# Need help w/ 2nd grader



## Kstornado11 (Mar 17, 2006)

My son is 7 ( will be 8 in January) & in the 2nd grade, & is having a very hard time at school. I am pretty sure he is dyslexic,like my husband & my dad. Problem is,the school doesn't test for it, nor do any Kansas schools according to news stories I've read on the subject. He is also VERY active, goes to speech at school, & gets into lots of trouble. His reading is at a Kindergarten level, although he tests above average in the verbal test they give him.

Can anyone point me in the direction where I can look for computer software, or workbooks, where I can help him at home? I don't want to pull him out of school as the speech & other things the school do seem to help him, but I do want to be able to also work w/ him at home. When I can get him to calm down & THINK, he does well. 

We're waiting on the school to test him for specific learning disabilities, but they are dragging their feet,& I foresee more hassles ahead. They all seem to totally shut down & change the subject when I utter the forbidden "dyslexia" word. I am just so afraid he will get so far behind it will be impossible to catch up. 

Any ideas are welcomed!


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

The problem with labeling a child "dyslexic" is that it's pointless. Unlike other things, like ADHD, there's no drug for it. And, because it manifests in different ways (difficulty processing the letter sounds vs. difficulty sorting the visual text) it's more logical to just treat the manifestation that is present. 
If he has trouble with reading, for example, _that's_ what he'll be labeled with for the purpose of SpEd.
Just a guess, but this _could_ be one reason the school is hesitant to attach the label dyslexia... 

Speech: Because he's in speech, he obviously has a language delay. 
Language is fairly linear in development and if he's hanging up on one step, he's going to have trouble moving on to the next. 
Also, kids with language delays (as well as early readers) will have a lot of the signs of dyslexia (mixing up similar letters, reversal, transposing, etc. It's a normal part of reading development so it's hard to say if kids this age have this because of dyslexia or because their language skills are behind.


You also say "VERY active" and needs to "calm down" which makes me wonder ADD/ADHD. Have you looked around for homeopathic/behavioral remedies to see if something might help? 
We're fairly sure my son, also language-delayed at that age in both speech and reading, has ADD. We haven't bothered with testing though as he seems to be able to keep a handle on it with plain, old coffee. 
Simple test: How does your son respond to stimulants? Pop, coffee, etc. Do they make him MORE active, or less? With most kids, it should make them more so. With kids with ADD/ADHD it should make them LESS.


Reading suggestions I always give: 
*If he's still having trouble with sight-words, get some flash cards and build as many sight-words into his head as you can. Phonics are important, but think about how miserable reading would be if YOU had to sound out everything you read.
This link is for the first 100 most common words in the English language (ie, high frequency words):
www.eyeonthesky.org/pdfs/HighFrequencyWords.pdf
Use some 3x5 cards to make some flash cards with these words on them. Just start with the first 20 until he has those mastered, then add the next 20 and so on.
Also, label absolutely everything. Bathroom. Phone. Computer. Window. Table. Etc, etc. again on 3x5 notecards. Have him help you so he watches you making these words.
All of a sudden he'll have a huge array of words that he can "read."

*Go to the library and check out books. 
Get some good non-fiction books, too. Boys seem to go for the how-stuff-works books more so than fiction. Let them be well above his reading level. Personally, we love the Eyewitness series at my house.
He's just going to look at books for a while. He might even ignore the books he's checked out and hauled home. That's OK. Let it develop. Next week, get more.
Make it an every-Friday-after-school event or whatever works in your schedule.
Let him know that books are a priority. (Even if you already have shelves in your house groaning from all the books you own. lol We do, too!) You're so happy to have him in the group now. The group of "people who can read!"

But the library books are just for fun. No stress. He doesn't have to READ them. Just enjoy them. You want to keep a positive light on books for the year when his reading level finally catches up! 
In the third grade my son was testing at a solid first grade level for reading. He was also still in speech at that age. 
Now, in the fifth grade his reading level has caught up to his age and he _almost_ enjoys it.


