headsprout - repeatng episodes when?

[bochead]

We are going thru the first headsprout product to try and get DS's reading fluency issues cracked. He can read, very slowly and painfully so I thought given everything that was going on we'd do the first product this term before trying to start the second product in January when his scars from school have healed a little more.

DS is being homeschooled this year, using an online school. This is freeing up the time to spend on those pernicious issues that MS seemed unable to address but that it was bloody obvious was holding back his learning iykwim.

Quick question as I can't find it in the user guides. What cut off grade do you use to decide whether to repeat an episode. DS has been scoring 95-100 until today when he only scored 76%.

Also his audio processing skills are so poor that if you clap 7 times, he can't count the claps accurately. (Proper waste of 2 years of self-funded music lessons imho as his guitar teacher never picked up this). No wonder his reading fluency is compromised and his receptive language skills are delayed. I want to see some sort of specialist to help me address this and don't mind going private. Who do I ask to see? is it an APD wise audiologist or an OT or both?

[chocnomore]

we are doing headsprout as well. I let DD repeat the episode if it is below 95% and if we had a day (or two) off headsprout.

I also asked headsprout this question and got the following reply:

This is a great question. Generally, we watch trends over individual percentages. MimioSprout reviews material from past episodes and requires learners to fully understand before moving on. So, even if mimichoc gets a bad score, she still had to pass certain mastery requirements before moving on. The low score just means that she took a few tries to figure it out. Therefore, while we want most episodes to be in the mid to upper 90's, it is not a big deal if there are some individual dips. However, if minichoc is consistently getting scores lower than that, you may want to consider setting her back to an earlier episode. The easiest way to see how well minichoc is doing is to sit with her as she completes her episodes, make sure she is speaking out loud when asked, and following up with the Sprout Cards and Sprout Stores. This will enable you to really see how she is doing.

HTH

[Tambaboy]

I do the same as chocnomore, we have had to repeat quite a few episodes because of score

[StarlightMcKenzie]

I always cut off at 95% but tbh, I also use my judgement and if I see a 98% that either had a long time attributed to it, or I just heard ds struggle a bit I will repeat (I will leave at least a day, or if I leave longer I will do some additional work on the areas he found tricky.

Although it is tempting to push a child through it, I'd rather consolidating the learning whilst I have got the episode as I have paid for it, so kind of don't mind repeating lots if I think it is merited.

Is it episode 45? As that is a tricky one due to the introduction of b's and d's and potentially a red flag for dyslexia (though not a reason to not continue the produce as it caters for dyslexia iirc).

[bochead]

DS had a raging temperature last night. I think a bug coming on was probably the cause of his odd one off low score.

It is interesting to hear what makes others repeat episodes as there isn't much info on the main site.

[StarlightMcKenzie]

I just want to get my money's worth as you can't easily go back once you have progressed a couple of episodes.

So I just stick on one, putting a few days between doing them to ensure they aren't bored and keep repeating until I think the child has mastered it.

Though, I have requested resetting a couple of times and it has been no trouble.

[bochead]

We'll repeat this last one for deffo.

DS can read though, just so darn slowly it's painful to watch iykwim. I have to watch the boredom factor as I don't want "flash card syndrome" to set in. At the moment he is enthusiastic about this reading malarkey, after school last year put him off completely.

I had to think about whether to start him on the second product this term, but felt he would benefit from consolidating his learning re the mechanics of reading first, and get more fluent before we tried that one.He's saying everything out loud really well, but can get careless with his mouse clicks. His reading needs to pick up speed as much as anything. He needs a major confidence boost generally and to feel he can do well at summat iykwim.

I hear you about getting your money's worth .

[oddgirl]

Hello...not sure anyone can help but I have been trying to buy the Reading Comprehension module for my DS who would really benefit from it...every time I attempt to purchase it the system wont accept my shipping/billing address and I get stuck on the same page!! I have emailed mimio twice but received no reply and am getting really frustrated...any ideas?? It looks so fab and I am desperate to get started!!
TIA

[bochead]

Keep emailing them!

I had this problem, it took 3 fliiping weeks to get signed up. Drove me bonkers.

[email protected]

try the above email.

[Badvoc]

Hi boc.
Have your looked at AIT or an auditory programme for his processing like earobics?

[oddgirl]

Thanks for that bochead will persevere...if it didnt look so bloody perfect for DS I would have given up the ghost long ago!

