Any Experiences with Learning Centers?

[sherabby]

My son (9) is having a very tough time with reading comprehension. In 2nd grade he was diagnosed with ADHD and we do not medicate him. His teachers told us NOT to medicate him as his classwork has been fine and his behavior is for the most part good. He got all A's of his 3rd grade report card but this year he is having a lot of difficulty with reading comprehension.

Our school is no help for him since the reading specialist works with 4 other kids at one time and cannot help him with his inability to focus.

Has anyone had any experiences with the Learning Centers Sylvan or Huntington?

 

[simonsmom]

my daughter was in Sylvan for a year. It cost a small fortune but I rationalized it by saying we are not going to spend it on college if she can't read well enough to get to college. they caught her up and got her ahead in 1 year and had originally tested her as 2 years behind. She is doing so much better. We were very frustrated with school,AIS services,and tutors who never seemed to get her anywhere.

 

[sherabby]

That is great to hear that it really worked for her! Was it very time consuming? How many days did you take here there? I have heard that it is very expensive but I feel just like you do with my son's reading. He can read but he has so much trouble comprehending due to his inablility to focus and stay on track.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Has your son taken a Lexile test thru the school? It measures the level of comprehension. This could help in identifying where he sits and I would think how to help him better.

Now, I do not have your problem however for my dd it was an eye opener to see that her reading/comprehension level was on a college level for 6th grade. It explains alot.

After I realized that, I allowed her to read adult literature (she is reading Stephen King now) and I understood why teen novels did not hold her interest for too long. I mean she reads them but she needs some meaty novels thrown in as well.

 

[sherabby]

Has your son taken a Lexile test thru the school? It measures the level of comprehension. This could help in identifying where he sits and I would think how to help him better.

Now, I do not have your problem however for my dd it was an eye opener to see that her reading/comprehension level was on a college level for 6th grade. It explains alot.

After I realized that, I allowed her to read adult literature (she is reading Stephen King now) and I understood why teen novels did not hold her interest for too long. I mean she reads them but she needs some meaty novels thrown in as well.

I've never heard of a Lexie test before. Our kids started those PSSA tests this year and he got a proficient in all areas except for reading comprehension. His scores were almost to the perfect range just missing it by a few marks....except for reading.

 

[okeydokey]

Sylvan is pricey but with the diagnostic tools they use to build your child's individualized plan, it is a very productive hour.

 

[freckles and boo]

This doesn't address your question but it may be something to think about. Ignore it if you like.

I have two kids with ADHD. My younger daughter has all the classic symptoms - inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness (along with autism). Medicating her was a no-brainer after all the appropriate tests were run. It was a harder choice to put my older daughter on medication because her behavior was excellent and she is very bright and curious. She was also only on task an average of 15% of the time during multiple observations. She was floundering and it was because her mind was in overdrive and she couldn't focus. We tried behavioral strategies and other resources for a year, but it was after she started a very low dose of medicine that she turned the corner. You may want to revisit this topic with your doctor. Teachers are invaluable but they shouldn't be making suggestions about medication to parents (one way or the other). Both my kids are now doing very well in school.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I've never heard of a Lexie test before. Our kids started those PSSA tests this year and he got a proficient in all areas except for reading comprehension. His scores were almost to the perfect range just missing it by a few marks....except for reading.

How low was the reading score? Did they give you a grade level with that? In other words how behind is he?

Getting an assessment of some sort would be helpful in determining if there is a reading problem, like dyslexia or other learning issue.
Have you done that?

You are certainly right for getting him some help. As he goes to the higher grades, comprehension is something that is vital.

What grades is he getting that is causing you to seek help?

 

[sherabby]

His grades were very good last year but it took a ton of extra work to get them there. I take him to the library all summer long. He does fine if I read to him but when he reads he doesn't understand what he is reading. I'm positive it has to do with the ADD in him and his inablility to focus. I see it when he does his homework. It is a struggle at times to keep him on track. He's come a long way though and I'm proud of him for working so hard. His grades were all A's last year but even his teacher told me that he earned his A's. I hate to see him have such trouble.
If I mention it to his doctor I wonder if they know of any help since this is a ADHD issue?

 

[The Mystery Machine]

His grades were very good last year but it took a ton of extra work to get them there. I take him to the library all summer long. He does fine if I read to him but when he reads he doesn't understand what he is reading. I'm positive it has to do with the ADD in him and his inablility to focus. I see it when he does his homework. It is a struggle at times to keep him on track. He's come a long way though and I'm proud of him for working so hard. His grades were all A's last year but even his teacher told me that he earned his A's. I hate to see him have such trouble.
If I mention it to his doctor I wonder if they know of any help since this is a ADHD issue?

I would not be positive with anything to be honest. I would certainly make sure there is not another issue first. You never know, there are many.

It just doesn't sound right to me. You say he does fine if you read to him but if he reads it he does not.

Anyway, that is my 2 cents. If my kid was having trouble with reading/comprehension I would get a reading assessement and then proceed.

 

[freckles and boo]

I would use all the resources available to me. Insist on a reading assessment. Call the doctor and re-do the ADHD evaluation. Get his vision checked. It could be one thing or a combination of problems.

 

[sherabby]

I would not be positive with anything to be honest. I would certainly make sure there is not another issue first. You never know, there are many.

It just doesn't sound right to me. You say he does fine if you read to him but if he reads it he does not.

Anyway, that is my 2 cents. If my kid was having trouble with reading/comprehension I would get a reading assessement and then proceed.

