My daughter and I drove from Florida to New York after researching "The Dicker Reading Method" and speaking to Al Dicker on the phone. My daughter was 22 and was having extreme difficulty reading and comprehending. Reading a textbook in college was almost impossible. When we arrived and went to Al Dicker's office, he was extremely cordial and made my daughter feel very comfortable. One of his tutors tested and assessed her and found that she was reading on a 3rd to 4th grade level. I knew she had so much difficulty reading and was not fluent at all in her oral reading, but never thought that she read at such a low level. Being we live in Florida we had to do a very comprehensive course of tutoring to get my daughter up to college level by the end of the summer. Luckily, being an educator myself, I had the summer off. My daughter was tutored by a group of highly qualified and committed tutors 7 days a week, 4 hours a day with an hour to an hour and a half break after 2 hours! They started tutoring her on grade 3 and in 10 weeks, she was reading on college level! Everyone worked very hard in supporting my daughter from Al Dicker, who tailored his program to fit my daughter's needs and urgency to catch up on all those years she was behind to the wonderful and caring tutors. Most of all, my daughter from the onset of her tutoring sessions, got to see that she could do this! She learned 200 words and their definitions the first day of tutoring and I reviewed those words and definitions at night and maybe she missed 5 out of 200. It was a miracle! She actually experienced a shift from I can't read to I can! By the end of the summer I was noticing that when she spoke, she sounded more mature because she was unconsciously using words in her speaking that she never used! I owe my daughter's accomplishment to Al Dicker and his "Dicker Reading Method." Her self esteem has skyrocketed not only in being able to read on college level, but also in being able to communicate on a higher level with her peers and adults in the workforce. If your child, no matter what his/ her age is having difficulty reading, I highly recommend " The Dicker Reading Method" program. It was more than worth the trip from Florida to New York because this program changed my daughter's life. read more

My son did the program 5 years ago after entering 4th grade. He hated school and became extremely angry when he had to do his homework and many times refused to do it. This went on day after day, with the lack of work and his total frustration he was getting further behind at school. I knew about the Dicker Reading Method and decided to drive 30 minutes one way to get my son evaluated. After discussing this with Alvin, my son was evaluated to be reading at a 2nd-grade level. Also, when listening to my son read out loud, he was very focused in reading one word at a time and many words he did not know the meaning of the word. It became clear to me, reading at the speed and with limited understanding of the words, really limited comprehension. In addition, low comprehension also was impacting my son's success in math and science. I committed to taking my son twice a week down to Alvin's office as long as it was needed to improve my his comprehension. My son never liked going, but when he was there he did the work and we did the work at home. Over the next 6 months, my son's reading level improved over 2 grades and his speed and comprehension significantly increased. In the second half of the year, my son's issue with doing homework went away. He also began reading books, which he never did. Now, 5 years later, my son does well at school with very little effort. He is very efficient at his homework and self-generates getting it done. As a father, it's the best thing that I could have done for my son, the impact is priceless. A number of words a student learns today in school, especially in the early grades, are very limited. The Dicker Reading Method is focused both reading and comprehension which requires introducing new words with their meaning throughout the program. I highly recommend the Dicker Reading Method for students that are challenged in reading and those children that do not have a problem but want to excel at school. It produces confidence and improves self-esteem, a key to success in school and beyond. read more

My daughter was one of the first students of the Dicker Reading Method. She did not learn to read in first grade and by second grade she was falling farther and farther behind and often came home crying. I tried to help her, but even though I had been a teacher myself, she was not improving enough. After working with Mr. Dicker, she not only caught up, but surpassed her grade level. In HS the NY Times published an interview with her after a play she wrote was produced by the Young Playwrights Association. She proceeded to graduate HS at the top of her class and went on to get her Bachelors and Masters Degrees. After taking time off from academia she will soon be going back for her Doctorate. She would never have achieved any of this without the Dicker Reading Method. My two great nieces and a nephew, who were all behind in reading ability, were also helped by the Dicker Reading Method. And most recently my 6th grade granddaughter, who was reading on grade level, is now reading four grades above that level thanks to this program. Mr. Dicker has a unique method of working with children. He firmly believes that children whose learning abilities are given negative labels internalize those descriptions and "perform down" to them. Instead he aims to give every child a positive experience of learning success. He refuses to label any child "learning disabled" because he knows that with the right attitude and instruction they will all learn to read. Based on my own experience with these five children who have been significantly helped by the Dicker Reading Method, I know that any child who is lucky enough to have access to this reading program will successfully learn to read - and even more important - to love reading and learning. read more

I still send people to Dicker Reading including two so far in 2016 -- our neighbor's 2nd grade daughter and a colleague's first grade son. According to my son presently a high school sophomore "The program taught me to read and love reading and appreciate books as well as develop my vocab!" "Thanks Dicker Reading" Sincerely,Steven Below is a testimonial back from 2009 Here is a link to the photo: http://thinklearnsmile.blogspot.com/2009/09/testimonial-to-big-al-dicker-reading.html Testimonial to Big Al (Dicker Reading Method) Many thanks and kudos to Big Al and his tutors, especially Julie, for helping Steven with reading and ultimately, confidence and life! Check out the Dicker Reading Method website: http://www.readingbreakthrough.com/ I first brought Steven, who as you know was labeled dyslexic, to the Dicker Reading Method, when we saw that he was having difficulty learning to read. My niece Hannah had been in the program years before and had made tremendous progress. After just one session, Steven left the Dicker Reading Method reading his first book fluently. We not only noticed an immediate improvement in his ability to read fluently, but also in Steven's confidence and self-esteem. Now Steven is reading on a sixth grade level. The progress Steven has made with the Dicker Reading Method has been truly remarkable. I highly recommend the Dicker Reading Method to any parent whose child is struggling with reading. Click here for another posting with Steven and Julie and their huge basket of index cards ;)http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=8644204378763304055&postID=3659276293817966841 read more

