kids reading disorders

[dot2bj]

Hello,

I am mom2rb's cousin and she recommended this site to hopefully help me.

My son is 9 and in 3rd grade...he has difficulty in reading but all of his other grades are A's and B's...I had him tested for Dyslexia and they said he did not have it...he is very intelligent and learns best from visual images...I still think he may have dyslexia and my helping him learn how to deal with it may have helped him pass the test...does anyone have any suggestions????thank you in advance

 

[Lanshark]

I have a DD who is dyslexic and I teach reading to kids who are dyslexic.

You say you had him tested and "they" said he did not have dyslexic.

Who tested him? If it was not a Psychologist who routinely does psychoeducational evaluations then that is where you need to take him.

 

[dot2bj]

I just had him tested at the school, I am not sure what her title is...I have a meeting with her in the morning...She said that he was a good speller and that he knew how to break down words...I do not know how they test for spelling but his spelling test say something else...and I have been teaching him to breakdown words for the last 6 mos or so and he is still struggling...do you have any suggestions for questions I can ask her tomorrow???

 

[dot2bj]

I just had him tested at the school, I am not sure what her title is...I have a meeting with her in the morning...She said that he was a good speller and that he knew how to break down words...I do not know how they test for spelling but his spelling test say something else...and I have been teaching him to breakdown words for the last 6 mos or so and he is still struggling...do you have any suggestions for questions I can ask her tomorrow???

I am not sure if I am doing this right so I am resending...sorry if you got the last one too!

 

[Lanshark]

The school psychologists, here in GA, typically do not touch the subject of dyslexia.

I've been working with dyslexic kids for 8 years. My DD, who is now in college, was tested on two different occasions by the school psychologist. I was told both times that she was not dyslexic. I was told she was bright and to be patient, she would learn to read. At the end of third grade she was still at a first grade level.

I then got a private evaluation. She was diagnosed with dyslexia. I pulled her out of public school. Got trained in a reading system specifically created for dyslexics. Homeschooled her for a year and then found a private school.

Your son may not by dyslexic. If he is struggling it is in his best interests to have him tested privately.

Here is some information for you. Decoding is the ability to break down words and sound them out. Encoding (spelling) is the ability to put them back together. It has been my experience that many dyslexic kids are bright and have memorized a good number of words. It is typically around 4th grade that they begin hitting the wall. Why? Because they are running into words that they've never seen before and they don't have the phonetic ability to break them apart. Many look at the beginning sounds and the ending sounds and guess the middle.

Encoding (spelling) difficulities are sometimes hidden because the child has the ability to memorize their spelling words. They do well on their spelling tests because they have good short-term memory. Creative writing is usually difficult because they struggle with spelling.

A decoding test, usually tests the child on nonsense words. If I gave you the word TAT you would know it is not a word but in order to get it correct you would have to know the proper sound of all of the letters. The nonsense words typically give you an idea of the childs decoding abilities.

Kids who are dyslexic, or who just struggle with the whole language approach to reading typically do very well with a structured phonetic approach to learning. Phonics.

Good Luck! If something doesn't sound right to you it probably isnt'. Keep searching and keep asking questions. You are his best advocate.

 

[janette]

My 12yo DD is dyslexic, as Lanshark said it's really hard to say without knowing more about what they've done. There are some screening tests, you'd have to know the name of the tests to research and find more out. My DD was initially diagnosed as learning disabled and although she is still considered to have an LD we also have a Dyslexia Diagnosis from Scottish Rite hospital. Our school system doesn't test for Dyslexia.

These are some websites that might help
http://www.dys-add.com/testing.html
http://www.schwablearning.org/
http://www.allkindsofminds.org/

 

[dot2bj]

Thank you, I am going to have him retested privately...they mentioned a learning disability, but his other subjects are so strong and they way he reads, they say is on a first grade level, it seams that he struggles just as much with small words...was, that, when etc...and words that do not look like they sound, but can read other words easily...I thank you so much for your help.

 

[Lanshark]

I was told by a friend, who is a special ed teacher in the public school system, that they aren't even supposed to elude to dyslexia. If they do then they need to come up with a plan to remediate it. This was about 10 years ago in Georgia. Things may be different now. A private psych is expensive. Some insurance plans cover it. It will give you an independent, unbiased snapshot of where your child is and what needs to be done to help them. It can be taken to the school and used to come up with the child's IEP. It also will give you a formal diagnosis, if there is one, for insurance purposes.

 

[dot2bj]

We have a dyslexia teacher that comes in for half a day everyday and she is the one who tested him...I have really been working with him and teaching him the skills that I have had to develope because I had dificulty when I was young, but they had no idea back in the early to mid 70's...I have no idea...Has your DD ben steriotyped for being LD??? at this point I do not care, we have the TAXS test coming up and I do not want him to fail, but they said that they will take his other grades into consideration...

 

[JoyG]

Hello,

I am mom2rb's cousin and she recommended this site to hopefully help me.

