioned skills necessary to become successful in The Barton Reading and Spelling System.

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Assessments

At the very start of tutoring at Buffalo Dyslexia Center, each student will be administered a series of assessments in the areas of: phonological awareness with a heavy emphasis on phonemic awareness, phonological memory, rapid naming, decoding, encoding, and fluency. Once the assessments have been completed, the tutor will compile a report summarizing the student's areas of strengths and weaknesses and share that information with parents.

 

***Please note that this report is NOT a dyslexia diagnosis. A proper dyslexia diagnosis must be obtained by a neuropsychologist or other trained professional. It is also NOT a substitute for a psychological evaluation done by a school psychologist.

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Reading Program

Students will follow the scope and sequence of The Barton Reading and Spelling System, which is a research-based, explicit, multi-sensory, Orton-Gillingham-based program that has been proven time and time again to be highly effective in teaching dyslexic students how to read and spell. Unlike a typical remedial reading group in school, your child will receive one-on-one tutoring that is tailored to his/her needs. The tutor will accommodate lessons to your child's learning pace and new concepts will not be taught until mastery is achieved. Each lesson will incorporate games and fun activities that will reinforce what is being taught. 

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***Please note that it is imperative that tutoring MUST take place for a minimum of twice a week for one hour to allow your child sufficient time to learn and practice new skills that are being taught. Any time less than this will not allow sufficient time for material to "stick." 

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Progress Monitoring

Throughout a student's journey in The Barton Reading and Spelling System, the progress of each student will continuously be monitored using formal as well as informal assessments. At the end of each of the ten levels in The Barton Reading and Spelling System, students are administered an assessment to make sure that they have mastered material and that they are ready to move to the next level. Throughout the year, norm-referenced assessments will also be re-administered in order to document as well as celebrate growth in reading and spelling.

 

Online Tutoring

Buffalo Dyslexia now offers online tutoring for students. The Barton Reading and Spelling System has partnered with Whizzimo so that all online lessons can be taught with the same scope and sequence using the same materials as in-person sessions. This partnership makes transitioning from in-person to online learning (and vice versa) seamless for students.

 

 In order for students to be taught online, they must have a desktop or laptop computer that contains a webcam, a good Internet connection, headphones with a microphone, a dry erase board, a dry erase marker and an eraser. It is also imperative that students have a quiet place in their home to tutor where distractions are at a minimal. If you would like more information about online learning at Buffalo Dyslexia Center, please call 716-809-0383.