There are only 44 sounds while there are about 1 million words in English. These facts readily explain why having to memorize 44 sounds as opposed to memorizing hundreds of thousands of words is the most efficient way to learn to read.

Reading and writing is simply "talking on paper." Children learn to talk by imitating sounds and then combining the sounds to form words. The brain is programmed to learn language in this fashion. Therefore, the most efficient way to learn to read is through phonics because it teaches children to read the same way they learned to talk. [Click Here For Latest Brain Research Related To Learning To Read]

Children and adults who do not learn to read through an intensive phonics program often have one or more of the following symptoms :

• Below grade level reading achievement
• Slow reading
• Poor comprehension
• Fatigue after reading only for a short while
• Poor spelling skills
• Lack of enjoyment from reading

Some children have auditory discrimination problems. This may have been the result of having chronic ear infections when they were young. Others may be born with this learning disability. Correction involves educational exercises to train the brain in discrimination and to over teach the formation of the sounds used in speaking and reading.

Another group of children have visual perception problems. They may actually reverse letters or words. They have difficulty matching the word image on the page with a previously stored image in their brain. Exercises that train the brain to "see" more accurately may help but instruction with phonics is the best approach to overcome this problem.

Language development problems can contribute to poor reading and listening comprehension along with difficulty in verbal and written expression. Learning appropriate word attack skills through phonics along with special help in receptive and/or expressive language skills improves this type of learning disability.

How To Quickly Bring Reading Level Up To Or Above Grade Level

The Phonics Game provides the intensified phonics approach to reading that is best for all children and adults. The game format makes learning fun while stimulating full brain activation during the learning activities. The logical sequence of neurolinguistic instructional components leads to rapid learning. Most children are reading confidently after only 18 hours of instruction.

The pregame phase of the program uses the same procedures used by speech therapists to teach the formation and discrimination of the 44 phonics sounds. Once the sounds are mastered, the card games teach all one needs to be able to be reading easily, efficiently and with enjoyment.

The visual matching process used in playing the card games, trains the brain to "see" the individual sounds correctly. This provides an excellent technique for compensating for visual reversals.

An additional tape for teaching spelling skills along with the additional Comprehension Game benefit all children but are especially helpful for children with language problems.

The game format is excellent for children and teens with attention deficit disorder (ADD). These individuals may have difficulty learning to read due to problems with attention and concentration or may have ADD along with dyslexia or other learning disabilities. The game format moves quickly to keep their attention. They are also motivated by positive reward which is provided by The Phonics Game by the competition and the desire to win.

"I have been recommending the Phonics Game to children, teens and adults who have been diagnosed with dyslexia for over 10 years. All of those who I retested after using this program were reading at or above grade level." - Robert Myers, Ph.D. (Clinical Psychologist)

More information and how to buy The Phonics Game

Helping Children With Reversals

It is not unusual for children to reverse letters and words when they read or write up to the age of 6 or 7. This is due to immaturity in brain development. Children who have problems with reversals usually also have problems with left-right directionality. Below are some exercises that have been found to help improve directionality and reduce reversals.

1. Spatial confusion - unable to differentiate left-right, on self, other, or paper.
2. Confuses letter pairs as b-d, m-w, p-q. Confuses words such as was-saw, on-no.