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## mommathea (May 27, 2009)

My sister is dislexic, so is my dad. When mom discovered that my sister was dislexic she talked to several eye doctors for therapy ideas. There were 2 different things that were suggested. Using an eye patch while reading, and music lessons like piano where they have to read the notes and play them. 
This really improved my sister's reading. Before beginning the 'therapys she would never read unless forced. After about 6months of piano lessons and reading with an eye patch she was able to read chapter books, and actually enjoy it.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

different kids are helped by different things.

One of my brothers used a card underneath the line that he was supposed to read, which helped him quite a lot. Another brother used to trace big letters, which taught his hand the motions to make to make each letter.


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## Kstornado11 (Mar 17, 2006)

Thank you all for all the great suggestions! 



> Simple test: How does your son respond to stimulants? Pop, coffee, etc. Do they make him MORE active, or less? With most kids, it should make them more so. With kids with ADD/ADHD it should make them LESS.


Yes the school & counselor he sees for his anger & etc seem to think he is ADHD, & I tend to agree, as he is just SO mega-high strung. 
I never let him or the other kids have pop & etc, only on special occasions, I may have to try that & see what happens! 

I saw that list of sight words in the dyslexia books, & he did have a big problem w/ it. For instance, the word "did", I asked him what it was, he didn't know, I asked him to spell it out to me and he spelled it "o-l-d". He does that a lot, or he will go to read a word, & struggle, & will ask him to sound it out, & he will start w/ the end or middle sound, instead of the first,etc. 

We _always _go to the library, & he picks out big stacks of science & etc books, which of course he can't read. He is very creative, & so eager to learn about so many things, I know it's maddening to him that he can't read them & learn on his own. 

I wonder why the eye patch & piano lessons helped?


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

> I wonder why the eye patch & piano lessons helped?


They make different pathways in the brain. 
And of course that's what makes a child dyslexic--the pathways in their brains are going different directions than they are for most of us. Things like music lessons and shifting brain hemispheres (like a patch over a single eye) will "fix" that, to an extent. 



> he picks out big stacks of science & etc books, which of course he can't read


That's what I _really_ like about Eyewitness books. You don't have to be able to read the text to get a _great_ deal of information and interest out of them. (and from my utterly unscientific observations, a _lot_ of kids who have trouble reading are science/take-stuff-apart type kids)

_My_ son progressed like this: 
1. Looking at the pictures only and getting all excited and telling his dad and I how an XYZ works based on what he was looking at. Dad and I would be wowed by his discovery, correct if needed, and show him the caption where it described his picture.

2. Looking at pictures and digging out a few familiar words out of the captions. 

3. Looking at pictures and reading the entire caption. 

4. Looking at pictures, reading the entire caption and reading a few paragraphs of surrounding text. (This is where he's at now, as a 5th grader)


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## hoping4better (Nov 26, 2010)

I hesitate to give any specific opinion as every child is different. Even children with the same problem may have different reasons for it. That being said, our son is quite similar to your description of your son. He's 8 now and just started really reading. He seems to learn in spurts. He gets really behind for a long time then all of a sudden something clicks and he gets it and shoots ahead. Reading just clicked for him in the last couple months, he couldn't even read many basic words before that. He was tested for learning disabilities and was off the charts good verbally, but was WAY below average in reading and spelling. Of course they didn't label it anything, but now he qualifies for some one on one tutoring with someone that knows how to treat children with learning challenges.

My son also has the ADHD problem, I am 99% sure as it seems to run in my family and he has the classic traits. That being said, we have found watching his sugar and food coloring makes a HUGE difference. We have also found that keeping them off gluten can make a big difference in our kids health and attention abilities. You may want to watch his food intake and see if there are any foods that make things worse. Unfortunately for us, gluten is near impossible to get out of their diet as it is in nearly everything, even corn flakes and rice crispies, and it only makes a difference if it is completely out of their system for a couple weeks.

