Dyslexia

Hi J.,
I would contact PACER Center. They have so much info it would amaze you. They can even help you with school issues.
###-###-####. Their support is incredible

Hello, not sure where you live but i happened to run across this organization yesterday in Milwaukee, chapters around the country that offers free tutoring and many support services for children with dyslexia. Check it out and hope it helps! http://www.childrenslearningcenters.org/about/about.html

I don't know specifically about dyslexia, but in all my time dealing with the school and their special ed program, you need to do what YOU think is best. I had to stay on top of my stepdaughters school at all times to make sure they were following through on what was decided was best for her by my huband, my self and her doctor, NOT what the school wanted to do. Go with your gut!

No Child Left Behind. The IEP is for INDIVIDUAL children. They have to meet the needs of your child. They have to have a therapy that will work for him. I have a child with Cerebral Palsy, speech problems, etc.. They had to revise their programs to do what he needed,and by law they had to. I also have a form of Dyslexia and know the frustration. Don't give up, you have to keep bothering them, it will come. I also work for our Special Ed dept as a subaide. So I have seen many things with lots of kids. The best route is to keep trying for the services.

Your son's education is, ultimately, your responsibility. If you think they are doing well enough, find out what program they are using, and find out what you can do to help. But, if they are not doing everything you think they should be doing, to heck with them, do what you need to do!
You can call a meeting to change his IEP at your request, at any time. Consider calling a meeting, and take someone with you to help advocate for you and your child. What you want for him is in HIS best interest, not the schools. Be clear about what needs to change, and INSIST that things change.

If it doesn't work out, you can try home schooling!

Hi J.;
I want to encourage you to continue doing the research and try the "programs and materials" you feel would help your son. Although the school staff may be good, they do not know everything there is to know. In my experience as a parent I have learned that schools tend to get stuck in one way of thinking and don't take to change easily... You can help your son afterschool with other things. I am no expert on dyslexia, however I do know through my work in education that there are many excellent resources out there. Do everything you can for him, inspite of what the school tells you. Remember this is your child!

Hi Jodi -

I might have a receive for you, her name is Dr. Monica Potter, she is a parent/child educator in the Chaska School District. I use to take her "Single Parent" Education class. She has many resources for parents and is such a great advocate for children. Her email is ____@____.com.

J. B

Hi My 6 yr old son I suspect has dyslexia so i have been doing reserach also. There is a nice dyslexia program in the appleton/kimberly area it is in with the Appleton Christian school. Unfortunately even though the schools have to accomodate because of IDP's not alot of special ed teachers are trained in dyslexia. My son'e neuropsycholgist even said they only touch alittle bit of it in their testing. there is great information on the internet and at the library. There are onnline supports groups too.

My son was in KDG when we found out he had dyxlexia. We had a wonderful school sytem that helped him alot. Don't give up, if you have a supportive teacher, she can and will help him. He was in some special one on one training also. My son is now 23 and has his own Lawn Care Business and is doing GREAT! Married & they just bought a new home! Have FAITH!!!

L.

I feel it is a crying shame that when we send our children to school we expect schools to teach them to learn to read and we get treated so disrespectfully. What are we paying our taxes for anyway.
This is a very sore subject for my family. I hope you the very best. I highly recommend reading the web site called Wrights law. It helped me tremendously. This page is titled, How Can I Get the School to Provide an Appropriate Program?

http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/fape.dyslexia.kate.htm

This is just an article but I recommend reading all the links connected to the page and purchasing their books. I feel I purchased them to late, I wish I knew of this site when my boys were in kindergarten.

My two oldest sons (20 yr and 18 yrs) are dyslexic. They eventually dropped out of school and now they are trying to earn their GEDs. It has been a very long hard battle with schools, we eventually gave up. So for your son's sake, please stick to your guns and don't let them "trick" you into something without fully understanding what it all involves. If you have any questions please feel free to message me.