His school does do a general assessment at the begining of the year to determine which kids go to the reading specialist. The lowest 3-4 kids always go to her with parents permission. I'm not sure if there is any other school assessments available. he has been with the reading specialist in 1st grade (not Kinder.) Not in second grade but yes in third grade. His reading is very fluent which is something our school is really big on but he has no comprehension of what he reads to himself. I don't think our reading specialist at school is of any help to him since she mostly works on fluency.

 

[r1lissa]

This doesn't address your question but it may be something to think about. Ignore it if you like.

I have two kids with ADHD. My younger daughter has all the classic symptoms - inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness (along with autism). Medicating her was a no-brainer after all the appropriate tests were run. It was a harder choice to put my older daughter on medication because her behavior was excellent and she is very bright and curious. She was also only on task an average of 15% of the time during multiple observations. She was floundering and it was because her mind was in overdrive and she couldn't focus. We tried behavioral strategies and other resources for a year, but it was after she started a very low dose of medicine that she turned the corner. You may want to revisit this topic with your doctor. Teachers are invaluable but they shouldn't be making suggestions about medication to parents (one way or the other). Both my kids are now doing very well in school.

I agree 100% with that statement.

 

[kacaju]

This doesn't address your question but it may be something to think about. Ignore it if you like.

I have two kids with ADHD. My younger daughter has all the classic symptoms - inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness (along with autism). Medicating her was a no-brainer after all the appropriate tests were run. It was a harder choice to put my older daughter on medication because her behavior was excellent and she is very bright and curious. She was also only on task an average of 15% of the time during multiple observations. She was floundering and it was because her mind was in overdrive and she couldn't focus. We tried behavioral strategies and other resources for a year, but it was after she started a very low dose of medicine that she turned the corner. You may want to revisit this topic with your doctor. Teachers are invaluable but they shouldn't be making suggestions about medication to parents (one way or the other). Both my kids are now doing very well in school.

I have a child who was very similar. She was in 2nd grade when we started her on medication (she is in 8th now and no longer takes it)
BUT, back in second grade she could not focus AT ALL. Homework was a nightmare because it would take her hours to do it.
We tried the medication and to this day I so clearly remember her sitting at the kitchen table working, I had to quickly run out to the car to get something. Normally that would have caused enough of a distraction that she would stop working. My neighbor caught me and we started talking. 5 minutes later when i came back in she was still at the table doing her work. Before the medication that never would have happened!

 

[sherabby]

I have a child who was very similar. She was in 2nd grade when we started her on medication (she is in 8th now and no longer takes it)
BUT, back in second grade she could not focus AT ALL. Homework was a nightmare because it would take her hours to do it.
We tried the medication and to this day I so clearly remember her sitting at the kitchen table working, I had to quickly run out to the car to get something. Normally that would have caused enough of a distraction that she would stop working. My neighbor caught me and we started talking. 5 minutes later when i came back in she was still at the table doing her work. Before the medication that never would have happened!

That does sound exactly like my son. I don't want to go the medication route with him though. He already takes enough for his allergies daily.

 

[kacaju]

Who diagnosed him with the ADHD? We saw Developmental Dr's for my dd. I can certainly understand your concern about not wanting to try the medication. It was a VERY, VERY hard decision to make.
I can only tell you that the difference that it made in my dd was unbelievable and for us it was the right thing to do.
My concern with those learning centers is while they do make a difference in some children if he cannot focus well, how will they help him with that? In our case that was not something my dd could *learn* to do.
I will say, she didn't stay on the medicine forever. She went on in 2nd grade and was off by 5th. (her choice so to speak, it was making her not eat so instead of chancing medicines we opted to stop and see how she did) She still has focusing issues and maybe if she was on medicines she would be a better student then she is now. Who knows, all I can say is it did help her at the time.

 

[freckles and boo]

That does sound exactly like my son. I don't want to go the medication route with him though. He already takes enough for his allergies daily.

This is only my perspective and YMMV.

I was really hesitant about medication, too. VERY hesitant. Unfortunately with legitimate ADHD it is the most reliable and proven way of improving a child's ability to function. Some kids can't take stimulant medications because they can exacerbate seizure problems or increase heart rates. We had to rule out seizure disorders with our younger daughter before we would move forward. What tipped the scale for me was the evidence that showed that unmedicated adolescents with ADHD are more likely to abuse substances and engage in reckless and dangerous behavior. People with unmedicated ADHD are generally terrible drivers and they self-medicate. Alcoholism runs in my husband's family and we didn't want our kids seeking out alternatives because we weren't helping them in a responsible way. Our pediatric neurologist reminded us that if your child needs insulin, you get her insulin. If she needs ritalin, you get her ritalin. You just do your homework first.

 

[sherabby]

Who diagnosed him with the ADHD? We saw Developmental Dr's for my dd. I can certainly understand your concern about not wanting to try the medication. It was a VERY, VERY hard decision to make.
I can only tell you that the difference that it made in my dd was unbelievable and for us it was the right thing to do.
My concern with those learning centers is while they do make a difference in some children if he cannot focus well, how will they help him with that? In our case that was not something my dd could *learn* to do.
I will say, she didn't stay on the medicine forever. She went on in 2nd grade and was off by 5th. (her choice so to speak, it was making her not eat so instead of chancing medicines we opted to stop and see how she did) She still has focusing issues and maybe if she was on medicines she would be a better student then she is now. Who knows, all I can say is it did help her at the time.

We went to a pediatric psychology office for his diagnosis and immediately they wanted him to go on meds not alternatives discussed.

My step son takes meds for his ADHD.....both inherited this from their father....who really should be on meds for his hyperactivity! Stepson had a really tough time with adjusting to his meds...he still takes them at age 20. He also has to take sleeping pills due to the meds.