Frequently Asked Questions
What ages does Bravo! Reading work for?
The Bravo! Reading materials work for preschool through adult. Although the materials are geared more for children starting at age five and up, they can be used for any age. Bravo! Reading materials naturally appeals to young children’s’ sense of joy and fun, (cute pictures of sharks, colorful pictures and cues, etc.), but they can be used for any age group – preschool and up.
The Bravo! Beginner is intended for any child who needs to learn letter sounds, including long and short vowels. Usually, this is geared for ages five and up. From there, it depends on your child’s specific abilities and reading readiness. Some preschoolers are ready to learn letter sounds and can dive right into the Bravo! Beginner. Others need to wait a while until they are ready.
Does my child need to have dyslexia to use Bravo! Reading? My child doesn’t have dyslexia but is still over two grade levels behind in reading.
No, Bravo! Reading doesn’t have to be only for kids with dyslexia. The materials work for anyone, whether your child is just a bit behind in reading or has been diagnosed with dyslexia. Bravo! Reading and any of the Bravo! expansion packs were designed for kids with dyslexia. However, they will work for any child who is struggling to decode and read.
How does Bravo! Reading work?
The Bravo! Reading System is separated into eleven levels. Level 1 teaches children how to blend two letters into a word. Level 2 focuses on three-letter words while Level 3 introduces consonant blends. Since the concept of two letters coming together to form one new, unique sound is difficult for kids with dyslexia, Level 4 will advance this skill further, showing your child how to use consonant blends in words. Level 5 introduces the elusive silent “e” slide, where kids focus on decoding words with the silent “e”, something that’s really hard for kids with dyslexia.
Next, your child advances to Level 6, which shows your child how to decode words with double consonant endings. The next two levels focus on vowel blends, which are especially difficult for kids with dyslexia. Level 9 is a really important level for kids with dyslexia. It shows your child how to decode variants, which are words that don’t follow traditional reading and spelling rules.
Since Bravo! is a multi-sensory reading program, the student is given visual and auditory cues as well as the opportunity to use movement for the kinesthetic component. This is what helps kids who have sensory problems succeed. In addition, Bravo! uses color, pictures, predictability, and other fun activities help with engagement of learning.
Kids use dot dabbers and brain-based learning to set in decoding skills. The first level of the Bravo! Reading System helps your child blend two-letter words together. Nonsense words are a big part of not only Level 1 but all levels and expansion packs that Bravo! offers. Nonsense words help your child break bad reading habits like guessing at reading. Also, movement is a huge part of every Bravo! program or expansion pack. That’s because kids with dyslexia learn best through large motor movements!
There are also three decoding expansion packs to help your learner stretch “decoding muscle” after completing the Bravo! Reading System. They are the Booster Pack, the Super Booster Pack, and the Decoder Pack. They should be used in the order given.
If your child is an emergent reader or doesn’t know letter sounds, the Bravo! Beginner makes short order of learning letter sounds, including long and short vowels.
Reversals can plague a child with dyslexia, so we offer the Race from Reversals Pack where kids focus on large motor movements to instill which direction a letter or number faces. And finally, the “Seeing” for Reading Pack helps your child strengthen visual processing skills so words and letters can be perceived properly.
You’ll receive your Bravo! Reading materials as a digital file so you can get going immediately. From there, you can choose to use the Print Method, the Tablet Method, or the Screen Method. Bravo! Reading does not offer an interactive program at this time due to the lack of large motor movement it would have.
Is Bravo! Reading an interactive program?
At this point, Bravo! isn’t interactive, as larger motor movement is crucial for helping kids with dyslexia learn to decode. It’s important for kids with dyslexia to engage in gross (large) motor movements in order to learn to decode. This is how they learn best. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to use large motor movements with a computer or video game.
Also, kids today have enough unsupervised screen time. The human component is important for your child to know that you are interested in their reading progress as well as help and guide them along the way. The best cheerleader for your child is…you!
Do I need to buy any special materials to use Bravo! Reading?
You will need to have two dot dabbers or bingo markers to do most of the activities. They can be purchased at www.amazon.com or any department store such as Walmart or Target. If you choose to use the Screen Method or Tablet Method, then you will need to purchase two stylus pens. For the decoding expansion packs, you will need a fat-tipped marker.
You will receive your materials as a digital file. You will need to print out the materials for the best results.
How long has Bravo! Reading been around?
Lisa Harp developed Bravo! Reading in 2000 when she opened the first Harp Learning Institute. Back then, it was named Touch Tile Reading System. It has been used in the Harp Learning Institute learning centers and the Harp Learning Academy for over twenty-four years.