My biggest suggestion is to just make sure he feels loved despite his challenges and be as creative as possible in teaching him. We took our son home in kindergarten and homeschool him now because it was obvious his teachers weren't capable of this.


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## Tracy Rimmer (May 9, 2002)

Saying that stimulants react in an opposite manner in ADD/ADHD is a bit misleading. It MAY manifest this way, but it's not a sure-fire way to diagnose.

With every child with behavioral issues, in the absence of overt medical issues (and after a trip to the doctor to confirm that there are no health issues), I would suggest beginning with an elimination diet. I have seen so many kids labeled who really didn't need to be, diet is such a huge factor, and environmental effects are also huge contributors, to many "ADD/ADHD" diagnosed kids -- but because Ritalin and similar drugs are so easy to prescribe, and the kid then appears to be "better" because they're not as active, many children are being labeled with this condition unnecessarily, and are really losing out because the true condition isn't being investigated or diagnosed.

If you believe he has sight/vision issues (and the two are two very different things), get him to see an opthamologist. NOT an optometrist -- a real opthamologist. They can diagnose any sight/processing issues that go beyond the "he has 20/20 vision, I don't know what you're worried about".


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## ejagno (Jan 2, 2008)

My oldest son was diagnosed with moderate/severe dyslexia in Kindergarten. I had to find a neuro-opthamologist who specialized in this. He went to this doctors office 3x week for months. Some of this was claimed to be due to him not crawling as an infant. I swear this child went from sitting to running so that would make sense. They actually had him crawl around a room on an excersise mat for several laps. One of our at home assignments was to have him cover one eye (we used a pirate patch for fun) and he had to fill in all of the a's and o's in a newspaper article then switch the patch to the other eye and fill in all of the a's and o's. 
Dyslexic children are not visual learners therefore you have to appeal to their other senses such as kenetic (touch) and auditory (sound). We use to do alot of forming of letters in sand boxes. You will also find that your dyslexic son may very well be excessively strong in math and poor in reading. This is also common. 
They are also generally very good in soccer and extremely poor in eye to hand sports such as baseball, football, tennis and things that use the arms.
Do NOT let them single out your child. I had a teacher that put my son facing the wall behind her desk and referred to him as "stupid" instead of calling him by his name. He was in a Catholic school when the problems were first noticed and they told me immediately that they had no room in their fine institution for a child with a learning diasbility.
It will take every ounce of patience you've got but don't overreact. Make everything about learning as fun as possible and geared towards focusing. You may consider holding him back this year. Maturity helps with this disorder as well.

BTW, my son is now an engineer at one of the major refineries upon completing college with a 3.98 and passed the rigorous entrance exam in the top ten. Don't ever let anyone tell you that he'll never make it. Your love and support will see him through anything if it's done in a positive way.

Oh and Tracy is spot on with the diet recommendation. Absolutely no red dye such as kool-aid. Eliminate as much sugar from his diet as possible along with processed foods. A McDonalds run is a special treat, not a weekly reward.


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## Astrid (Nov 13, 2010)

I am a teacher and can give you some suggestions for "needy readers". 

www.starfall.com is an online reading program that is phonics based. I would recommend working on the "alphabet" page so your child knows the sounds. The second page teaches using word families. This really helps kids learn the "patterns" of reading. After kids are done with the first two sections, the last section is reading and skill building. I find kids that go through the whole program usually can gain 1-2 years in reading. 
Another suggestion is to purchase the "Play n Talk" reading program. I think you can purchase it online as the woman who came up with this program died, and her daughter is working on getting the materials uploaded to the internet. You can also try Amazon and get quite a few of the components. It has CD's as well as books and use the "word family" method that www.starfall.com does, only it goes into a lot more depth. I used this method when I was homeschooling my own kids and it really helped my oldest who also struggled with reading. 
Don't give up. I homeschooled my own kids until they were in middle school even though I was a teacher. I had "The Big Book of Home Learning" by Mary Pride and used a lot of the resources. Good luck.