Dear J. -- You have my sympathy! PLEASE read Smart But Feeling Dumb by Dr. [can't think of his first name] Levinson. He has an entirely different take on dyslexia, its causes and treatment. After I read the book and saw my son on practically every page we took John to see Dr. L. (turns out his office on Long Island was 35 miles from my parents' house!) and Dr. L was a HUGE help to him! In less than a year John went from getting C's & D's in the 3rd (worst) reading group of 4th grade to getting C's & B's in the 1st group! I was told about the book by an adult friend who had terrible dyslexia (full-time assistant for reading & writing at work, etc), had the book read to her and treated herself with OTC meds similar to what Dr. L. prescribed (Dramamine, etc) and improved miraculously almost overnight. We had tried all the school-suggested exercises before Dr L, and all they had succeeded in doing was getting John & his parents frustrated with each other and despairing of the future. I wish you the very best!

L.

Hi J. -- I looked up Dr. Levinson's first name and it's Harold. I see his book has been revised, and I'm going to order a copy. I googled it and found it available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and many others.

SMART BUT FEELING DUMB

XOXO -- L.

Hi J.,
My almost 4 year old son has Down syndrome, so we are very familiar with school therapists. While they are great and do their best, what you have to understand is that the school model and the medical model of therapy are very different. School districts can be quite restrictive on what a teacher or therapist is allowed to do or work with. It is extremely short-sighted and wrong of them to make a comment like they did about wasting your money. You need to look at other programs because you never know which one will "light the lightbulb" so to speak. What works for one kid, doesn't necessarily work for another. This sometimes means trial and error, but for the school district to be so close-minded is a shame!
My advice: look into those other programs. Be reasonable in your expectations (don't expect more than he is capable of at any given stage). And, yes, it will be up to you to do these programs on your own time and dime. Take advantage of the support you get from the school district and think of it as supplemental to what his needs are. If we had to just rely on what little speech therapy Joe gets in school, it would absolutely be detrimental to Joe's development.

Check into your insurance coverage for private therapy. You'll get one on one therapy with no distractions like there is in a school setting. Also, I own The Special Needs Store (under member perks) and we carry a product called a Whisperphone) that is supposed to help kids with dyslexia because it decreases distraction and allows the child to hear his own voice as they read out loud. My neighbor has dyslexia and she thought it was a great product. I don't know that much about it, but I'm sure there are lots of great programs and products out there to help you. Like I said, experiment a bit, do your homework, and see what "clicks" for your son.

Best of luck to you!
K.

I know exactly what you mean. My son is now in 5th grade and only reading at the late 3rd/ early 4th grade level. You can try to get specific things written into his IEP, we had no luck with this. So now we pay privately for a dyslexia specialist. My son had made no improvement in school. When we started with the tutor, he made such big leaps. He did then hit a plateau, But now his making progress again.
The schools are not able to deal with kids like ours. Seeking help outside the school is best. Don't take him out of his help at school. He won't be confused. He'll be more confused with out the help in the "school's way" because that's the way the classroom is run too. He can do it you just need to find HIS way, not the school's. Find a dyslexia specialist to help. Just be advised most of the ones we spoke with are odd in their own mannerisms. Don't let that fool you in their ability to help your son.
Good Luck!

Hi J.,
Well your school is right about one thing, they have to label him Learning Disabled and not "dyslexic" according to Rule 51 for verification and service purposes. However, you need to re-schedule your IEP/MDT meeting right away! Parents' requests for help are to be honored to the best of the schools' ability. Dyslexia is a tricky "label" since the lines have been blurred in the last several years. have you looked into the Sylvan learning center? & what are your sons exact symptoms ( i am a speech-language path so i may have some suggestions if i have more info!)
good luck!
D.

Hi J.,
Don't be concerned with the "label". I know that I really didn't want my son labeled, but it is really the only way that the school can help. Our school does a really great job in the special ed. department.
As long as your son is making "Gains" and not at a stand still, I would say that the school is working with him.
YOU as a parent can call a meeting with the school at ANY time to go over the IEP. You can even keep in touch with the teachers via email to ask for regular updates and suggestions for you as the parent on what to work on at home.
I have to stress NEVER to go to Sylvan learning Center!!! This was told to us by the school AND our therapist at Park Nicollet. They say that Huntington is better, but not much.
There are Teachers who are looking for more salary...especially in the summer months, so you may be able to put a word out that you are looking for a "Special Ed Private Tutor".

Good Luck!
S.