Is Bravo! Reading research based?
Yes, all Bravo! Reading materials are based on sound Orton-Gillingham research among other kinesiology and brain integration research. As a Dyslexia Expert, Lisa has added other components as well – those that she’s noticed students with dyslexia commonly struggle with, such as vowel blends and that tricky silent “e”. From there, she added innovative movements and cues to help these difficult decoding skills set in for good. Each level of Bravo! builds on the previous level, and by Level 11, kids are reading multi-syllable words with ease and confidence.
In addition, the Bravo! Reading System has been used in the Harp Learning Institute learning centers and the Harp Learning Academy for over twenty-four years with tremendous success. The average reading jump students experience after using this reading program is five reading levels.
I’ve heard that a multi-sensory approach helps struggling readers. Is Bravo! Reading a multi-sensory reading program?
Yes, Bravo! is a multi-sensory reading program. This means that your child uses visual, auditory, and kinesthetic activities to learn crucial decoding skills. Bravo! takes it a step further by making sure the movements used in the kinesthetic portion are large motor movements, as this is how kids with dyslexia learn best.
How much time will it take before my son is reading at grade level?
It is too difficult to gauge how each specific child will make strides in the Bravo! Reading System and expansion packs. It depends on beginning abilities, how much time is spent on activities, and the consistency offered. Some kids might spend months just learning letter sounds then take off and soar through the other levels, while other kids might fly through letter sounds and get hung up with multi-syllable words.
Each child is unique, so we can’t tell you how long it takes. However, in general, it takes a child about a year to move through the Bravo! Beginner and the eleven levels of the Bravo! Reading System. Adding on expansion packs will take a bit longer. This is working on the materials for about fifteen minutes a day, five days a week.
Usually you will start seeing results in about three to six weeks, as a huge part of the Bravo! Reading System is aimed at stopping bad reading habits and replacing them with strong decoding strategies.
My daughter hates to read. How will I ever get her to do decoding activities on top of school and homework, which seems to swallow all our time?
The exercises in the Bravo! Reading System are fun for your daughter, so there aren’t usually any fights or fussing when asking your child to do reading with dot dabbers and fun movements. When kids first find out about Bravo!, they can’t believe that reading can be done in such an entertaining way.
Of course, many children carry a lot of emotional baggage to the table when it’s time to do any reading, due to being pushed too hard or by being forced to use a program that makes no sense to them.
By carving out even ten or fifteen minutes each day, five days a week, your daughter’s reading skills will become stronger and she will gain confidence. Once she has more reading confidence, she won’t fight reading so much.
Also, even if your daughter isn’t a behavior problem, she can learn to complete tasks without fussing with the FREE Bravo! Behavior Booster.
Can Bravo! Reading work for my nonverbal autistic child?
Unless we were to assess your nonverbal autistic child, we can’t say for sure whether Bravo! will or won’t work. However, some nonverbal autistic students thrive with Bravo! Reading, starting with the Bravo! Beginner. Once your nonverbal autistic child can learn letter sounds, then it’s time to go to Level 1 of the Bravo! Reading System and start blending two sounds together. This is usually a very difficult skill to learn for nonverbal kids, but it has happened many times in the Harp Learning Institute learning centers. It takes time and patience.
Does Bravo! Reading address sight words?
Bravo! doesn’t directly address sight words. Kids with dyslexia need a system to decode words they don’t know before sight words become the focus. It is very confusing for kids with dyslexia to be given different avenues of reading, such as decoding instruction, fluency instruction, comprehension instruction, and sight word instruction at the same time.
They need to master one skill before the other. Since decoding is the backbone of reading, we focus on teaching kids with dyslexia to decode first. Once that skill is strong, then sight words instruction can take place. We strongly advise against teaching sight words to kids with dyslexia through flash cards, as this is a system that just doesn’t work for them.
In addition, kids with dyslexia will often attempt decoding sight words, and this gets confusing for them. Because of this, we want to start with decoding only.
I purchased Bravo! Reading, but I don’t see any specific fluency or comprehension building activities. How will my son be able to read fluently and understand what he reads when there isn’t any formal instruction in these areas?
Fluency and comprehension are important for reading. Fluency is crucially important, as a child needs to be able to read fluently and smoothly for speed to take place. Comprehension is the end result of reading – the important meaning taken from text. But decoding is the backbone of reading.
Your child must have strong decoding skills before comprehension and fluency can take place. And, if your child has dyslexia, decoding is like speaking a foreign language! Kids with dyslexia can learn to decode, though. They just need non-traditional methods.
