More on Reading (and Writing)

So, here's my latest comments on the previous entry, which was partially about Jamie's lack of reading skills:

What makes this all most difficult for me is that I am what I would call an intuitive learner. I don't have to study all that much to absorb what I read and be able to regurgitate it on command for a test, assignment, etc. Jamie, however, takes after his biological father, apparently. He wasn't the most educated of persons, and had a host of learning disabilities and barely made it out of high school, from what I remember about him (regardless of the fact that I'm trying oh so hard to forget him). So for Jamie, I just don't know how to tell him how to better his reading, or improve his reading comprehension. I've never had trouble with reading. My brother and sister taught me how to read very early (3 or 4 years old), so as far back as I can remember I've been able to read. I don't know how to break it down for him to better understand the process. That's why I am seeking out Sylvan, or whomever's help in getting this child re-taught the basics. I appreciate everyone's suggestions and feedback (please, just don't make it sound like a commercial!)

Rather than make a comment that was a gazillion lines long, I thought I would make a new post about it, adding my comments on something odd I noticed the other day. Jamie is a pack rat like me. I'm in the process of organizing and rearranging his bedroom, which meant I had to pull all the assorted stuffed papers off his bookshelf. As I was going through the stuff, many items were graded assignments from 2nd and 3rd grade. But I noticed something puzzling - not only were the grades much better, but his handwriting and sentence structure were much better than they are now. Excuse me? Isn't this stuff supposed to get BETTER as he gets older, not worse? What on earth would make his handwriting and reading skills deteriorate instead of improve as he reaches higher grades? Tooz, I'm especially counting on you for advice on this based on your years of teaching experience. I also would appreciate feedback from Lydia and Ann (of course, as they both teach) and really anyone else who has either professional or personal experience with this strange phenomenon.