Anyone have experience w/Sylvan Learning Ctr. or similar?

[BWVDenise]

We are getting desperate for help for our 8 yo ds. He has been in the school system for 5 yrs already and is still struggling. Next year will be 10x harder (3rd grade) and I am very much afraid. I don't know the first thing about Sylvan or Huntington (is that right?) or any of those learning centers. I would love to hear from someone who has taken their child to one of these places. We also have to consider that he might have ADD and I don't know if they work with kids that have it or not.
While I'm at it, how about a really good website on ADD?
I just don't know what to do.

 

[janette]

Has the school done any testing?

Find someone to do a full evaluation, they should look for attention and learning problems. There are so many things that cause problems for kids in school, even if they don't find any real problems they will be able to tell you his learning style and you can work to help him by finding aide that uses his strengths and also be able to work on the difficult areas.

My 8yo DD has a reading disability, I haven't used Sylvan or other tutors. She was in a private school but now in public but qualifies for special education. She's in a pull out class for reading and has some modifications for other subjects.

A standard tutor system will help an average student do better, without a tutor that can teach a child with learning differences those kids won't get much help. They can learn they just learn differently.

 

[helenk]

We used Sylvan learning when my son was in junior high. He had always been behind in reading, he was in the remedial reading in elementary school and during the summer we sent him to a tutor.
Sylvan is expensive but I thought it was well worth it. They tested him to determine where he needed help the most and provided us with a time line to give us an idea as to how long it should take to bring him up to speed. He actually did better than the center had expected.
.
I would however have your child tested at his school though, my son did not have any disabilities. So I can only speak from our experience.

 

[janette]

You might check to see if the PBS documentary on learning differences is repeating in your area. It is a very good look at learning differences and how they efffect children. There is also a book by Mel Levine "A Mind at a Time" that has some great information.

 

[AprilsZoo]

I have dealt with the special education system in a few different school districts, and they seem to have an unofficial goal to keep as many kids as possible from recieving resource help. But you can get help for your child if he needs it, if you learn the rules of the game before you start playing.

Sylvan and the like usually help the child make gains, BUT whether or not that will help long-term depends on whether the child has a specific deficit in just one area because they somehow didn't understand some concept (ie, phonics, never really taught alphabet/numbers) or have an actual learning disability. If they just need to be retaught a few key concepts in a specific area (one-time remediation), then Sylvan will probably work, but for LD, they need ongoing resource support that your child is entitled to receive as part if their "Free Appropriate Public Education."

You should first ask *in writing* for the school to do a "Comprehensive Special Education Evaluation." Send your letter to the main office of the school, and it never hurts to cc the school district as well. The law is a little different in each state, but generally the eval must be completed in 30-60 days. Be sure to state the date by which you expect it to be completed, so they can't diddle around while your child flounders. If they tell you after testing that there's nothing wrong, then you can go to Sylvan and get their opinion. If Sylvan does find problems you can use their testing results to appeal the school's decision to refuse SpEd services.

For more about SpEd rights and info on the law (IDEA 1997) look at: http://www.wrightslaw.com

Good luck,
April and the Zoo

 

[rbuzzotta]

My DD did Kumon math (and reading) for almost 3 years. It has helped her tremendously and her self confidence in math is now great. While her friends are struggling, she is doing well.