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

Tracy Rimmer said:


> Saying that stimulants react in an opposite manner in ADD/ADHD is a bit misleading. It MAY manifest this way, but it's not a sure-fire way to diagnose.


Well of course not. That's why I said "usually." And I have to _hope_ KsTornado is intelligent enough to realize she can't really diagnose AD(H)D with stimulant reactions or internet check lists.  

But it can give her an idea of what's going on... And, as I suggested, if she has a strong suspicion, she can also start researching natural ways of controlling it. An elimination diet shows up frequently as one suggestion.


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## ovsfarm (Jan 14, 2003)

In addition to the various dietary responses, be sure to include strenuous physical activity. Our family physician says that many of the minor symptoms associated with ADHD or other hyperactivity disorders tend to lessen if the parent can make sure the child goes to be each evening truly tired from the activities of each day. Digging holes, climbing trees, hiking around, and of course, actual chores can all help to burn off excess energy. Physical activity is associated with the elimination of several stress related chemicals in the body as well as the production of several calmness/wellbeing ones.


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## Kstornado11 (Mar 17, 2006)

ejagno said:


> My oldest son was diagnosed with moderate/severe dyslexia in Kindergarten. I had to find a neuro-opthamologist who specialized in this. He went to this doctors office 3x week for months. Some of this was claimed to be due to him not crawling as an infant. I swear this child went from sitting to running so that would make sense. They actually had him crawl around a room on an excersise mat for several laps. One of our at home assignments was to have him cover one eye (we used a pirate patch for fun) and he had to fill in all of the a's and o's in a newspaper article then switch the patch to the other eye and fill in all of the a's and o's.
> Dyslexic children are not visual learners therefore you have to appeal to their other senses such as kenetic (touch) and auditory (sound). We use to do alot of forming of letters in sand boxes. You will also find that your dyslexic son may very well be excessively strong in math and poor in reading. This is also common.
> They are also generally very good in soccer and extremely poor in eye to hand sports such as baseball, football, tennis and things that use the arms.
> Do NOT let them single out your child. I had a teacher that put my son facing the wall behind her desk and referred to him as "stupid" instead of calling him by his name. He was in a Catholic school when the problems were first noticed and they told me immediately that they had no room in their fine institution for a child with a learning diasbility.
> ...


OH wow,


> I had a teacher that put my son facing the wall behind her desk and referred to him as "stupid" instead of calling him by his name.


I think I would be in jail if someone did that to one of my kids!!  How horrible,the poor boy!!
My son also never crawled, & I have read about that online. 

The school sent home a letter saying his review is on Dec 14th, so hopefully it will go well!


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## Kstornado11 (Mar 17, 2006)

Oh darn it I had a huge post typed out, but my computer has been acting up all morning & only part of it posted! My Mother-in-law says her PC is going nuts too, because of Cyber Monday! :stars:


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## iluvmysheep (Jul 20, 2010)