I am the grandfather of 2 children that have attended classes at The Dicker Reading Method. I am writing because I want to share with you the phenomenal achievement that they have made. My granddaughter is 10 years old and in the 5 th. grade. She is so bright and reads and writes so brilliantly I am astonished. She read the whole "Harry Potter" series when she was in the 2 nd. grade. She is in the "gifted and talented" program in NYC where she lives. Her brother is 8 , and in the 2nd grade. He reads on a 7th grade reading level with expression, knows the pertinent vocabulary , and has total comprehension. They both love to read. They read from tablets and I am always buying books for their Kindles. I whole heartedly recommend this program, and to grandparents there is no greater gift that you can give. I particularly want to thank Al Dicker, the Director, and his tutors who worked so passionately and skillfully with them. read more

I found this class online this summer. I was really worried about how my son who's in the eight grade was doing. And knew that this Summer had to be spent in serious enrichment, if he is going to be ready to do well in 9th grade. Well, I can't tell you how amazed I have been. My Son not only loves the class, he does his homework first before everything else, but he is doing so well. He uses the words he is learning in his everyday conversations with me. He is getting so much more self assured and confident. He is even punning on some of the words. I am only sorry that we are just finding this program. But better late than never as the old adage goes. I highly recommend it for all kids, and all the better, if they start younger. read more

I agree that Al Dicker can be off putting. I took my son there because he was struggling. A good friend who is highly discerning told me to go there. She specifically told me "the guy who runs it acts like a kook but try to ignore that, his system works and he turned my daughter around." so glad she gave me that advice. When I walked in, my experience was the same as the person who gave him one star. I thought the whole thing was a real scam. However, given what my friend told me, I decided to give it a try anyway and i was so glad I did! IT WORKED. It really worked! Glad I went and highly recommend - with the same advise my friend gave to me. read more

My daughter started the program during summer 2015 and still is attending. After trying several reading methods and books, finally after a recommendation from a neighbor who is also a math college teacher, and was desperated with her son as well. We decided to try Dicker reading and my daughter magically began interested in reading and her grades went from a 2 to a 4 in less than a year. We are extremely happy with the results and I would recommend the dicker reading method to any kid who is struggling with reading; futhermore, we are now considering the idea of start our 3 year old now even before he begins school, so he can be prepare. read more

My son started at Dicker Reading March 2014 when I was told he would repeat 1st grade. Now he is moving on to 3rd with above grade reading level. Thanks to Al and Debbie Dicker and the wonderful tutors at the center. The change in my son from frustration to understanding and enjoying reading is so rewarding. Homework is a breeze. He looks forward to his sessions with his tutor every week. I would certainly recommend to parents, the change is immediate. Due to public education's common core demands I will continue to have my child involve in reading to help him succeed in school. read more

Dicker Reading Method really works. My son who is now in second grade went initially when he was going into the first grade because reading was a chore. He put up a fight doing it and was struggling being able to read text. He did one session a week for a year and it worked wonders! I made the mistake of stopping his tutoring sessions there as he was entering second grade and how 3/4 into the year I am sending him back to Dicker. Their approach truly makes sense and works. I have seen it with my own eyes. I highly recommend Dicker Reading Method. read more

The Dicker Reading Method was a lifesaver. My wife and I spent a year and a half finding tutors for my daughter, trying out one reading program to the next, but not seeing the results we hoped for. It was hard to watch her be disappointed. But now, I'm proud to say that my daughter's confidence has grown. She has more desire and determination to stay in a classroom, and is more confident in her abilities. read more

Dicker Reading Method has a wonderful technique for tutoring! My daughter, who has dyslexia, has made amazing progress with reading for the last year. My daughter is now able to read grade level texts. Her fluency, decoding and comprehension have all improved and the work done in tutoring mirrors what she is doing in school. Thanks, Dicker Reading Method!! read more

We've been with Dicker Reading Method for approximately three months now and my son has progressed beyond my wildest dreams. He's 4 yrs old and during his first session he learned 15 words and continues to progress. I'm very pleased with this program and I am confident that he will be successful as he journeys to pre-k and beyond! read more

A great big thank you to the Dicker Reading Method and for every inch of support they gave to my daughter's reading journey. Her struggles with reading have always been difficult. She was diagnosed with dyslexia in 6th grade. Dicker Reading has been awesome with her, and helped her cope with her special learning needs. read more

Dicker Reading has been very helpful from the beginning of my journey with Dyslexia. I am thankful to Al Dicker for giving me the tools I need to learn about Dyslexia and how to help my son in and out of a school setting. I am deeply grateful for Al Dicker and all the team. I would highly recommend them. read more

My son didn't read even when he was in grade 3. His special learning needs were so severe, my husband and I decided to homeschool him. But after 5 months with an online reading tutor at Dicker Reading, the reading has improved greatly. He's now back in school. More confident and is in the 4th grade. read more

My daughter has attended the Dicker Reading Method since February 2016. She went to several reading programs in the past but this one produced amazing results in just 6 months. Thanks to Al and Debbie my daughter is on her way to academic success. read more

Excellent program and excellent team. Kids enjoyed it. Al Dicker and the entire staff are very passionate about this learning method - and they should be. It was very effective. read more