If the teacher is doing a tremendous job, I suggest you let her do her job. If this new way has been happening for a little while give it more time. Throwing too much at your son may confuse him. On the other hand, if the teachers way is not showing any improvement at all, then i suggest go to your other resources.
I will keep you in my prayers and pray that you do what you feel is right.

Hi,
My step-daughter was never officially diagnosed with dyslexia, but I was working with a woman that had it and she said she felt she had it. My step-daughter moved in with us a few years ago, she could read at the 9th month of kindergarten after doing kindergarten twice and was about to go into the 2nd grade. She was involved in a program called Title 1. (It's one step above special ed classes.) The lady I worked with suggested we have her turn a book upside down and try to read it that way. It was a weird suggestion, but unbelievably, in about 2 months, she improved her reading fluency by almost 2 grades! Her teacher didn't like her reading upside-down and made her do it the "right" way, but at home she still read upside-down. After a while, we had her try again at reading a book she'd read before, only right side up. She is now in 5th grade and reads at a 6th grade level. Her grades in all subjects have improved. Her main problem was that she was trying so hard to read everything that she couldn't understand what she was reading. She does great now with just that little trick. She still will flip a book upside-down if she has a hard time figuring out what the word says! In school, she just kind of tilts her head, but still gets the same affect. It did take her from the middle of 2nd grade untill almost the end of 4th grade to improve so much, but it was well worth the effort. I'm not sure if it will work for anyone else, but it sure helped her. Good Luck.

I would suggest you research the special education department and what it offers at a higher level. My son has Dyslexia, which we discovered in 7th grade. I fought with the SPED Department for 4 years. As a blessing has it, I was blessed with a Independent Liason Advocate that helped me tremendously to get Dyslexia on my sons IEP. I also had to pay to get him tested to accomplish this, but no matter the cost it was worth it. Dyslexia is Federal Law which overrides State Law. Inquire in detail with groups, parents, Internation Dyslexia Association, Davis Dyslexia website, and so on. Research until you find the answers and help your child. At 7th grade it was hard, but a blessing and the answers you receive from testing will free you. Trust me on that one. M. E. W.

Your son should not be treated like he has a learning disability. My son is 24 and also was diagnosed with dislexia at age 7. Did you know that Einstein, Tom Cruise and Bruce Jenner, the olmpic swimmer are just a few people who are dyslexic. My sons 3rd grade teacher was dyslexic.
I was an aide who sat with BEHAVORAL students. Your sons not even a SLOW learner. He is dyslexic. You need to read up on this subject. Your son miss places words and puncuation. He probably also runs words together. That is what HE sees. I made a " window" a cutout, so when my son would go across the sentence he only seen one word at a time and he could read better only seeing one word and not a bunch RUn together. Try it and PLEASE read up on the subject .Dont let your son be treated like he is mentally challenged. Maybe the people at school dont know enough about dyslexia so they are doing what is readily available. He just needs someone to help him read better. My son excelled in math !!! He was never singled out. Only reading class.Thanks.

I would check with your childs doctor to see if they know any good programs and groups that helps children with some kind of disaplity. I checked with are AREA 13 which is in Iowa for help when my son was not talking well yet at two. 1 1/2 years later we found out he had autism. We have a great school in my town that is very helpfully with all the kids in the school system. Which I am so glad to have. I would try and find some one else to help if the school doesn't want to it never hurts to try. hopw you get the answers you need K.

Hay Jodi as a child I had dyslexia and was sent to a private school which I hated. I truly felt labeled. I think now days they have come a long way with mainstreaming these kids but for me at that age I think that it was helpful to have parents that praised me when I did good and listened but not scolded when I did bad on something. I also wouldn't rely on what the teachers are saying. If your child wants to try something that the teachers don't think that he can do then I wouldn't back down on his desires and dreams. Your child knows what he can and cannot do. I had signed up for a psychology class in my junior year in high school and my teacher and counselor said that they didn't think that I would be able to handle it and changed me to a class for people that had learning disabilities. I told my parents and they said that I should listen to them. They know what's right. Like I said, I think that the special ed departments have come a long way from when I was a kid in the 70's and 80's but they have a long way to go. The thing is to praise him, and work with him on his reading. Reading was hard for me too and as he gets older he will learn to manage it but it will never (unfortunately) outgrow it.

K.