I have had a similar experience with my now 4th grader. She was homeschooled for grades 1 and 2, then enrolled in school for 3rd grade as I felt she was "giving me a hard time". She was still writing b,d and sometimes c (today was also n) backwards. I was told by her teacher that that was still normal for her age and the school felt she was progressing normally. I did not agree but did not press the issue. They felt her problems were from homeschooling. She was not finishing her work and omitting vowels from her writing, had math difficulties. At the end of the year she was passed as her standardized tests were putting her at average or above for her skills. I decided to homeschool her again for 4th grade as I felt that she did not deserve the passing grades they gave her and she did not finish much of the work in the time given at school. Now it gets interresting...this fall requested her to be tested by school district for learning disabilities. Apparently she had been flagged last year and THEY DID NOT TELL ME!!!!! I had put together a report, with family history of lds, of what I had observed and copies of her work. The school took me seriously because of the amount of information I provided (I have a degree in psych and an ECE certificate). It is very important that you have detailed information for the school, it was my impression (from the school) that most parents do not have a detailed description of their concerns, observations and copies of the child's work (in writing!). She is now undergoing testing and they feel she has an ld. I spend time every day tailoring my daughter's work for her, her own personal IEP. By reworking the layout of her work, her grades are improving. I use a web/mapping using key words while reading to/with her so she can pull out information as she encounters it, then she numbers what she has written down, then writes all the information in paragraph format. This takes a lot of time, but she now can write a logical and informative paragraph. For vocab/english we use Wordly Wise 3 and I write her vocab words on lined paper (a must for her) and take a red pen and draw a slash mark between the beats in the word (trans/par/ent, crum/ple, etc.). Her spelling improved after doing this as she now thinks of the word in terms of groups of letters, not single letters (she has tracking issues). We did not do this today, and her spelling/writing of today's vocab was a mess! If I had enrolled her this year, she would most likely be repeating 4th grade. The testing for lds takes only a few weeks, but the rest of the process takes a few months (we are almost finished testing). From what I understand of our school district, they don't really test for lds until 3rd grade as many of the tests involve skills children don't have a concrete grasp of until then. My daughter tests well and is very bright, but she can't perform at the level that she tests at (a red flag). I feel bad because all the time I thought she was just trying to not do the work. She really couldn't do the work. She figits and is bothered by noise and distractions, covers her ears a lot, a headphones and a cd player with relaxation music help . We try to have school at the same time every day in our playroom/school room. It is quiet and she has a small desk. What it comes down to is if you think there is a problem and the school is brushing you off, don't give up! Every year that a problem goes unresolved it magnifies. I know in our state, if you submit a request for testing, they must reply to you within so many days (we live in New Hampshire). If the school ignores you, go to your doctor, call local special education centers. Go with your gut, you know your child and God has given you the skills you need to help your child. Most of all, support your child and let them know that you will be there to help him/her whenever needed.


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## Kstornado11 (Mar 17, 2006)

Today is his IEP meeting at 3:30/ I have a feeling they haven't done the testing I requested, I keep asking my son if they have given him any extra tests, and all he has said they have done is show him some cards w/ "backwards & upside down stuff on them". It's my understanding that I get to look over any testing they have done on him & if I don't agree, they have to do more or send him somewhere else for testing. 

He did go to an ophthalmologist to get his eyes checked, & wears glasses, and the school had told me this dr also can diagnose dyslexia. That was of course before I took the time to read & learn more about it. She just kept telling me how children in Europe don't start school until they are 7,and what he is doing is "normal for a boy". :shrug: 

I am pretty sure he is ADHD, but the thought of drugs really worries me, we don't know what affects they might have on him down the road, & I think a lot of times kids are drugged because it's easier on the parents & teacher.I just don't know, I feel I am swimming against the current, bouncing off huge boulders at times. 

The GOOD news is that he has had two really great weeks behavior-wise at school, and even brought home a paper saying he was nominated for "student of the month"!!! Awesome! :nanner:

Here he is in the school Christmas program last week---- can you guess which one he is (*not* Santa)? 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5E4lcstFlSU[/ame]


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## Kstornado11 (Mar 17, 2006)

When a parent specifies in writing that they request their child to be evaluated for specific learning disorders, exactly what testing is the school required to do?

The IEP meeting was over 2 hours long,and while I think the teacher & special ed teacher really DO care about my son, I am confused about exactly what went on. For instance, why did the psychologist have me sign a paper ( I didn't get a copy) that said he doesn't qualify/need special education services, while the special ed teacher said on her portion of the IEP that he "will need special education services in all of his core classes due to his low reading level". It still says he reads at a end-of-kindergarten level. 