Once decoding skills are strong, fluency and comprehension naturally fall into place. If they don’t, there are numerous places to find mainstream fluency and comprehension activities. These are activities found in traditional reading programs. These are important skills but before a dyslexic child can get to fluency and comprehension, decoding skills must be strong.
I see that you mention Lisa Harp’s Northern California learning centers called Harp Learning Institute. Yet, when I checked, I can see there’s only one in Lodi, California.
At one time, there were four Harp Learning Institute learning centers in Northern California, located in San Francisco, Lodi, Oakdale, and Valley Springs. In addition, the Harp Learning Academy was in session and catered to students with learning disabilities.
It was decided that it was time to focus on just reading and to change to an online presence only in 2024 and the physical locations were closed then or at earlier times.
How is Bravo! Reading different than other reading programs geared toward dyslexic readers?
Kids with dyslexia learn differently than other kids. That doesn’t mean they aren’t smart; they are terribly smart. They just need different routes of learning, starting with gross or large motor movements. Bravo! Reading makes sure your child gets a large dose of gross motor movement in all materials. Your child won’t be moving a tile but will use a dot dabber, getting the shoulder, arm, and hand involved. This is how kids with dyslexia learn best because they are usually tactile or hands-on learners!
Also, Bravo! Reading is predictable, which means that kids know what to do and what is expected of them. When kids with dyslexia know what is expected of them, they have a route to success. In addition, Bravo! uses color, brain-based learning, pictures, a multisensory approach as well as visual and auditory cues to help guide them through the process of decoding.
Does Bravo! Reading specifically address spelling problems?
No, Bravo! doesn’t specifically address spelling, although by doing the activities in Bravo! Reading materials, your child should naturally put spelling skills into place. Bravo! Reading is Orton-Gillingham- based and will help your child learn phonemic units of sound that make up the English language, and that will, in turn, help your child learn to spell words correctly.
My son is unmotivated. How will I get him to do one more thing?
Kids love doing the activities in Bravo! Reading because they are fun, movement-oriented, and make sense to them. The exercises are designed for kids with dyslexia who learn differently than other kids, and movement is a big part of every exercise.
When something makes sense to children, then it’s not hard getting them to do it. Problems creep up when kids are forced to do something that doesn’t make sense to them. When they push back, they’re letting you know that something is wrong in their world.
If your son needs help with task completion, feel free to download the FREE Bravo! Behavior Booster. Once tasks are completed with rewards, self-confidence improves and your son will be more motivated to do extra tasks and activities.
I’ve used Orton-Gillingham programs before, and they don’t work for my daughter.
The Bravo! Reading System, the Bravo! Beginner, and the three decoding expansion packs are all based on solid Orton-Gillingham research. However, we know that sometimes kids with dyslexia need more. We’ve found that “more” to be movement.
That’s why we’ve made the movements associated with the decoding lessons in Bravo! large motor movements. Typically, with Orton-Gillingham decoding activities, the student moves a tile. This movement is great. But kids with dyslexia do better when they get their shoulders, arms, and hands involved (gross motor movements).
At Bravo! we have your child use dot dabbers from the start to weave in these large motor movements. We’ve added brain-based learning as well. For instance, a huge part of the Bravo! Beginner is using cross-lateral movements which build new neural pathways in the brain.
This sets in learning faster and easier than other methods. Kids also like doing the activities because they are engaging, which takes the “fight” away. Kids stay on task longer and do better when they are having fun.
Every activity in the Bravo! Reading System and all decoding expansion packs also deal with more in-depth phonemic awareness and use of decoding units than typical Orton-Gillingham activities.
The schools should be helping my child. I don’t see why I should have to spend my money and time on a reading program that the school should have provided from the start.
Yes, public schools should be able to help your child, but that doesn’t always happen. The honest truth is that you have a right to a free public education in America – but not necessarily a good or even great one. Unfortunately, public schools cater to the masses. That means if your child’s academic output falls on either side of the scale, then most likely, academic and individual needs won’t be met.
For kids with dyslexia, it’s even worse. These kids fall through the cracks because they are usually verbal, smart, and precocious. They also don’t always fall two or more years behind academically in order to get help, so they always stay behind, and this affects their self-esteem.
The home school movement has grown strong due to parents’ dissatisfaction with public and even private school systems. It is sad that yes, at times, you do have to supplement for your child’s best education. But this only helps provide a better future for your child, because a child who isn’t reading well is a child who’s suffering.
My son is in Special Education and is already getting extra help. I don’t see how this is any different from that.
The curriculum that schools use is usually purchased from large publishing houses. These are traditional programs with traditional learning techniques – those that meet the needs of the masses. The activities used in the curriculum in most Special Education classrooms are no different than those that failed to work all day long before your child entered Special Education.