Dear Jodi, I am new at this but I couldn't help but respond. My daughter was 12 and could hardly read and I could not figure it out. I prayed about it and then as a good friend across the miles and I spoke on the phone one day I shared my concerns for my daughter. My friend shared that all her children had been slow readers and that she had found "vision therapy" which helped all of them. I went to a home school convention and couldn't believe it ...there one of the booths was on "vision therapy!!" I knew almost nothing about it so I got two opinions one in the U.S. and one in Canada where we live. It was more $ in the states so I pursued Canada and though it was more then we could handle really my daughter and I traveled 6 hours north every two weeks and now she can read!!!My husband was in special ed and never learned to read well. Each person is different( we were told that it was hereditary), but my daughter's eyes were not teaming together, she was reading right to left part of one word with part of another, it was amazing that she could read at all. I told her she was a miracle! After many eye exercises she is a good reader and I can't believe the difference for her. It is definitely worth looking into. She has good vision it was the connection with her brain and eyes that needed training. My friend in Minnesota got her children's therapy covered by claiming it as unobtrusive surgery. I haven't been so fortunate here in Canada. I just can't understand why the schools aren't using it ? I only know that it totally helped my daughter and it is a cure not just getting by like my husband had years ago .I pray that you can find help for your son. Sincerely, K. (mother of 8 in Ontario)

Please look into learningRx...it is not like a sylvan or a huntington. You will get one on one help with your child... and they promise that the program will work!

My 12 year old has dyslexia. He also has straubismis. when he was 4 years old he had surgery on both eyes. We home school him for obvious reasons.

I highly recommend Dr. Vicki Vandervort. She is a specialist here in Omaha for kids with these problems. She is located near West Roads mall.

I don't know much about Dyslexia, but I totally agree with you on what you said about your school disct. It's a bummer that they don't see that having programing geared for this is not important. That just sinks! I would continue your reasearch, educate yourself(go to teh libary order books or vidoes if you have too, YOU ARE YOUR CHILD'S BEST TEACHER! If he is not getting it there(at his school), and with out fusturating your boy, do some extra learning things at home, or if it was possible get him into a program or different school that will address his needs. I'm should your boy is supper smart, but just can't unlock his talent in our "you have to do it this way" education system. With a little or a lot of help he could be caught up, use the summer to work on area's and further others. Good Luck!

I had dyslexia as a child and still have it now as an adult when i get stressed or scared. I went to a small school and even after I was diagnosed with dyslexia they labeled me retarded, so feel fortunate they only label your son as learning disabled. My mom faught to get me the training i needed to succeed in school and the first place i would start is the school board if they do nothing go right to the state level that runs and funds the schools special ed programs. He is your child and has a right to be taught as you see fit. good luck to you and if i remember my mom had to fight with the school the whole time i was in school. I am happy to say i graduated in 94 as a b student.

Hi J.,
Like Jackie, I highly recommend the research-based Orton-Gillingham Approach. One of my closest friends is a tutor trained in this method and it truly works wonders. My nephew was recently identified with dyslexia. My sister was also not able to get much support from his school but she did find a Orton-Gillingham tutor in her area. She is planning to get the Orton-Gillingham training herself this summer. There are parent training seminars and during the summer, they offer tutoring for kids during the teacher training practicum. Check http://www.ortongillingham-mn.org/. He could work with the best practitioners if you have some flexibility with your time over the summer. Good luck! You sound like a great advocate for your soon. Keep up the good work!

Hi J.,

My son who is now 17 and a junior in high school is dyslexic. I remember those frustrating years in the beginning, no label, therefore hit and miss educational programs. One Special Ed teacher took a summer class herself and highly recommended we try the Orton Gillingham
program. It turned my son around. You can look at the web site yourself if you wish, it's www.ortongillingham.org. My son has gone from a scared, low self esteem first grader to a Scholor athlete taking all college bound courses and his IQ testing comes in at the brilliant level.

Hang in there, be patient and good luck.

Hi J.,

I'm sorry I don't have any suggestions for you about what to do, but I wanted to write to encourage you. My husband was 9 when he was told he had dyslexia (he's 37 now). He had a horrible time in school, but then after the issue was defined, his teacher worked very closely with him and got him through the tough times. His teacher suggested music lessons. I'm not sure what the specific connection is, but apprarently reading and playing music helps organize your brain in a different way - helps with hand/eye coordination... He played the organ for many years and did very well. He is now an engineer with a vary high IQ who was once a little boy who "couldn't learn". My husband tells me stories about his school days, and so I know that it is not going to be easy for your son, but there is hope.

