My son has been having difficuty reading since going to a new school two years ago and when I try and get him to read he only wants to read small short stories he is scared to try and read a chapter book and he is going to the fourth grade and he has been qualiffied for special education so I had him put in the smaller classes for reading but I want to fiind way to help him to read better and get him back into the regular classes! I think his problem is phonics

Have you thought of private tutoring?

I did at one point it was a high school student !

Doesn't matter what the age of the tutor is/was if he/she can help. Maybe someone who is not an adult (?) can form a bond.

How is his reading with the short stories? Is there something specific that makes you feel phonics is a concern? Does he tend to make the same errors repeatedly?

Confidence can go a long way in helping him improve. What sort of books does he like? Does he show interest in what some of the other kids are reading?

There are a few smallish chapter books that can be a good bridge for him that will help him to build his reading confidence. The following have been popular with students I have had at about that age who have struggled, and even with those who haven't:

Frog and Toad series
Henry and Mudge series
(you can get different levels for both of these; some very easy)

A to Z Mysteries series (very popular... I enjoy reading these to my class!)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid series (very popular... got a good number of the boys in my class hooked on reading)
Magic Treehouse series
Nate the Great series

You might also try letting him pick out comic books and magazines geared towards kids. There are a number of programs online that can help with reading if he has an interest in working on the computer. No doubt his school will have sites they use for the students to work on as well.