If your child qualified for Special Education, then most likely, your child needs visual and auditory training as well as a decoding program that is strong in movement and predictability. It needs to include gross motor movement, should be multi-sensory, and should be brain-based.
Most traditional reading programs do not include these activities that are the “learning language” of a hands-on, tactile learner. Most kids with dyslexia are hands-on, tactile learners and this is how they overcome reading challenges.
Phonics worked for my daughter’s siblings. Why won’t it work for her, and how is this program any different from regular phonics?
Phonics is a left-brain activity. This means your child needs to be able to operate at least part of the time from the left side of the brain. If your child has dyslexia, then most likely, your child is right-brain dominant. This means your child learns from seeing the “whole” of something and not just bits and pieces.
It also means that your child learns through movement, color, pictures, rhythm, music, and creativity. Phonics does not pop up on this “right-brain dominant” list! To a child with dyslexia, typical phonics activities are like speaking a foreign language.
Kids with dyslexia need a different “learning language” spoken to them so they can learn and achieve. Phonics worksheets, flashcards, and “drill and kill” worksheets and workbooks are not how these kids learn and only prove to turn them off from learning and reading.
I don’t have time to read another teacher’s manual that doesn’t work and only confuses me and my child.
Teacher’s manuals are difficult to read even for trained teachers! That’s why we don’t use them!
Bravo! Reading understands the time limits of busy families and makes sure directions are easy to use and quick to learn. There are two types of directions for you to use for every decoding program that Bravo! Reading offers. You can read traditional step-by-step directions if that is how you learn best. But we also provide picture directions for visual learners. All you have to do is look at the picture and read the short blurb telling you what to do.
If you can read and follow a short recipe with a few steps, you can follow Bravo! Reading’s picture instructions!
On top of it, there are only a few “movements” you need to learn to use the Bravo! Reading materials. The movements are simple and intuitive for your child and other dyslexic learners.
My son melts down over doing a small homework assignment. How am I supposed to add another fifteen minutes even onto our daily schedule?
Your son is most likely melting down because he doesn’t learn in the way that’s being asked of him. Kids with dyslexia are hands-on, tactile learners. That means they learn by “doing” instead of “seeing” or “hearing”. Schools ask kids to “see” and “hear” all day long, and your son is most likely exhausted by the time he gets home from school.
He’s also expecting you to do “more of the same” that didn’t work all day long, and of course, he’s going to protest, thinking he’s getting phonics, “drill and kill” activities, or boring flashcards.
Here’s the great news. You won’t have to “fight” your son to read while using dot dabbers. Most kids even like to stand up while doing activities for Bravo! Reading, and that’s perfectly fine. Sitting isn’t necessarily conducive to learning, anyway. As a matter of fact, after twenty minutes of sitting, most people’s (even adults) have attention span issues.
So doing fifteen minutes of “moving” to decode probably isn’t a big “ask” of your son. Most kids will argue with you while doing Bravo! activities, telling you they most certainly are not reading (with grins on their faces)!
If you’re having problems with behavior, tantrums, meltdowns, or task completion, try our FREE Bravo! Behavior Booster. With its easy to use task system, you’ll give rewards for expected behavior and start seeing a difference quickly and easily!
I’m not a teacher and have no idea how to go about doing any of the activities in the Bravo! Reading System.
You don’t need to be a teacher, psychologist, or professional to use Bravo! Reading’s materials. They are designed for parents to use – not teachers. You probably don’t understand entirely how electricity works, yet you’re happy to flip a switch to turn your lights on.
We’ve done the research, the field application, and turned all the nuts and bolts to provide your child with methods that work for dyslexic children. These are materials that have been used successfully in the Harp Learning Institute learning centers for over twenty years. The average jump from a child using Bravo! Reading is five grade levels. That’s an astounding jump!
If you can read an easy recipe, you can look at our easy to use picture instructions and get your child going right away, as you’ll receive your materials as a digital file.
My son doesn’t listen to me. How am I supposed to work with him?
Often, kids with dyslexia or other learning challenges will tune people out as a way to survive. Sometimes, this is also a sign of auditory processing issues.
But here’s the good news. Once a dot dabber is in your son’s hand and he’s happily dabbing and pounding on Bravo! Brackets, sliding across Bravo! Bolts, and gliding across the Silent E Slide, he’ll be hooked.
Even our most distracted students, our toughest behavior problems, are happy to pound Bravo! Brackets to read. You might call it a gimmick, but hey, if it works, then it works.
Also, the large motor movements involved in our decoding materials and expansion packs pull in kids. With Bravo! Reading materials, kids learn by moving. And kids naturally want to learn.