I asked her (psychologist) if he does have learning disabilities, & she said "at this time,no" the only test I see is a Phonological Awareness skills test. Is the extent of it? I don't get it.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Kstornado11 said:


> When a parent specifies in writing that they request their child to be evaluated for specific learning disorders, exactly what testing is the school required to do?
> 
> The IEP meeting was over 2 hours long,and while I think the teacher & special ed teacher really DO care about my son, I am confused about exactly what went on. For instance, why did the psychologist have me sign a paper ( I didn't get a copy) that said he doesn't qualify/need special education services, while the special ed teacher said on her portion of the IEP that he "will need special education services in all of his core classes due to his low reading level". It still says he reads at a end-of-kindergarten level.
> 
> I asked her (psychologist) if he does have learning disabilities, & she said "at this time,no" the only test I see is a Phonological Awareness skills test. Is the extent of it? I don't get it.


Hmm. 

You are entitled to know what tests have been done and what the findings were, though they will NOT give you copies of those tests: they just give you the name of the tests and the results. And, what reason did the psychologist give for you to sign the paper: was it to show that you had received the results of his testing or was it to say that you had agreed to something?

Now for the important thing: did they have specific interventions they intend to do? Or, will there be a second meeting? 

I hate IEP meetings: they rattle things off and before you have THOUGHT about something they have moved on to the next subject!!!

Oh, yes. I have 3 brothers who are hyperactive and they were not medicated. They did require extra help, though. Eventually they learned how to cope and how to focus.


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## Kstornado11 (Mar 17, 2006)

Terri said:


> Hmm.
> 
> You are entitled to know what tests have been done and what the findings were, though they will NOT give you copies of those tests: they just give you the name of the tests and the results. And, what reason did the psychologist give for you to sign the paper: was it to show that you had received the results of his testing or was it to say that you had agreed to something?
> 
> ...


All I was given was a copy of a Phonological Awareness Skills Test, she gave me the scores, and also a copy of the actual test. 
And I'm not sure, The way they put it was to ensure he continues to get the services he gets now. He Gets speech & reading help.... gosh I need to find someone to show this IEP to so I can see f everything is being done right, I suppose.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

I am really surprised they gave you a copy of the Phonological Awareness Skills test! 

The meat and potatos are the interventions, which is a fancy way of saying what his goals will be and what they are going to do to help him reach them, as well as how they will be measured. There are usually about 10? interventions listed. For example, "Student will follow verbal directions 3 times out of 4, as observed by staff Staff will reinforce students efforts by giving verbal praise"

Obviously this intervention would not be appropriate for a child that is suspected of having dyslexia or ADHD, but it might be used for phonological awareness problems. For ADHD the child might be reminded to continue his work, and I am not sure what the schools are doing for dyslexia at this time: I only know what was done 40 years ago.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Here is a site that deals with a child with both dyslexia and phonological awareness problems. On the down side, it is pretty technical and you are probably wiped out. But, you might take a look at it tomorrow. It suggests interventions, also!
http://www.ericdigests.org/1996-1/academic.htm


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## FrodoLass (Jan 15, 2007)

Ooops, made a post without reading the whole thread. Gonna go read


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## Kstornado11 (Mar 17, 2006)

Terri said:


> Here is a site that deals with a child with both dyslexia and phonological awareness problems. On the down side, it is pretty technical and you are probably wiped out. But, you might take a look at it tomorrow. It suggests interventions, also!
> http://www.ericdigests.org/1996-1/academic.htm


Thank you!!


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## Mid Tn Mama (May 11, 2002)

Schools resist testing for dyslexia because it is terribly expensive and does not change the intervention at all. The number one intervention for dyslexia is more practice reading.

Unfortunately nearly all IEPs REDUCE the amount of reading and writing for purposes of TIME. You would do well to supplement school hours with time at home reading enjoyable things. This includes comics, which kids love and still teaches tracking.

I second the recommendation of Starfall. You must sit with him to make sure he is progressing sequentially through the skills and have him repeat before he goes forward.

Keep his learning to 10 minute or 15 minutes segments max. Get him up and doing an exercise or two between. Kids with Add/adhd need to learn to build up to more focus/longer focus.


