Schooling vent

[Cupcake2008]

Hello Greens in Wa,

As a school psychologist, I just wanted to add a few things to what other posters have mentioned. You are your child's best advocate. I encourage you to research the rights you have in your state and become as involved as possible in her education. As a nation, we are moving away from the old IQ-achievement discrepancy model for identifying learning disabilities. Traditionally this has been a "wait and fail" approach that has not allowed children to be identified for help until they are significantly behind. Research has not shown the IQ-discrepancy model alone to be effective in identifying or assisting children.

The good news is that states are now phasing in Response to Intervention (RTI) models that require school districts to use research based instruction and tiered levels of interventions to help struggling students. As districts move to this model, they should be screening all students, identifying children in need, and providing them with additional interventions. They are then required to monitor the progress of these students and make appropriate instructional changes, or to increase the intensity of the intervention until the child responds. Parents have the right to be involved in this process and should have access to the data to see what intervention their child is receiving and if it is being effective. You can request an evaluation to see if she qualifies for special education services at anytime during the process. It will vary from state to state and district to district if they are using the discrepancy model to qualify students, an RTI process, or some combination of the two. Here in Florida, our schools are struggling to figure out the process. Some are doing interventions, but not progress monitoring, sometimes the intervention is not related to what the child needs. We're going through a very difficult transition in identifying students for learning disabilities. I found a document about RTI from your state and hope it will provide some helpful information for you. It might be a good starting point.

http://www.k12.wa.us/RTI/pubdocs/WashingtonRTIManual.pdf

Your school district should be proving your daughter with extra help in her targeted area of need in addition to the core curriculum that she is receiving. She should not be missing other areas during. Find out specifically what type of help she is getting, and ask to see the data if you do not believe she is progressing. Please find out your rights. Ask questions. Do not assume that the school is doing everything that they are supposed to be doing. Our schools are most successful when we have supportive, informed, and involved parents. I wish you luck and hope that your daughter has a successful school year.

 

[cathy_s]

I am a special education teacher and have been one for years. Depending on your state it will take time for testing through the school. There has to be interventions and such before they can even be referred for testing. I know that she is in Title 1 and that could be used for Interventions, but each state has it own set of criteria on what can be used and how much time is given.

My oldest child is very bright and dyslexic. Your daughter is at an age where the reversal of letters should not be happening or at least not as much. What has me concerned and is a red flag was when you wrote that at times it appears to her that there are no words on the page. This is not dyslexia.

There is a book called, "Reading By the Colors". There are some eye conditions where certain colors make it very hard for people to read the words. The typical white background is very hard. It makes it appear as if there are no words, the words run together, the words are like rivers--a clump of words then white space and then more words--it makes a pattern on the page and is very hard to read. There are other ways this effects the student as well. This is called--Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome (SSS). I have had students that have used a blue color over lay or blue paper for all things to be printed on. There are other colors you could try as well. If you would like more information on this pm and I will be happy to discuss with you. Good luck on your journey.

OP, when I read your description, SSS immediately popped into my head. It's not very common but when you see a child with SSS reading it is rather unique. In my experience, they tend to like to read in the "dark" or they hold the paper at an unusual angle or roll the paper as they read. Some I've worked with track with their fingers to prevent the letters from "moving".

Other students I've worked with who have SSS report that the page can be "too white" and flashes at them when they try to focus on a word. It is amazing how a child's reading can change if he/she is using the appropriate color overlay (think colored plastic sheet from an overhead projector).

Hopefully you will find the solution that will make your DD a successful reader!

 

[Cupcake2008]

Other students I've worked with who have SSS report that the page can be "too white" and flashes at them when they try to focus on a word. It is amazing how a child's reading can change if he/she is using the appropriate color overlay (think colored plastic sheet from an overhead projector).

Hopefully you will find the solution that will make your DD a successful reader![/QUOTE]

I've also seen children using colored overlays for SSS in the classroom. However, you may want to consider that the existence of SSS as a separate visual perceptual disorder related to reading problems is highly controversial. It is not recognized by the American Pediatric or Ophthalmology Associations. If overlays seem to help kids that's wonderful, but I caution parents to do their research before spending a lot of money on expensive vision therapies when they do not appear effective. http://one.aao.org/CE/PracticeGuidelines/Therapy_Content.aspx?cid=8021c013-7e4b-43f3-aa1a-698307ae526c