Kids commonly close up, retreat, have tantrums, or act out because they are being asked to learn in a way that doesn’t make sense to them.
I don’t have enough time to do all this, but I really want to help my child do better with reading.
You don’t need a lot of time to work with your child using Bravo! Reading materials. That’s because they are designed to make learning quick and easy. Even better, consistency is more important that time spent on activities.
Unless given specific activities that cater to the dyslexic child’s “learning language”, then a child with dyslexia has to put in a lot of time on reading, spelling, and writing activities for even limited success to be made. This is because the dyslexic child learns differently than other children.
With traditional methods, repetition is about the only way a child with dyslexia can retain information. And these kids get so bored with repetition that it rarely works, anyway. They just fall further and further behind.
But when taught in a way that resonates with them, kids with dyslexia learning quickly and easily. Depending on your schedule and your son’s specific needs, one to two fifteen minute sessions a week will make a huge difference.
I have dyslexia and have struggled academically my whole life. How can I even begin to help my daughter when I’m coming from so far behind?
You don’t need to do much to help your daughter succeed with Bravo! We’ve included easy to understand picture instructions along with traditional step by step instructions, so you will have a choice of which type of instruction works best for you.
From there just put a dot dabber in your daughter’s hand and watch as she starts decoding like a Bravo! Reading Shark.
Here’s more good news. It’s never too late to add in skills of your own. The brain has plasticity at any age, and you can spruce up your own decoding skills right along with your daughter if that’s something that appeals to you!
I can’t honestly believe that dot dabbers or bingo markers are going to help my daughter learn to read.
It does seem odd, doesn’t it?
If your child is succeeding at reading and school, then dot dabbers won’t be necessary. But if you have a child who’s not thriving academically, then something different needs to happen. The definition of insanity, after all, is continuing to do the same thing over and over again while expecting different results.
Kids with dyslexia learn differently than other kids, and that means they need a different route of learning to succeed. Movement is also their jam! They learn by moving because they are hands-on, tactile learners. Dot dabbers offer the best solution for getting large motor movements involved. When your child pounds Bravo! Bullseyes and says the sound of the letter out loud, the shoulder, arm, and hand are all involved, wiring new information with your child’s brain.
Add in cross-lateral movements, and it’s brain-based learning at its finest.
Traditional programs are geared to meet the needs of the masses. They do not meet the needs of the dyslexic child.
My son was diagnosed with dyslexia and is failing school. I’m totally overwhelmed. I have no idea where to start.
Your son is most likely failing school because decoding skills are weak. Kid with dyslexia are usually “word guessers”instead of “decoder”. This bad habit gets them in the habit of guessing at everything in school. Of course, this isn’t a sound strategy for succeeding academically.
It is recommended that you take your son all the way back to decoding two-letter words through Level 1 of the Bravo! Reading System. Moving through all eleven levels then going to the three decoding expansion packs will give your son a solid decoding foundation.
If you can’t swing that, then download the FREE Bravo! Punch Pack to get a jump start. You can download the FREE Bravo! Snap Pack and Bravo! Mini-Decoder Pack as well to get going right away.
If your child is struggling with letter sounds, including both long and short vowel sounds, then it’s best to start with the Bravo! Beginner.
Once your son can systematically decode words with ease and confidence, grades naturally rise because fluency and comprehension scores rise and it carries over into all subjects.
If you’d like the best value, consider the Complete Bravo! Reading System, which includes the Bravo! Reading System plus all the Bravo! Expansion Packs. You will receive the Bravo! Beginner this way as part of the entire system and will have the other expansion packs in case you need them. The best news? It’s cheaper at $399.99 than just the Bravo! Reading System at $459.99.
My daughter retreats when it’s time to read, and we get nothing accomplished. How will Bravo! Reading be any different? I’ve totally given up.
Retreating is a way of coping with the stress of the long school day or something else going on in your daughter’s life.
To start, we recommend downloading the FREE Bravo! Behavior Booster so your daughter can practice achieving a successful task and getting a reward for it. This will start pulling her out of the habit of retreating. Yes, even retreating is a form of negative behavior and can be fixed!
From there, depending on where her decoding skills lie, start with one simple activity, such as Level 1 of the Bravo! Reading System. Continue building on these decoding, using small session times, such as five to ten minutes a day, five days a week. This keeps your daughter from being so overwhelmed.
Usually, even reluctant readers and kids who retreat are tickled to have a dot dabber in hand to read. They think it’s fun. Even though you might view it as a gimmick, the dot dabbers serve a huge purpose. They engage your daughter in large motor movements that help her intuitively learn but also lock in that learning.