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

> When a parent specifies in writing that they request their child to be evaluated for specific learning disorders, exactly what testing is the school required to do?


It is _completely_ dependent upon the school and the test administrators (usually the SpEd teacher and/or school psych.) There really aren't specific tests that are always used to test for XY or Z... 



> The IEP meeting was over 2 hours long,


That's because it's the first one. Any subsequent meetings will be considerably shorter. (And if he's already on a Speech IEP, you've no doubt noticed this one was _far_ more in-depth)



> For instance, why did the psychologist have me sign a paper ( I didn't get a copy) that said he doesn't qualify/need special education services, while the special ed teacher said on her portion of the IEP that he "will need special education services in all of his core classes due to his low reading level". It still says he reads at a end-of-kindergarten level.


Do you remember if the psych was talking about a different type of service? Also, did they say if the PAS was the _only_ testing tool they used? I'd be very surprised if it was... 
And you _should_ have gotten a copy of anything you signed!! You should have come out of there with a ream of papers, actually. Whether he qualifies or not, protocol (if not _law_) stipulates each member of the IEP team should have finalized copies of everything available to them. 
Maybe go back to the school office and tell them with all the chaos of the day, you walked out and simply forgot to ask for your copies of the paperwork. 



> I asked her (psychologist) if he does have learning disabilities, & she said "at this time,no" the only test I see is a Phonological Awareness skills test. Is the extent of it? I don't get it.


Again, I'd be very surprised if that was the only one administered... Did you ask specifically? Or was the PAS the only one _cited_ because it was the indicator they used to determine placement? 



> The way they put it was to ensure he continues to get the services he gets now. He Gets speech & reading help...


Via what? SpEd/resource? Or Title? Just a para at the back of the room as needed?


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## Kstornado11 (Mar 17, 2006)

Yes, sp. ed teacher sees him daily. Apparently they said they are going to start from scratch", & try to re-teach him phonetics. I really like his teacher, she really cares about my son you can tell. Not really fond of the school psychologist, she is very young, and condescending. Keeps pushing me to put him on medication, which scares me. His teacher mentioned possibly holding him back, and the psychologist immediately said she doesn't think it's a good idea, due o his self esteem. I understand that, but I also said I don't like how schools just go ahead & pass kids along even if they can't read at all. I also said I think too many kids are drugged nowadays, & I could tell it ticked her off. From what I have been reading, ADHD can now be diagnosed w/ an MRI & genetic testing, so I want to make sure he is tested before just putting him on drugs that we don't know the side affects to. 

I have a copy of the 15pg IEP, but it's a mess IMHO. I intend to keep in close contact w/ his teacher, and speak to her when the school psychologist is NOT around.


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## Kstornado11 (Mar 17, 2006)

Mid Tn Mama said:


> Schools resist testing for dyslexia because it is terribly expensive and does not change the intervention at all. The number one intervention for dyslexia is more practice reading.
> 
> Unfortunately nearly all IEPs REDUCE the amount of reading and writing for purposes of TIME. You would do well to supplement school hours with time at home reading enjoyable things. This includes comics, which kids love and still teaches tracking.
> 
> ...


He LOVES Starfall! We've spent a lot of time on there lately, & it seems to help him! The 3 year old also loves it!


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

Mid Tn Mama said:


> Schools resist testing for dyslexia because it is terribly expensive and does not change the intervention at all. The number one intervention for dyslexia is more practice reading.
> 
> Unfortunately nearly all IEPs REDUCE the amount of reading and writing for purposes of TIME. You would do well to supplement school hours with time at home reading enjoyable things. This includes comics, which kids love and still teaches tracking.
> 
> ...


