120 Eglinton Ave. East Suite #701
Toronto, Ontario M4P 1E2 Canada
T:416–322–3161 | F: 416–322–6773
Inquiries: chesniecooper@bellnet.ca
dEcode® For Kids is the only reading program that starts at the very beginning - with the auditory coding of single sounds. Developed by Dr. Chesnie Cooper, a Toronto learning disabilities specialist, its simple and comprehensive approach gets children on the path to reading at a young age.
At its heart, the modern phonetic alphabet is just that – phonetic. The essence of phonetics is auditory, based on sound. In its most fundamental form, a letter is a simple visual shape coded to a single auditory sound. Your child must make that system of coding a fluent skill before he or she can move past it to understand the meaning of the words coded in letters, and cope with the inconsistent rules of English spelling.
It sounds simple, and it is – it is also a highly rewarding learning experience for your child. Children love mimicry and repetition. All parents know that children will repeat the same game over and over, long after the parent is sick of playing. Our program operates on the same premise, this natural tendency of children finding pleasure in imitation and repetition, working toward the moment when they feel the empowerment of “I can do it myself!”
The dEcode® For Kids Reading, 2 CD set is accompanied by workbooks full of exercises that turn repetition into learning. Your child willingly repeats the exercise over and over until the visual/auditory attachment has been perfected.
Many children will need no further introduction to reading than the two levels of dEcode® For Kids Reading.
Clicking the mouse puts your child in charge of their own learning speed. He or she can listen quickly or slowly to the melodious voice of five-year-old Josh, while repeating the sounds out loud. Your child looks, clicks, listens, and speaks – training eye, ear, voice and memory, to attach one auditory sound to one visual shape, reinforcing that message with fine motor motions of eye and hand.
dEcode® For Kids Reading reinforces the auditory learning with visual games and exercises that teach your child to print. By the end of Level 2, your child is reading!
Most phonics programs present one sound and all its different symbol representations, which for a young child, or anyone with a visual or auditory problem, can feel like walking on quicksand. Too many rules presented all at once is overwhelming. The young child needs to learn consistency and this is where dEcode® For Kids Reading begins.
In dEcode® For Kids Reading, the focus is on the consistency between sound and its letter symbol. As children learn and test this, they soon realize they can rely on it. Automaticity is developed, empowering the child to transfer this learning to reading. There is no existing phonics program based on this premise. The way the individual sounds are emphasized and contrasted in this program ensures mastery. Letter reversals become a non-event. Furthermore, the dEcode® For Kids Reading program, with its careful attention to early auditory coding can overcome certain mild Learning Disabilities which may then never manifest.
dEcode® For Kids Reading is truly an individualized program offering varying paths depending on which sounds a child finds easier to master and retain. Not only is this process instantly gratifying for young readers, children progress faster and can participate independently and confidently. dEcode® For Kids Reading has proven to be more motivating and more reliable than traditional phonics programs in laying a solid foundation for beginning reading skills.
The program is designed to meet the needs of learners between the ages of three and six, and the younger they begin, the better. Many children will need no further introduction to reading than the two levels of dEcode® For Kids. With this solid foundation in decoding, they suddenly burst out into full-fledged reading; acquiring phonetics, sight words, and comprehension quickly and naturally.
Some kids will require further support, and a more detailed teaching of these stages. Here the full dEcode® system is standing by. Developed throughout thirty years of clinical practice with dyslexic kids and adults, the dEcode® system provides further in-depth drilling practice to help overcome a range of problems. Your child may not require this more extensive support — but if he or she does, the dEcode® For Kids system will help to let you know.
Would you like to speak to a Toronto children’s literacy expert? Remedial instruction professionals are ready to help.