My 2nd grade DS is experiencing some reading difficulty. He has an IEP already in place for speech and at his school conference which the speech therapist attended I did make the informal request to begin looking at the possibility that he has a reading disability.
Editted after reading comments....SO does Kansas not follow federal regulations regarding individuals with diabilities?????????
Also I am also concerned about how this will impact him next year when he will be in 3rd grade and subject to the 'state assessments' WHAT will the school's response be if he doesn't achieve appropriately on this? Will they then suggest that he needs to be retained? Will the imply that he just isn't trying hard enough?
The teacher seems clueless about the process and I learned from the Speech T. that they are now doing an 'intervention' based approach. Meaning they try different things to help - and document what the effect is--- when they run out of things to try then the test. This seems counterintuitive to me...Shouldn't they test to know what the problem is first?
Anyway, I am seeking info. about where I might be able to take him for some testing. If anyone has any recommendations please do share.
Also, I have been reluctant to do much more with the schools at this point. Mostly b/c I don't know how much of this I want in a permanent file.
There is a very strong history of reading disabilities on one side of our family that is documented for two generations. (My dh has 4 brothers who didn't learn to read until they were out of school. My dh was in special ed and is still a horrible speller--- a problem my Ds has as well. Of the cousins....I know that most of the boys - there is only one I don't know about - have IEPs and services for reading problems. (And here we are talking about more than 10 kids in one family!)
I should add that my ds has good comprehension and vocab. - it is oral speed and spelling that are the concerns.
Thanks to all for the responses.
I called the school speech pathologist today. She told me that b/c my ds already has an IEP in place he won't need to be 'qualified' for services. He is already qualified. So now the team will meet to review whether additional testing is needed. When I told her of the family hx she seemed even more concerned about getting him some reading help. She was also going to check with the reading folks to see how often they are assessing the interventions he is receiving already.
I feel like the speech path. will be a good advocate for my son. She is also working with his speech by having him read so that he gets additional reading reinfocement too.
I would take your DS to a Learning Center. It may be costly but there they test all aspects, math, science, reading etc. They then help the child succeed in those classes. Usually they work with the school and teacher as well. I would recommend ABC Learning Center in the Leawood area. The director is Carol Sieber and I personally know her and the tutors can come to your home. Parents have to provide the textbooks.
P.-
I am a speech-language pathologist for a Kansas school district, in which I deal with students of various disabilities and ethnicities. I hate to burst your hope for quick testing for a possibility of a reading disability, but that is not how the Kansas system/process works. The school must first provide various interventions to determine if your son can achieve success with reading, writing, spelling without adding more services or putting your son through more testing. These interventions might include small group instruction, specific phonic or phonemic awareness skills, a home program, work with a reading specialist, etc. If the intervention(s) fail (which the school should only be doing interventions for 6-10 weeks in length), then the IEP team will consider testing your son. You should know that there is no label for "reading disability" in the state of Kansas. If your son was to qualify for more special education services, then it will be under the label of "learning disability" in the specific area(s) in which he needs help in (i.e. reading, math, writing). BUT...this process is and never will be quick! If your son was to be tested and you sign for consent to test, than the school has "60 school days" in which to test him (which is more like 3 months). That is what the state gives us. If you would like to have your son tested elsewhere, like Children's Mercy Hospital or KU Medical Center, that is fine, BUT...the school does not have to accept the evaluation report from these outside services. The criteria for receiving help at these various places are different from the help that your son would/could get at school. If you like the diagnosis from one of these places, than you could accept services from them, but at your expense and under whatever your health insurance is willing to pay. The school has to decide whether or not there is an intensive need for services, due to your son not being able to learn (that his deficits impede that of his learning).
I hope that this helps. If you have more questions, than just ask!
-A. K.
Does your son like to use the computer? Does he work with any games online?
There is 2 sites that I strongly recommend. One is free, the other is 19.95 per month. Both are extrordinary.
www.starfall.com
www.time4learning.com
It may be that your son just needs to learn an entirely different way than what they are doing in school.
Suzi
My understanding is that the school is required to perform an evaluation at parental request within a certain number of days. I'm not completely sure on the details, because DeSoto School District responded immediately to my request and has been absolutely amazing at the way they have helped my son. Try checking www.wrightslaw.com for what you need to know.
Hi, P. -
I'm a psychologist specializing in learning disabilities assessments. I would be happy to talk to you about your son and your situation. You can call me at my office at ###-###-####. I am offering a free 30 minute in person consultation to Mamasource members.
My opinion is that it's best to determine exactly what is going on as early as possible so that the right interventions can be put into place. I can help walk you through the IEP process, etc., if necessary.
Please let me know if I can be of any help. It's never easy when a child is struggling at school.
K. Jordan, Ph.D.
I don't have any advice. I just want to thank you for raising this issue. Our son definitely needs testing and every time we bring it up with the school they look at us like we're clueless. For all this time, we've assumed that he must not "be as bad as we think he is," or they'd test him. Meanwhile our son fights reading tooth and nail because it's so difficult and painful for him. This has been going on for three years. I've come to believe they are just not interested in testing if they can avoid it. If we could just figure out what's going on, or how he best learns, we could possibly find ways to teach him that would make things clearer and less painful for him. Recently, I've started thinking I should find an independent testing group, but don't know where to start. If anyone has any ideas, I, too, would love to know. Meanwhile, P., thanks so much for asking the question. I really didn't understand this "no test" approach was the strategy!
OK, bottom line, you're the parent. If you want your child tested, go in and demand that the school tests him. You are your child's advocate. Request a meeting with the sped coordinator, teacher and principal. Voice your concerns and tell them to test him.
Also, ask them why they are reluctant to test. Here's some other things to find out: When did they start the alternative strategies, how long will they be trying them, what results are they looking for that will warrent no testing - like if the teacher notices minimal improvment, then it's working so they won't test???? If these don't work will they try other strategies?
I hope this helps.
S.