Good luck!
Chris

Hi J.,

I, too, have a dyslexic child who is now nine. Finally in third grade this became apparent--nearly as soon as one can figure this out since most kids reverse letters and make spelling mistakes as they are learning to read.

After talking to another mother who had investigated a program and enrolled her son, we decided to try what is called the Davis Method, developed by Ron Davis, himself a dyslexic who was classified as retarded as a child (but had above average IQ and ended up an engineer).

The core of the method is based on the fact that dyslexics are picture-thinkers rather than linear thinkers; their brain processes information differently (faster and more completely, actually) than linear thinkers. Thus, many small words, like "the" "over" "a" "in" etc., don't have a mental image associated with them, like "dog" "finger" "person" do, for example.

So when a dyslexic reads, every word without a picture associated with it registers as a blank in their mind, throwing them into confusion and off-track of the meaning of what they are reading. Think of a snowy TV screen showing up in your mind every time one of these "trigger words" appears. Very disorienting.

The method enables the child to create a picture of these small trigger words by first teaching them to see the letters right-side up and unmixed, and second modeling words and ideas in clay so they'll have images in their mind to help them picture what they are reading. Naturally I'm giving the bare basics to explain this and the method is more complicated, but it'll give you the idea.

This is not some rinky-dink method, but is taught internationally, the largest dyslexia reading method taught in the world. It sounds wierd at first, but the more I learned, the more sense it made. It is truly fascinating, and if you google Ron Davis you'll learn even more. Also, he wrote a book called The Gift of Dyslexia which is excellent.

The upshot is, our daughter is reading at grade level and still improving. Her handwriting and spelling are steadily improving also. Others have told me that combining the Davis Method with a phonics-based method called Orton-Gillingham is a wonderful combination. Google them, too, or call their Twin Cities office.

Good luck! Tackling this is a lot of work, but so worth it!! It's great you've been helping him for so long because dyslexic children often suffer low self-esteem because they think they are dumb. Pat yourself on the back. It's great you're willing to go beyond the special-ed programs offered at school because although they can help many ld's, dyslexia is not one of them.

Hi J.,

I use to be a special ed. teacher (now SAHM). I just wanted to say that there might be some good reasons for the teacher to say that although the way she presented it may not have been helpful. First, a lot of those programs are expensive, offer big and produce little. Not all, but some. It's a business. Public schools are not in business for profit, so your not going to find bias in curriculum. You, hopefully, will find tried and true methods, but every teacher needs a bag of tricks because every child is different. What works for one, doesn't work for all, so ask what other things could be tried if the methods being used don't work.

Second, a child with a learning disability (dyslexia is considered a type of learning disability in schools) is not going to make the same yearly gains as a child who doesn't, so it's not so much what level your son is reading at, but if he's making progress, even if the progress is slow. I think it would be really valuable to turn to that teacher and say, "Well then, could you give me some supplemental activities that I can work on with him that will support what you're doing at school?"

Third, there are so many factors in a school that can lead to a lack of progress, especially by a kid who has a learning disability. Many times students find ways to avoid learning because they are frustrated that they can't learn the same way as others. They get really good at avoiding the tasks and then they get further behind. It's such a vicious cycle. So, it's really important to celebrate the small gains, to read his Spec. Ed. progress report/PRs together and ask that they remain positive. PRs should come as often as grades and they should be specific to the goals he's working on. If you find through these progress reports that he's not making progress towards his specific goals, it's time to ask the school why. Is it a behavior or task avoidance thing? Is the curriculum not working for him? Is it the environment? Is he sensitve to the black/white color contrast on paper? There are A MILLION questions and variables and it's the job of the IEP team to figure them all out. You are included in that team, so your voice counts.

I of course don't know all the details here, so I'm sorry if I'm way off, but I thought some of these things might help. Spec. Ed. can be a complicated place to navigate. You'd think they'd make it easier given that the clients are already having difficulties, but with all the legalities, it gets complicated.