This was an absolutely excellent suggestion! My son was diagnosed ADHD, Epileptic, and borderline Hypoglycemic. He is a visual learner. My daughter was evaluated, highly gifted, with no learning challenges (she is a bit AD). She is an auditory learner. I homeschooled them both for ten years... The most important decision I had made when putting together their curriculum? Teaching them twelve subjects/day, most "courses" no more than 15 minutes each. This increases comprehension and held their interests. I only taught them 4 hours/day, 4 days/week, and when I had them tested each year. DS was getting average test scores and DD was top 3%. DS is now 21, DD is 22, and both are doing great. Neither felt they learned much when they wen to public school, based on the method of teaching. I was the type of student, visual, who couldn't wait for the teacher to stop talking. I wanted to read the material! My biggest issue with teaching is that children are unique and some require different methods!


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## okgoatgal2 (May 28, 2002)

k. i have skipped a few posts cause it is getting late and i go back to work tomorrow. i'm a teacher. i teach sixth grade. i also teach special ed to 3rd and below at my tiny school... starfall is excellent for beginning skills through emergent reader and about first grade level. we use it at my school for prek-1st on a regular basis and my 2 spec ed kids, both at k level in 2nd grade, use it with me once or twice a week. one thing i do with my kids, and one of them didn't even know all the letter/sound associations, is read to them first. then they read that same story to me. then they pair read-each reads a page and then the next reads a page, back and forth for 2 days, then the last day of the week, i have each of them read the story of the week back to me. they have both improved at least 1/2 grade level in 4 months of school. 
prereading the story gives them familiarity with the vocabulary and what the words sound like. pair reading gives them practice with the words. reading it the last time alone gives them confidence in their skills.  my 2 like to read in class now, even though they know they are far behind the others (they are both transfers in this year) in their class. 
i can't begin to tell you all the different methods i have used to reach my students over the last 7 yrs. i always have several with diagnosed add/adhd, and several that i would swear either are or have never been taught how to ever sit still....
i love my job and my kids and i strive hard every day to make sure they get what they need.


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## grandmommie (Jan 24, 2011)

I am new here to the forums, and a little late to this discussion, but hopefully can add something useful to the other replies. 

When asking for any type of evaluation or testing for your child it is important to be as specific as possible and to do so in writing. That way you have a paper trail that will prove both your requests and the school districts action or lack of action. 

Special Education is governed by federal law and there are certain standards and procedures that must be met no matter where you live. Knowing at least the basics of these laws can go a long way in getting your child the services that they NEED. Once your district is aware that you KNOW what your child is entitled to many times makes it easier to access those services. Also, homeschooling does not automatically make your child ineligible for special services through your local school district. You may have to transport your child to the school for those specific services but they are available. 

A really good site to gain knowledge on special education law, as well as tips for how to best navigate what can be a frustrating system is:
www.wrightslaw.com


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

You know, sometimes, many times, children just need to grow up a little bit. The concept of "readiness" applies here. Some kids walk at nine months and some walk at eighteen months of age. Both are Ok. It's just do to the "readiness" of the child's body and brain to walk. It is the exact same with reading. It really doesn't matter if a child reads at age four or age seven as long as they eventually learn to read. Just giving the child time for his brain to grow, his eye muscles to mature, his nervous system to grow...... for him to achieve the readiness to read.... is usually a wise move.


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## duckidaho (Dec 31, 2008)

Just an FYI on the original post...I'm a certified special education teacher. By Federal Law schools are required to seek out and identify students with disabilities. If you think your child is dyslexic and the school doesn't follow up the school is in deep federal legal doo doo.

BTW, we homeschool.


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## shanzone2001 (Dec 3, 2009)

Here is my thought and it may cause some of you to roll your eyes....but as a mother of 2 and a teacher with 14 years experience (grades K-6) is it possible that your son is just a very active, high-spirited child???
You say he is dealing with his anger, that is good. Children are not born knowing how to deal with every emotion. They need guidance and modeling.
Could it be that he is just not into reading? Maybe he is more of a kinestetic learner and needs to touch, feel, and move????
I am not eliminating that he may have a learning disability, but you must be careful allowing your child to be "labeled" because that will follow him for years.
Some children simply mature slower than others.


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