My son is 9 and in 3rd grade...he has difficulty in reading but all of his other grades are A's and B's...I had him tested for Dyslexia and they said he did not have it...he is very intelligent and learns best from visual images...I still think he may have dyslexia and my helping him learn how to deal with it may have helped him pass the test...does anyone have any suggestions????thank you in advance

I teach third grade. When you say he's having trouble in reading, how much trouble is he having? What kind of material is he reading?

If he is far below grade level, he needs to begin at the beginning with phonics as others have suggested. Short vowel sounds, long vowel sounds, rules for oo, ow, ou, sh, th, ch...etc. etc.

I would suggest hiring a tutor or experienced teacher to work with him, someone who can figure out where he is now and where he has to go educationally, and how to get him from point A to point B.

On your part, you could be reading with him EVERY night (even holidays and weekends...it sounds easier than it is). Start by chosing books that are on his level and keep challenging him. Practice is such a huge part of learning to read.

 

[janette]

A Learning Disability means that they have a discrepancy between their IQ ability and their academic ability. They should have a pretty even line / scores. My DD has a big difference in her ability in other subjects vs reading. It is that difference that qualifies her as learning disabled. She has an above average IQ and reads about 2 grades behind right now.

Does your school have a Dyslexia program? It is becoming a little more common and it can really benefit students that need it.

 

[stinkerbelle's mom]

We had to take our son to a dyslexia organization to have him tested because the school didn't/wouldn't recognize it. We used the Dyslexia Association of Maryland. They hooked my son up with a tutor who would meet with him once a week. Best thing we ever did.

Now another thing to consider is reading vs comprehension. My son has now become an excellent reader, but his comprehension skills are not so good. Is it possible that's the problem that your son is having? At this point I have my ds read so much (an hour, a chapter, etc...) and then do a little paragraph about what he read or just have him explain to me what's going on. Good luck. It's so hard these days to get the help you need--believe it or not--- because nobody wants to "label" a child.

 

[dot2bj]

They say that he reads on a 1st grade level, he is very smart and has A's and B's in all other subjects...I have been reading to him every night since he was a baby...I have him practice on TAXS books several times a week, and if you read him a story he makes an A on it but when he has to read it it takes him forever and he fails the test...

 

[dot2bj]

I am not sure how the comprehension works, but if you read to him he has it...it seams that he struggles so much just trying to read the word that he has lost what it was about....

 

[JoyG]

They say that he reads on a 1st grade level, he is very smart and has A's and B's in all other subjects...I have been reading to him every night since he was a baby...I have him practice on TAXS books several times a week, and if you read him a story he makes an A on it but when he has to read it it takes him forever and he fails the test...

Yup, he's definitely going to need to go back to the basics in phonics...and I would probably have him reading real books instead of test practice. Again, I think a tutor might really help in this situation, just because alot of times parents aren't aware of all the phonics rules that need to be taught and when/how to teach them.

ETA: I can tell you must have a really smart son on your hands b/c of the grades in the other areas. He's probably developed coping mechanisms to compensate in other areas. I have a boy like that in my 3rd grade right now. He also reads on a 1st grade level, but he hangs on every word that comes out of my mouth. His grades in all the other areas are pretty good, he's the most attentive child in my class.

 

[disneysnowflake]

I had a conference this past Tuesday about my DS13. The school wouldn't do anything for him, so we had him tested. He was diagnosed with Dyslexia in grade 3. The school wouldn't test him for anything.

When I mentioned the word Dyslexia at the conference I was told by the school's on-call psychologist that Dyslexia is no longer an accepted word. She told me it's like saying my son has the flu when he actually could have a virus.
The psychologist, who hasn't seen or spoken to DS or I before, states that my son just needs to work harder. She just started this on call job in January. Needless to say I was not happy nor was DS's teacher.

Has anyone been told this about Dyslexia being an unacceptable term to use?

When I asked what term is now acceptable, the psychologist sighed and told me I'd need more specialized testing on a regular basis to get an exact diagnosis.

 

[dot2bj]

I don't want him "labeled", I just want to get him the help that he needs...it is so upsetting to see him do so well at everyting else and yet struggle in this area...It is hard...has anyone had to deal with a child doing well in all other subjects and they try not to pass them to the next grade because of one area READING...I am so afraid that they are going to try to make him repeat the third grade and he doesn't need that...

 

[JoyG]

Here's a website from a school in my area that specialized in dyslexia:

www.gow.org.

They have a great faq page.

 

[JoyG]

I don't want him "labeled", I just want to get him the help that he needs...it is so upsetting to see him do so well at everyting else and yet struggle in this area...It is hard...has anyone had to deal with a child doing well in all other subjects and they try not to pass them to the next grade because of one area READING...I am so afraid that they are going to try to make him repeat the third grade and he doesn't need that...

Here's the thing I always tell my parents:

From PreK to 3 students are learning to read.

From 3rd grade on they are reading to learn. Although he's doing great in other areas now, next year he will be responsible for much more reading in the content area.

So if he's got severe reading problems now, it's best to address it before he gets any older. That may require having him retained this year. But the year is only half over, so before you get worried about that...get him a tutor. Tomorrow.

 

[dot2bj]

Thank you all so very much...I should know more tomorrow...and I'll be back!!!