[bochead]

My old authority said it was all my parenting long after he was diagnosed so he's had no help whatsoever with the auditory stuff. We've just moved to a new LA and I'm trying to work out what sort of referral to ask for on our first new GP visit .

Heard of AIT, but what's earobics?

[Badvoc]

Earobics is a software programme you buy and do at home.
I ought it was very good, even though we decided to go down another path wrt interventions in the end.
Might be worth a try?

[Badvoc]

...we did a course of ait too and I really recommend it.
Ds used to have such hyper sensitive hearing...now he doesn't :)

[bochead]

www.earobics.com/overview/success.php is this the programme you are talking about?

If so what's the difference between this and headsprout?

[Badvoc]

I didn't rate headsprout...sorry!
Ds did all of it and really struggled.
We did both episodes, in fact did the first 40 episodes twice.
With our ds, we decided we needed to get to the root of his issues/difficulties before he could embark in any reading/writing intervention.
So....In all We did rrt, ait and then followed the TH programme. I would recommend all of these.
I looked at earobics and thought it looked really good but by this time we had embarked on TH so I didn't take it any further.
Had we not done TH I would have done earobics.
I know that DA use it.
Afaik earobics is a programme to specifically help dc who have auditory processing difficulties, unlike headsprout Which is simply a Phonics based reading intervention.
For your ds, it may well be worth looking at earobics, and then at a targeted reading and writing intervention like dancing bears by sound foundation (I really rate this programme! And I've tried em all!) :)

[Badvoc]

(I wish I had known about the sound foundation programmes when I was home schooling ds!)
Check out their website.

[bochead]

DS has an issue with his visual/auditory/vestibular system.

We've done work on the balance & the visual but the auditory help has been to date unobtainable. I think of it as a 3 legged stool where we've only started propping up 2 legs to date.

Do you have a link to the sound foundation website?

I'm determined to use this time homeschooling to get him reading without stress or fuss fluently as this is such a cornerstone of all academics (and life tbh!).

Thanks as you've given me plenty to think on.

[Badvoc]

Please PM me if you want an overview of what we have done with ds and the pros and cons.
Have you done rrt?
I ask because you mention vestibular issues and rrt sorts these in most cases...certainly did for my ds.
Soundfoundations.co.uk - I actually spoke with the author himself prior to ds using the programme. It's really good IMO. Better than anything else out there ATM.

[Badvoc]

(My ds is now reading at age appropriate level and beyond but is doing the sound foundations spelling and punctuation programme which is also excellent)

[moondog]

Badvoc, Headsprout is emphatically not 'simply a phonics based programme'
It incorporates all five essential elements of effective reading, namely Phonics, Phonological Awareness, Fluency, Vocabulary, Reading Comprehension and Fluency. It is an evidence based data driven programme

A shame you didn't get on with it.
I had a look at Earobics. Their claims to be evidence based are not backed up with what they have on their website although of course it is possible that they simply omitted to reference relevant research.

Would agree that Headsprout is being bloody useless at selling since taken over by Mimio however. Try this link.

[Badvoc]

IMO it is a phonics programme that didn't work for us.
In 18 months ds had gone from being functionally illiterate to reading well and being at exposed nc levels in all subjects.
Am pretty pleased :)
I didn't try earobics in the end as stated above...but I thought it looked a good resource.

[Badvoc]

"Expected" nc levels rather!

[moondog]

That's great news. You must be thrilled.
I'm always interested in why Headpsrout or other evidence based programmes don't work out for people if you would care to comment.

For those on this this thread who like Language for Thinking, we had real cause for celebration day when a child who last scored nothing on a reading comprehension test now scores at the age of a 7 1/2 year old. People who work with the child are over the moon (as am I) and are firmly convinced that LFT was the key.

[Badvoc]

Wow. That's great. How rewarding!
My feeling is that headsprout did not work for my ds because of all his other issues.
Ds was an undx iugr baby. Lots of issues...feeding, sleeping....I could go on. He had significant developmental delay as a neonate and infant.
He struggled with reading and writing from the start...in fact it is only now have ds2 that I realise just how behind he was.
By year 2 I was desperate. He was miserable, anxious and his self esteem was at rock bottom. In fact he was clinically depressed. He was 6.
I home schooled him for a year and then he went back to school - a small village primary - in year 3. I realised that although the time off had done him good, he was very far behind his peers. We paid for an EP report which put him at

[inappropriatelyemployed]

It didn't work for my son because it is as dull as ditchwater, boring and repetitive.