Games - computer or otherwise - for a dyslexic 7 year old

[Red7227]

I am staying with a friend at the moment who is caring for her 7 year old daughter, 4 year old son, working full time and managing a farm by her self. The daughter has been the target of violent abuse for some years and is now a mean, cruel, abusive little girl. More recently she has been expressing a wish to commit scicide "because she is such a terrible person" and can't read or write better than a 4 year old.

At the moment all we can do is shower her with love and try to modify her behaviour, but it is an uphill battle with her being so mean, cruel and abusive to everyone. She got her own dog about a week ago and so far he is the only thing she can love and be loved by without her hurting him. She is seeing a professional psychologist and we are being helped by the local mental health crysis team since she has threatened self harm.

Basically she can't read, and needs to have something more constructive than television for when she has free time. We are trying to get a diagnosis for exactly what her condition is so we can correct it, but in the mean time I thought I would ask you guys if you have any ideas.

 

[Ann_Sulu]

Re: Games - computer or otherwise - for a dyslexic 7 year ol

I grew up being both visually and auditorily dyslexic. My heart goes out to your friend and the child.

I remember being the same way at that age and often I would crave just being alone (still do to a large extent). My parents tried to get rid of my temper by sending me to things like dance, yoga, and eventually kickboxing classes, but since most of the kids there were kids from my school it only added to the bullying problem. My folks owned a ton of acreage, so I would often go outside and spend hours a day mountain biking and hiking. It sucks when things involving basic communication constantly give you migraines to try to figure them out, especially when your peers bully you for it.

I think the video game idea is good. My parents wouldn't let me have them growing up, because my mom decided they inhibited learning. :roll: I think as long as it doesn't involve too much in the realm of letters, so she can feel an escape from that pressure, it should be fine. Since she doesn't have auditory dyslexia the way I did, perhaps getting her involved in music could help, and perhaps tell her she can try learning things by ear rather than attempting to read notes.

Unfortunately, dyslexia tends to be an umbrella term and there isn't really one medication or fix. I found out only this year that mine was due to a serotonin deficiency, and now after incorporating more things rich in serotonin as well as walking for an hour in the sun every day I have no problems. This of course may not work for her at all, but exercise and making sure she's eating healthy is always important too.

Good luck!

 

[MsAllyCat]

Re: Games - computer or otherwise - for a dyslexic 7 year ol

Not a game recc but might be useful.

Richard Branson (Perhaps the most famous dyslexic) backed the development funding of a typeface/font especially designed for dyslexics. www.dyslexie.com

Unfortunately individuals and business still need to pay to use it, but as with all things there is a free open source one very similar. www.opendyslexic.org

I hope those links work as I'm on my phone and trying to remember off top of my head.

If she is in school you could approach the teacher and see if they are open to using this for printed materials they prepare? Or even using it to transcribe /recreate what they send home. Spelling lists etc. ?

Hope this is even the smallest bit helpful.

 

[zippypinhead]

Re: Games - computer or otherwise - for a dyslexic 7 year ol

As far as games go, I'd recommend Minecraft.

 

[mynameisbob84]

Re: Games - computer or otherwise - for a dyslexic 7 year ol

Little Big Planet 2 could be a good one.

 

[LadyLuna]

Re: Games - computer or otherwise - for a dyslexic 7 year ol

Have you considered books on tape?

Or podcasts?

 

[Rose]

Re: Games - computer or otherwise - for a dyslexic 7 year ol

Gardening might be a good option. If she's caring for a pet and that's helping, having a small plant that she can nurture from nothing to something might also be worthwhile. It doesn't help with reading or writing, but it can be a calming activity that helps with responsibility. If she's having anger problems then I could see how having something that needs her care could help burn off some of that negative energy. If there's enough space, she could try planting a couple wildflowers or some grass to give her dog a plant filled spot to roll around or pee in.

If her brother is learning to read and write and there's not too much negative sibling rivalry, letting them work together might be a good idea. Teaching them both to be good workers and learners together, would be more fruitful than saying something like "Wow! You're so smart!". I could imagine if her brother said, "wow! You worked really hard on that. Good job!" that would probably make her feel prouder than if an adult said that.

This is just conjecture though. I hope she gets the help she needs and learns to live in a happier space, even if she doesn't learn to read and write well. Learning to deal with one's anger can be a more useful skill and get you farther in life than operating a pen and paper. Reading and writing can be taught easier later in life than love can unfortunately.

 

[SatanJonez]

Re: Games - computer or otherwise - for a dyslexic 7 year ol

My own daughter was/is pretty dyslexic. We got her a couple of the Scribblenauts games and it actually helped out quite a bit. Of course, she needed a little help at first with words and would get a little frustrated sometimes, but generally if there is someone to sit & sort of lend a hand they work wonderfully. I would even say they improved a lot of her reading/writing issues more than some of the therapy we actually paid for. Also, seconding LittleBigPlanet/the sequel, but online play can be tricky so again, supervision.